Yours & Owls Festival Crowd 2023, Photography by Ian Laidlaw
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $500,000
- Application opened: 18 September 2024
- Application closed: 30 April 2025, 5:00 pm
Program objective
This program is designed to grow and support the live music ecosystem in NSW through investment in the operations of established music festivals, alleviating short-term financial challenges and improve business and job retention during the cost-of-living crisis.
Funding will be available for government-related and operational costs for contemporary music festivals with event capacity of at least 15,000 people and are currently experiencing financial challenges.
Applications will be accepted on an as needs basis while the funding program is open. The program will close when the budget is exhausted, or 30 April 2025, whichever comes first.
Successful applicants will receive two milestone payments:
- Payment One – 50% of approved funds within 30 days of the execution of the funding agreement and meeting any preconditions to payment
- Payment Two – upon completion of the milestones set out in the funding agreement and successful delivery of the festival, the lesser of:
- the amount required to reach break-even, or
- the remaining 50% of the grant amount.
- If festival ticket sales are higher than break even, the remaining funding will not be paid.
Please see the Eligibility section for a full breakdown of the types of festivals that can apply and the costs that are covered.
This funding aims to:
- improve short-term viability for festival operators in NSW
- support contemporary music festivals and operators vital to the NSW music landscape
- reduce burden and risk for organisers
- build confidence for audiences and the broader music industry.
For further information read the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund – FAQs
This program is funded and administered by Create NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
A music festival that:
- is presented in NSW
- programs new and original contemporary music
- has music as the primary focus of the festival
- has approved event capacity of 15,000 and above per day
- has evidence of previously delivering festivals over 15,000 capacity
- is a paid and ticketed event
- has occurred in NSW at least five times over last ten years
- is to be held within 3 months of application submission
- is Australian owned or has part international ownership
- can demonstrate/legally declare solvency
- does not have NSW Government Hallmark status.
For the purpose of this program:
- a music festival is defined as an advertised event that calls itself a music festival, has music as its primary focus, consists of at least five performances, is marketed under a single banner with a collective running time of at least five hours, and can be single or consecutive multiple days
- a contemporary music festival refers to a festival that is predominantly programming artists and acts performing new and original music
- artforms not supported through this program are:
- experimental music and sound art
- contemporary classical, opera, choral and ensembles.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Funding can support government-related and operational costs for contemporary music festivals.
What costs you can apply for
Funding up to $500,000 can contribute to:
- government-related costs including police, medical and ambulance, and fees for NSW government-owned venues
- operational costs including insurance, venue hire, security, production, staffing.
Who can’t apply
A music festival that:
- has already taken place
- is presented outside of NSW
- does not program new and original contemporary music
- has approved event capacity of 14,999 and under
- a festival that has approved event capacity over 15,000 or more for the first time
- is a free event
- hasn’t occurred at least five times in the last ten years
- won't occur in the next 3 months
- has 100% international ownership
- cannot demonstrate or make a legally binding declaration of solvency
- has announced it has sold out
- has NSW Government Hallmark status.
What costs you can't apply for
- artist fees
- marketing and promotion
- alcohol supplier costs.
Additional eligibility requirements
Applicants are required to include:
- an approved safety management plan (SMP) or health plan
- audited accounts for the last two financial years
- balance sheet for the current year to date and the last two financial years
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
All applicants must submit the following as part of their application. These materials will all form part of the assessment:
- an outline of your capacity and experience in delivering contemporary music festivals in NSW
- evidence of delivering previous contemporary music festivals
- evidence of the festivals impact on the contemporary music ecosystem in NSW
- an outline of how the festival contributes to a diverse contemporary music sector in NSW
- an outline of how funding will improve business sustainability
- examples and evidence of increased costs that have impacted your ability to deliver the festival
- considerations for future festival delivery (including cost saving measures)
- a budget detailing projected income and expenditure
- evidence of business viability (eg confirmation of solvency, audited accounts, balance sheet, etc).
Please note that the assessment and acquittal process will require an ‘open book’ approach. Sound NSW and an independent financial expert will require access to audited accounts, balance sheet and/or signed declarations from a registered accountant if applicable to the corporate structure of the applying organisation.
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Address the assessment criteria
Applications (including written responses, supporting documentation) will be assessed against the following criteria.
