Regional Arts Australia Grants: Supporting Creative Practice Beyond the Cities

Regional Arts Australia is the peak body for arts development in regional, rural, and remote Australia, administering funding programs that address the specific challenges of creative practice outside the major metropolitan centres of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. For Australian artists who live and work in regional, rural, or remote communities, Regional Arts Australia is one of the most important sources of funding and support available, providing access to resources that are specifically designed for the contexts in which they work.

The organisation was established in 1993 and operates in partnership with state and territory regional arts organisations across Australia, creating a network of support that reaches artists in every part of the country, from the coastal communities of regional New South Wales through the remote communities of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. This network structure means that Regional Arts Australia can provide support that is genuinely responsive to the specific circumstances of different regions, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach to the diverse contexts of regional Australian arts practice.

The Funding Programs

Regional Arts Australia administers several funding programs, each designed to address specific aspects of arts development in regional, rural, and remote Australia. The specific programs available and their funding levels change over time as new funding is secured and priorities evolve, and artists should check the Regional Arts Australia website for current program information.

The Regional Arts Fund is the organisation's primary funding program, providing project grants to artists and arts organisations in regional, rural, and remote Australia. The fund supports a wide range of projects including exhibitions, performances, workshops, residencies, and community arts projects, with funding levels that reflect the scale and scope of the proposed project.

The fund is administered through state and territory regional arts organisations, which assess applications and make funding decisions in consultation with Regional Arts Australia. This state-based administration means that funding decisions are made by people with genuine knowledge of the regional arts context in each state and territory, rather than by a centralised body that may be less familiar with the specific circumstances of different regions.

Touring and outreach programs support the movement of arts experiences to regional, rural, and remote communities, including the touring of exhibitions, performances, and workshops to communities that would not otherwise have access to them. These programs recognise that access to arts experiences is as important as support for arts practice, and that regional communities deserve access to high-quality arts experiences regardless of their distance from major cultural centres.

Professional development programs support regional artists in developing their skills and professional networks, including funding for attendance at workshops, conferences, and other professional development opportunities that may require travel to metropolitan centres or interstate. These programs recognise that professional development is essential for the sustained development of artistic practice and that regional artists face specific barriers to accessing professional development opportunities.

The Regional Arts Context

The specific challenges of creative practice in regional, rural, and remote Australia are genuinely different from those faced by artists in major metropolitan centres. Geographic isolation limits access to professional development opportunities, exhibition venues, art supply retailers, and the professional networks that are essential for career development. Limited local markets for art make it difficult to sustain a practice financially through sales alone. Distance from cultural infrastructure including galleries, museums, and art schools limits access to the resources that metropolitan artists take for granted.

Regional Arts Australia's programs are designed with these specific challenges in mind, providing support that addresses the particular circumstances of regional practice rather than simply applying metropolitan models to regional contexts. The organisation's deep knowledge of regional arts practice, accumulated over three decades of working with artists and communities across Australia, informs its program design and its assessment of applications.

The cultural diversity of regional Australia is another important context for Regional Arts Australia's work. Regional and remote communities include Indigenous Australian communities with rich artistic traditions, multicultural communities whose arts practices reflect diverse cultural backgrounds, and communities whose arts practices are shaped by the specific landscapes and histories of their regions. Regional Arts Australia's programs are designed to support this diversity of practice, recognising that regional Australian arts is not a single homogeneous tradition but a rich and varied landscape of different practices and communities.

State and Territory Partners

Regional Arts Australia works through a network of state and territory regional arts organisations, each of which administers programs in its own jurisdiction in partnership with Regional Arts Australia. These partners include:

Regional Arts NSW, which supports artists and arts organisations in regional New South Wales; Regional Arts Victoria, which supports artists and arts organisations in regional Victoria; Regional Arts WA, which supports artists and arts organisations in regional Western Australia; Arts NT, which supports arts development in the Northern Territory; and equivalent organisations in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.

Artists who are interested in Regional Arts Australia funding should contact their state or territory regional arts organisation as well as Regional Arts Australia directly, as the state and territory organisations often administer additional programs that are specific to their jurisdiction.

How to Apply

The application process for Regional Arts Australia funding varies by program, but generally requires a project proposal describing the proposed project, its goals, and its expected outcomes; a budget detailing the costs of the project and the funding requested; an artist statement describing the applicant's practice and its relevance to the proposed project; a resume documenting the applicant's professional history; and letters of support from organisations or individuals who can speak to the value of the proposed project.

Artists who are new to grant writing should contact their state or territory regional arts organisation for guidance on the application process. These organisations often provide workshops, one-on-one consultations, and other support for artists who are developing their first grant applications.

The Bottom Line

Regional Arts Australia is the most important source of arts funding specifically designed for artists and arts organisations in regional, rural, and remote Australia, providing programs that address the specific challenges of creative practice outside major metropolitan centres. For Australian artists who live and work in regional communities and who want access to funding that is genuinely responsive to their circumstances, Regional Arts Australia and its state and territory partners are essential resources.