Service Needs Strategic Fund

Artist studio

This grant supports arts, screen and cultural organisations to upskill, train and fill other critical opportunities in the state’s creative community, helping them to thrive after a challenging period.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Up to $100,000
  • Application opened: 2 March 2022
  • Application closed: 28 April 2022, 5:00 pm

Program objective

The purpose of the Service Needs Strategic Fund is to:

  • meet demand for additional professional development and capacity-building services across
  • the arts and cultural sector, as prioritised by the Service Needs Review,
  • encourage innovative approaches to delivering these services with a view to promoting best practice models for future delivery of services, evaluate the impact on service provision for these areas and on the arts and cultural sector each year.

A maximum of $100,000 may be awarded to any single project or program.

Image: 2017 TWT Creative Precinct Block Party –St Leonards, Brand X Productions. Photo: Tim Da Rin

This program is funded and administered by Create NSW.

Eligibility

Who can apply

The following organisations are eligible to submit proposals to the Service Needs Strategic Fund:

  • NSW arts and cultural sector Service Organisations
  • NSW arts, screen and cultural organisations
  • organisations from the NSW creative industries sector, and NSW tertiary institutions currently delivering programs for the arts and cultural sector
  • organisations must benefit NSW by either providing services to the NSW arts and cultural sectors, and/or employing NSW artists or arts and cultural workers.

Who can’t apply

You are not eligible to apply if you are:

  • an individual
  • a local, state or federal government department or agency
  • an educational institution (including preschools, primary and secondary schools) other than NSW tertiary institutions specified above
  • a screen production company or film festival, unless you can demonstrate how you can deliver services to the arts and cultural sectors. 

Types of projects funded under this grant

  • Programs using digital resources for online delivery. This may assist service organisations to expand their reach across NSW, particularly in the post COVID-19 context.
  • Programs and partnerships that enhance service organisations’ communication of the cultural, social and economic impact outcomes of programs. 
  • Partnerships with other organisations, local councils and landholders to find affordable spaces for artists to work in.

Proposals may be tailored towards specific artforms or facilitate capacity-building across artforms.

What can’t you apply for

The funding should not be used for:

  • costs that are not directly associated with the implementation or delivery of the service
  • an organisation’s general business operations or administration unrelated to the service being provided
  • operating expenses such as rent, insurance, electricity, water, rates or funding towards the running of other programs within the organisation.

Example projects

Proposals should not be limited to the following examples of activities, but instead, seek to innovate new approaches to problem solving the provision of services for the arts and cultural sector:

Artform specific examples encouraged include:

  • Partnerships and programs that build capacity for service organisations to offer managing and producing services for dance, theatre and music clients, and respond to opportunities for professional development, partnerships, tours, sourcing funding and philanthropy and brokering spaces are encouraged.
  • Programs that enable literature service organisations to increase focus on facilitating partnerships and assisting writers to develop regional, national and international engagements.
  • Programs designed to assist artists to understand and manage critical career stages – from early to late – through professional development opportunities, such as mentoring and profileraising programs, that especially include collaborations with State Cultural Institutions, major performing arts companies and festivals, State Significant Organisations, and relevant NSW Government agencies.
  • Programs that build capacity and increase participation by First Nations’ artists and arts workers in all strategic and operational planning, governance and operation of service organisations.

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

Proposals must:

  • include a description of the proposed program of activities
  • demonstrate the applicant’s experience 
  • provide measurable outcomes
  • describe ways to assess and evaluate impact and
  • respond to the essential criteria below
  • demonstrate understanding of the key strengths of a well performing service organisation in your response to the assessment criteria.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the Service Needs Review Report.

1

Prepare your proposal

Proposals must respond to the assessment criteria and include the information requested in the application form on Smarty Grants, including:

  • strategic approach, proposed program of activities and delivery plan
  • samples of your previous service delivery programs and their impact
  • short bios of key project managers, creatives and collaborators delivering the services Confirmation letters and/or
  • letters of support from partners, if appropriate 
    • if working with Aboriginal communities - letters from NSW Local Aboriginal the Land Councils, or NSW Aboriginal Corporations or NSW Aboriginal Organisations, and the relevant Aboriginal Elders and community members that supports the project
  • program Logic Template if applying for funding over $100,000
  • budget and financial statements.

Successful proposals will be expected to deliver:

  • Activities and outcomes that address one or more of the six areas of need outlined above for artists and arts organisations based in NSW.
  • Reports, including detailed evaluations that describe the activities and outcomes, who participated and assessments of the creative and economic impact. 
2

Address the eligibility criteria

In year one, the proposed program must start between 30 June 2022 and 30 December 2022, and end between 30 June 2023 and 30 December 2023.

3

Address the assessment criteria

Proposals are invited that design and deliver strategic support programs and activities to address the following priority areas of need identified by the Service Needs Review:

  1. Digital Resources: Economically efficient ways of developing high quality web-based digital resources and services that meet business, practice and professional development needs.
  2. Practical Facilitation: Strategic programs that enhance Service Organisations’ capacity to assist artists and arts organisations to manage, produce and market their work and attract funding and different forms of investment, including philanthropy.
  3. Careers Development: Strategic approaches to better collaborate with State Cultural Institutions, major performing arts companies and festivals, State Significant Organisations and relevant NSW Government agencies, to develop partnerships that generate career development pathways. This includes mentoring, entrepreneurship and business development for NSW artists and arts organisations.
  4. First Nations Engagement: Strategic programs that engage with First Nations artists, arts organisations and communities to build capacity and deliver services. These must include one or more partnerships with Aboriginal led organisations.
  5. NSW Priority Areas: Programs that provide support for and engagement with artists, arts organisations and communities from the NSW Government’s other priority populations:
    • people living and/or working in regional NSW
    • people living and/or working in Western Sydney
    • NSW Aboriginal people
    • people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
    • people with disability
    • young people.
  6. Spaces for Art: Strategic programs and activities that assist artists and arts organisations to find affordable space to make and present work.

Successful proposals will be those that best demonstrate:

  1. Relevant experience and track record for delivering proposed programs and activities;
  2. Strategic quality of proposed approach and methodology including partnership development, reporting and measurable outcomes;
  3. Understanding of the service needs of specific artforms and how to meet them;
  4. A sound evaluation plan, including a proven methodology to demonstrate outcomes and impact;
  5. Overall value for money.

Organisations providing services to any of the identified NSW Priority Areas are encouraged to apply with proposals to deliver services to the Priority Area.

Start the application

Applications for this grant are available via the Grants portal, Smartygrants.

 

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for the Arts

Proposals will be evaluated against the assessment criteria by a panel drawn from NSW Artform Advisory Boards and Create NSW staff.

The programs and activities will be delivered by the successful applicant. Contract management will be undertaken by Create NSW.

Subject matter experts including Create NSW employees and members of the Artform Advisory Boards, will monitor progress, review project reporting and ensure completion in the desired timeframe.

Support and contact

Phone: (02) 9228 4578
Email:arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au
Online meeting: schedule a time to speak to Create staff through Picktime.

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