1. Outstanding track record
Evidence of previous festivals, key people involved, industry and Government relationships and support.
Tell us in detail about:
- your capacity and experience in delivering festivals in NSW
- the key people involved in your business
- partnerships and support from industry and Government
- demonstrated collaboration with police, health and safety management.
2. Significant impact to the NSW live contemporary music ecosystem
Evidence of the benefit of your festival to live music professionals, artists and a diverse contemporary music sector in NSW.
Tell us in detail about:
- the benefit of the festival to the NSW industry professionals you employ
- the performance opportunities provided to NSW artists
- the performance opportunities provided to new artists
- how the festival contributes to the local economy and nightlife, including visitation numbers from intrastate, interstate and international
- how the festival has demonstrated leadership on key industry issues including accessibility, party-safe behaviour, regional engagement, sustainability
- how the festival contributes to a diverse contemporary music sector in NSW.
Sound NSW is committed to a diverse contemporary music sector in NSW and encourages applications from First Nations people, people who identify as women and non-binary, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people from Western Sydney and regional and remote communities.
3. Viability of the festival
Your capacity to deliver the festival, your ability to deliver future festivals and how the budget will be managed.
Tell us in detail about:
- your budget, including a breakdown of your total costs and any other investment in the festival
- considerations for future festival delivery including cost saving measures.
4. Financial need
Your need for funding, previous attendance numbers, evidence of the Government related costs and supporting accounts information.
Tell us in detail about:
- year on year ticketing data
- how funding will improve the festivals viability
- how increased costs have impacted the festival
- evidence of Government related costs such as police, medical and ambulance, fees for government-owned venues
- provision of audited accounts and balance sheet.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy
Applications are assessed as received.
Eligibility
Applications will be initially reviewed by Sound NSW staff to ensure they meet eligibility requirements, and all application materials are acceptable.
Any decision to waive eligibility criteria on applications will be managed in accordance with the NSW Government Grants Administration Guide (March 2024).
Application Review
After eligibility is confirmed, the application will be evaluated by an assessment panel of NSW Government representatives against the assessment criteria and consistent with these guidelines. An independent financial expert will provide financial analysis.
Please note that funding allocation follows a non-competitive process. Evaluations will consider the assessment criteria outlined above and the availability of funds at Sound NSW.
Successful applications will be approved by the Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, based on recommendations from the assessment panel.
Successful grant applications
If your application is successful, you will be sent a funding agreement (contract), generally within one month of notification. This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your grant reporting requirements.
Contracts will not be issued, and payments will not be made, until all Sound NSW and Create NSW outstanding acquittals have been submitted.
Successful applicants will receive two milestone payments:
- Payment One – 50% of approved funds within 30 days of the execution of the funding agreement and meeting any preconditions to payment
- Payment Two – upon completion of the milestones set out in the funding agreement and successful delivery of the festival, the lesser of:
- the amount required to reach break-even, or
- the remaining 50% of the grant amount.
- If festival ticket sales are higher than break even, the remaining funding will not be paid.
Sound NSW staff will review required reporting, outlined below, and may contact you for additional information as part of this process.
Payment will also be dependent on when the signed Funding Agreement has been returned to Sound NSW, as well as any special conditions, milestones, variations or outstanding acquittals being satisfactorily completed.
Acknowledgement of Sound NSW
As a recipient of Government funding, you will be expected to acknowledge the support from Sound NSW in all publications, promotional and advertising materials and public announcements related to the festival funding.
Reporting
Successful applicants will be required to provide a project and financial acquittal at the end of the funding period.
Program evaluation
The Program will be evaluated to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved.
We may collect and use information from your application and reports for this purpose. We may also interview you or ask you for more information to help us understand how the Program impacted you and to evaluate how effective the festival was in achieving its outcomes.
We may contact you up to three years after you receive the final grant payment associated with the grant round for more information to assist with this evaluation. Create NSW and the NSW Audit Office reserves the right to undertake an audit of Program funding and support within seven years after you receive the final grant payment.
Support and contact
Tino Mjawe, Manager, Music Investment & Partnership
Email: info@sound.nsw.gov.au
Phone number: (02) 9566 8804
For further information read the frequently asked questions.
Image: Yours & Owls Festival Crowd, 2023, Photo by Ian Laidlaw