2025 CASP (Country Arts Support Program) Grants

This round will open at 9:00AM 1 April 2025 (AEST) for submissions.

Guidelines
We recommend reading the full guidelines on this page before completing your application. You can also download the guidelines as a Word .doc here (document will open in a new tab).

To apply for funding you will need to complete and submit the relevant application form through our secure online grants system, SmartyGrants.

To be eligible, applicants must discuss their project with Arts Mid North Coast before applying.

Accessibility
If you are an applicant with a disability, and you require this information in a format that is accessible to you, or if you require this information in another language, you can contact us on the details below between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Telephone: (02) 02 6658 9400 or Email: communications@artsmidnorthcoast.org

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Overview
Country Arts Support Program (CASP) is an annual small grants program and is guided by Create NSW Arts and Cultural Funding Program’s three major objectives:

• grow creative leadership and programming excellence in NSW
• strengthen NSW arts and cultural activity that drives community and social benefits
• showcase NSW as a leader for strategic arts and cultural governance and strong financial management.

The fund is delivered on behalf of Create NSW in partnership with the 15 Regional Arts Development Organisations. CASP is not a recurrent fund. The program aims to support community arts and cultural development in regional NSW through small grants that:

• assist locally determined community arts and cultural activities
• increase opportunities for regionally based groups to access a diverse range of arts programs
• enable communities to explore and express their cultural identities
• bring social and economic benefits to the community through training, employment and promotional opportunities
• lead to greater awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity
• increase the sustainability and resilience of regionally based community arts organisations

The Country Arts Support Program supports the following Create NSW ACFP priority areas:

• people living and/or working in regional NSW
• NSW Aboriginal people
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• people with disability
• young people.

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Eligibility

Who can apply for funding?

• Aboriginal Corporations
• A not for profit incorporated body
• An individual / sole trader with current ABN
• Groups/Collectives (A lead Project Administrator must have an ABN)
• A group/collective with a nominated Funds Administrator (see Definitions at the bottom of this page)

All applicants are required to have a current certificate of currency for Broadform Liability or ‘Public Liability’ Insurance

Applicants and project activities must be based in eligible local government areas that contribute to Arts Mid North Coast. For 2025 these include:

• Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA;
• Kempsey Shire LGA;
• Nambucca Valley LGA;
• Bellingen Shire LGA
• Coffs Harbour LGA.

Who is not eligible to apply?

• Individuals, Groups and organisations based outside of Arts Mid North Coast region or applying for projects based outside of contributing LGAs.
• Interstate organisations
• Professional touring groups
• Commercial enterprises
• Groups/ensembles and unincorporated associations with no Funds Administrator
• Regional Conservatoriums
• Organisations that have applied for or received Create NSW funding for the same activity
• Previous recipients where the use of the grant did not, in the opinion of the CASP state assessment panel, conform to the spirit and intentions of these guidelines
• Local, state and federal government departments, including schools (except P&Cs who are incorporated).

Eligible activities

Projects including but not limited to:

• workshops
• arts activities as part of community festivals or events
• activation of community halls for arts events/activities
• artist-in-residence programs
• public art and design projects
• performances
• community seminars and forums
• exhibitions
• other local arts initiatives

Note: To be eligible, applicants must discuss their project with Arts Mid North Coast before applying. Contact director@artsmidnorthcoast.org

If your project involves working with children and young people, participants must supply a current Working With Children Check Number.

CASP will not fund:

• Core equipment purchases (such as laptops, artworks, musical instruments), you can purchase art materials required for the project / event / workshop.
• Capital expenses (infrastructure/building activities)
• fundraising and donations, awards, competition entry fees or prize money
• Applicants who have already received Create NSW or other funding for the same activities
• repayment of loans regarding funding opportunities
• General operating expenses or ongoing costs of long-term continuous projects
• Projects that have commenced or are completed
• Sporting and religious events/activities
• activities that are carried out to satisfy the course requirements of an educational institution, such as a TAFE or university
• activities that directly support the delivery of an educational program, school curriculum or course, and delivered during school hours at a single institution.
• reimbursement to recover costs of items already purchased (such as flights, accommodation, and materials)

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When can I apply for funding?

Applications open Tuesday 1 April 2025 and close Wednesday 30 April at 12 midnight AEST. Projects are to take place between 1 July 2025 – 28 February 2026

A link to the Smarty Grants application will be available from this page on Tuesday 1 April. 

How much funding can I apply for?

Grants of $500 - $2,000 are available primarily for professional artists’ fees, art materials, venue hire, travel and accommodation and some marketing costs.

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Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Artistic and cultural merit (Merit)
• Relevance, extent and depth of community engagement and participation (Impact)
• Evidence of consultation with and support from the community (Impact)
• Evidence of adequate planning, budgeting and capacity to manage the project (Viability)

Priority is given to projects which address these criteria and provide artist fees at industry rates.

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Process

You must contact Arts Mid North Coast to discuss your application before it is submitted.

To apply to the 2025 CASP funding round you need to complete and submit an application form through our secure online grants system, SmartyGrants. You will be required to create a SmartyGrants account before you can proceed with your application. You should save your application form on a regular basis and allow plenty of time to review your application before submission.

All applications must be submitted via the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) 2025 Application in SmartyGrants by midnight Wednesday 30 April. Applications will not be accepted after that time.

A link to the Smarty Grants application will be available from this page on Tuesday 1 April. 

Once your application is received and has been deemed eligible, it will be assessed, rated and prioritised by the CASP Regional Assessment Panel.

Arts Mid North Coast staff will make final recommendations with reference to the assessment criteria, artform, demographics and the distribution, range and scale of recommended applicants.

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Checklist

✔ All support material must be relevant to your project and submitted with your application.

✔ If your project involves working with children and young people, participants must supply a current Working With Children Check Number.

✔ Applicants should consider access for People with Disability in their information and events.

✔ Applications with creative content and/or stated intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists, communities or their activities must provide letters of support from relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists and/or communities. Please ensure you download and read Create NSW’s Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Protocols at https://www.create.nsw.gov.au/arts-in-nsw/aboriginal-arts-and-culture-protocols/

✔ All applications must have a current certificate of currency for Broadform Liability or ‘Public Liability’ Insurance.