Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund 2025/26

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 improving 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 an event capacity of at least 15,000 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 2026, 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 grant is funded and administered by Sound NSW.

This program is administered by Sound NSW (Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport).

Eligibility

What your application needs to include

Start the application

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. 

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.

An applicant will be advised of the outcomes of their application within 4 weeks of submission.

Successful grant applications

Funding agreement

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 execution of the funding agreement, and meeting any preconditions to payment
• Payment Two – upon completion of the milestones set out in the grant agreement and successful delivery of the festival, the lesser of:

                 i) the amount required to reach break-even, or

                ii) the remaining 50% of the grant amount.

• If festival ticket sales are higher than break even, the remaining funding will not be paid.

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. 

In the case of successful applicants who have submitted applications more than three months prior to the festival opening, a pre-condition for the first milestone payment requiring an additional ticket review process will be applied. Three months prior to the opening of the festival, an updated ticketing report will be required to be submitted for approval to confirm the ticketing data is consistent with the initial financial need assessment.

Upon approval by the Head of Sound NSW, an invoice will be requested for Payment One.

Sound NSW staff may contact you for additional information as part of this process.

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 may 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