NATSIMO announces LIFECYCLE Touring Grants

ELIGIBILITY

The applicant/s must be able to confirm that they:

• Are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent

• Identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person

• Are accepted as such by the community in which they live or formerly lived

• Project activity must start and finish between 1 March 2025 and 1 February 2026

• For the purposes of this grant, a tour is defined as a series of ticketed, festival or free performances/shows connected together over a period of time

• There must be a minimum of 5 performances/shows

• An applicant can submit a maximum of one application within the NATSIMO Lifecycle Touring Grants round. Applicants must request the full grant amount of $20,000

Who can apply

• Open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songwriters, producers, solo artists, bands, ensembles, electronic artists and composers

• Open to Australian residents only

• Applicants over the age of 18

• Applicants with an active ABN. (Note, the ABN must belong to the applicant. Applications cannot be auspiced. Please see the FAQs for more information)

Who can’t apply

You cannot apply for this grant if:

• You have already applied to this fund for another band or musical project

• Your funding request covers activities already funded by other funding opportunities

• You have overdue grants funding from APRA AMCOS and/or Music Australia

• You are applying on behalf of someone else

Eligible activities for funding

Applicants can apply for $20,000 to support activities, including:

• Brokering and Tour Management

• Domestic Travel expenses

• Freight

• Installation

• Technical Support

• Equipment and venue hires

• Costs associated with pre-tour rehearsals

• Access costs are eligible expenses and may be included to ensure your activity is accessible to a broad audience. Budgets may incorporate costs for Auslan interpreters, translations, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, and materials in accessible formats

• If you are a d/Deaf applicant, an applicant with disability, or working with d/Deaf artists or artists with disability, you may apply for access costs related to interpreters, translation services, specific technical equipment, or carer/support worker assistance. For questions, please contact the NATSIMO team at [email protected]

• Tour-ready performances, gigs, festivals, events, and for tour itineraries that include at minimum five (5) domestic touring locations within a 12-month period

• Expenses for core staff involved in touring or community engagement activities, including fees or wages, travel, accommodation, and living-away-from-home allowances

• Flights, accommodation, per diems, ground transport and travel insurance

• Freight or baggage costs

• Applicants must request the full grant amount of $20,000

Ineligible activities for funding

The following activities and expenses are ineligible for funding under this grant. Please review carefully to ensure your application does not include these items:

• Projects that do not follow proper protocols when collaborating with First Peoples' artists, Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property, or communities. For guidance, please refer to the Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts or contact the NATSIMO team at [email protected]

• Activities that do not compensate creatives and artists at industry-standard rates

• Private tuition, training, certificates, degrees, or other ongoing courses of study within government or private institutions, including work intended for academic assessment

• Reimbursement for expenses already incurred or retrospective funding, including costs incurred before the advertised project start date

• Grant writing fees

• Recording or marketing activities

• Purchase of clothing or equipment

• Equipment hire costs unrelated to the funded activity

• Purchase, construction, or maintenance of equipment, storage, sets, costumes, or consumables

• Agent or management fees not directly associated with tour coordination

• Stylist or make-up artists

• Tickets and/or registration costs to attend events

• A tour to fewer than five venues or locations

• Overseas tours

• A series of performances at a single location
  

PROTOCOLS

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts

All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, and provide evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.

Commonwealth Child Safe Framework

All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

ASSESSMENTS

Applications will be assessed by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Industry advisors contracted by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office.

SUPPORT MATERIAL

You  must submit support material with your application. Industry advisors will review your support material in conjunction with your budget and other information provided. This helps assessors to gain a better understanding of your activity and arts practice. It is strongly advised to include evidence of confirmed activity, such as signed letters of confirmation and/or signed letters of support.

You may also choose to include the following support material with your application:

• How cultural protocols have been or will be observed and permissions obtained (if relevant to your activity)

• Evidence of your practice relevant to the activity for which you are seeking funding. This can include website, audio or video links (maximum duration 10 minutes in total), images, and/or written materials

• Biographies and CVs for key artists, personnel, or other collaborators involved in the activity (no longer than 2 A4 pages in total)

• Information on risk management

• We prefer to receive information via web links (URLs). You may submit up to three URLs per application, such as a link to your website, a video or audio file, and scanned documentation

• If you are unable to provide URLs, you may upload support material as attachments. You may collate multiple documents into a single file

We do not accept support material submitted by post. If you need help submitting material online or are unsure what support material to provide, please contact NATSIMO at [email protected].

ACQUITTAL

Acquittals for projects within the NATSIMO Lifecycle Touring Grant round must be completed 13 weeks after the end of your project.

What is the deadline to submit my application?

