American Australian Association

Arts Fund

Scholarship Programs » Arts Fund » All Artistic Disciplines

Arts Fund Grants

The Arts Fund Grants support emerging or early career artists pursuing or planning to pursue artistic development in the Australia to USA and USA to Australia direction. These Grants will provide support of up to US $5,000 to artists in the fields of theatre, film, television, dance, music, visual arts, design, literature, photography and fashion. Grants funds may be used toward travel, living, tuition and other costs associated with the artistic development abroad. Two rounds are open each year for application, of which both American and Australian Artists may apply.

Submission Period

Round 1: Open for application on January 1 to March 31.

Round 2: Open for application on August 1 to September 30.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for an Arts Fund Grant in the Australia to USA direction or USA to Australia direction, applicants must:

  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident if applying for artistic development in the USA (dual citizens/residents are not eligible);
  • Be an American citizen or permanent resident if applying for artistic development in Australia (dual citizens/residents are not eligible);
  • Be undertaking or planning to undertake artistic development in Australia to USA direction or USA to Australia direction;
  • Be an emerging or early career artist;
  • Have a formal offer letter from the host body or accredited educational institution at the time of application.

Please also note:

  • Applications must be prepared and submitted by the artist (not a third party);
  • Project commencement date cannot be more than 8 months after the application deadline date;
  • If the artist has already begun their artistic development, it cannot be more than 75% complete at the time of the application deadline date;
  • You cannot apply if you have already been awarded a previous scholarship or grant by the American Australian Association.

  • Merit based graduate academic programs;
  • A selection-based internship with supporting documentation from the producing organization;
  • A selection-based artist residency;
  • A merit-based masterclass or workshop;
  • Mentorship by an industry recognized professional of high standing;
  • Master Practitioners providing Master classes and/or workshops to academic institutions, artistic organizations and/or groups of artists may also apply;
  • Contributions towards the transfer of content created by Australian artists will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The proposal should include the potential benefit to members of the American Australian Association, with consideration for shared value propositions, such as complimentary tickets, and where available, invitations for members to attend previews and/or open rehearsals.

Application links to apply online will be made available on this page when each application round is open (as per the dates listed above). Once you have started your application you can save, leave and go back any time before submitting by the due date. Please ensure to save your application each time you exit the browser in case of unforeseen technical difficulties. You will be notified of the results of your application roughly eight weeks after the deadline, at which shortlisted applicants will receive further instruction.

The following documents will be required when applying for an Arts Fund Grant in either direction. All documents that are not images/video should be saved and uploaded as a PDF:

  • High resolution colored headshot with a plain white background (minimum 1MB/300 DPI);
  • Passport biographic page;
  • Offer or acceptance letter from the host body/mentor, confirming your placement where artistic development is being or will be undertaken;
  • 1-page artistic resume;
  • Artist Statement outlining the purpose of applying (no more than 600 words) which should:
    • Outline the goals and objectives of your artistic development;
    • Describe the importance of your artistic development to your field;
    • Explain why travel to the US/Australia is important for this artistic development;
    • Explain how you will accomplish it in the time period for which the funding has been requested;
  • Supporting materials such as a portfolio or videos, images, links, articles;
  • Detailed budget outlining costs for the proposal, detailing other funding sources – please download and use the Arts Fund Budget Template as a guide. Also available to download in the application portal;
  • Please note: Once the portal is open for application, applicants are required to request 3x Letter of Recommendation requests. Referee’s will have until 1 week after the portal officially closes, to submit their Letters. We encourage applicants to submit their referee requests from the portal, as soon as they start their application, to allow the referee’s ample time.

An example of the Arts Fund application can be found here.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions prior to starting an application.

Inquiries

To make inquiries about these scholarships please contact our Education Program Manager at [email protected] | +1 212 338 6860 x 205.