The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM (AEDT) Sunday 22 December 2024. We strongly recommend submitting before this. Administrative and technical support is only available during office hours (Monday-Friday) from 9am to 5pm (AEDT).

Late applications or additions to existing applications will not be accepted. Requests to extend the application close date will be denied.

How many times can I apply?

Only one application per person can be submitted. Multiple applications for the same or different project will not be accepted.

How do I get an application form?

Grant applications can be found and are submitted through SmartyGrants. If you are using the system for the first time, you will need to create a SmartyGrants account before filling out a grant application form.

Can I send my application by post?

We do not accept applications submitted via post. Any material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender. If you think you will have difficulty submitting your application online, please contact NATSIMO at [email protected].

Can my application be updated once it has been submitted?

NATSIMO can re-open your application form if you wish to make changes before the close date; however, once the round has closed, no further changes to applications can be made or will be accepted.

You can request us to re-open your application form before the closing date by contacting NATSIMO at [email protected]. Once the application form has been re-opened, you must submit the form again for your application to be accepted for assessment.

What happens after I submit my application?

After the round closes on Sunday 22 December 2024, all submitted applications will be reviewed for eligibility. Applicants with ineligible applications will be notified within two weeks of the closing date that their application does not meet the eligibility criteria and will not proceed to assessment. Eligible applications will be forwarded to an external assessment team, which will make the final decisions on the successful recipients. All applicants whose applications have been assessed by the external team will be notified of the outcome by the end of January 2025.

When will I receive payment of the grant if my application is successful?

Successful applicants will receive their grant payment within two weeks of accepting the funding agreement and submitting an invoice. Please note that payment timelines are fixed and cannot be adjusted to accommodate individual circumstances.

Does my project have to start and end by a specific date?

Yes, your project must start and finish between 1 March 2025 and 1 February 2026.

Does my project need to be completed by 1 February 2026?

Only the components of your project funded by the NATSIMO Lifecycle Touring Grant need to be completed by 1 February 2026.

How can I get assistance with my application?

NATSIMO staff are available to assist you in understanding the purpose of the grant, application requirements and submitting your application. Staff can assist over email, phone and Microsoft Teams.

Please note, we cannot review application drafts. Additional support options can be discussed where needed. The NATSIMO team is also available to provide technical support as needed. Where additional support required is beyond the scope of what our staff can provide, we may recommend speaking to an appropriate organisation for further assistance.

Abuse or disrespect of NATSIMO staff will not be tolerated.

If I receive a grant, will my tax be affected?

Grants paid by APRA AMCOS may be considered part of your income in a financial year and may be subject to tax. You must determine your own taxation liabilities. We suggest you consult your financial adviser or contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61.

Will receiving a grant affect my Centrelink payment?

Grants can be considered income by Centrelink. The amount is generally assessed as a lump sum and could affect your Centrelink payment for the financial year. Artists who are running a business (even on a small scale) may have their grant treated differently. Applicants should contact Centrelink on 13 24 68 for advice. Additionally, Centrelink’s Financial Information Service (FIS) is an education and information service available to everyone in the community and may be of benefit to applicants who also receive assistance through the social security system. To contact FIS, phone 13 23 00.

Can this grant be auspiced by another organisation or individual?

No, the grant funds must be received by the applicant. This aims to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members to develop skills in managing their own businesses. NATSIMO understands that historical factors and access to reliable technology can present challenges for some individuals and communities.

To address these issues, we have established specific processes to improve accessibility to our services for individuals facing such difficulties. Please note, these services refer to assistance in completing the application and does not include payment or financial assistance or considerations. For more information, please contact NATSIMO directly at [email protected].

Is a manager or authorised representative allowed to complete the application on the artist's behalf?

Yes, however, the artist must be listed as the applicant within the application. Additionally, the ABN details must belong to the artist. Grant funds can only be paid to the applicant in conjunction with the ABN provided within the application.

Can NATSIMO assist with providing information on fees for project collaborators?

NATSIMO cannot provide advice on appropriate fees for project collaborators. We recommend seeking quotes from various sources and making informed decisions based on those quotes.

Can I apply for less than $20,000?

No, applications requesting less than $20,000 will be considered ineligible. Applicants must request the full grant amount of $20,000.

I’m a DJ but don’t produce my own music. Is this opportunity suitable for me?

No, the music activity must be in support of music you produce.

Can funds be used to pay project collaborators based overseas?

Yes, but your application must provide sufficient information to justify all international expenses to the assessors.

Can I include in-kind support for the project in my budget?

Yes. In-kind support refers to resources, goods and services (for example, use of a venue, materials and people’s time) provided by yourself or others either free of charge or below market value. Detailing in-kind costs in the budget is important as it gives assessors a full understanding of the viability of your project and levels of support you are receiving.