Information to help you complete your funding application
Start an application in the CNZ Portal
The CNZ Portal is a secure website that lets you prepare and submit applications and reports and manage your profile information.
To apply, sign up or login to the CNZ Portal. Click "Make a new application" and choose the fund you wish to apply to.
For help using the portal, read our CNZ Portal help guide or speak to an adviser.
Select a funding pool
There are three types of funding: Ngā toi Māori, Pacific arts, and General arts. You may be eligible for more than one type of funding, but you can only choose one for your application.
Anyone eligible for Creative New Zealand funding can apply to the General arts funding pool.
To apply to the Ngā toi Māori funding pool:
- your activities must align to our Te Hā o ngā Toi Māori Arts Strategy 2019-2024
- you must be Māori, or the activities you’re applying for must be managed or directed by Māori
- organisations, groups, or collectives must be Māori led. If the organisation applies for funding on behalf of an individual, that person must also be Māori
To apply to the Pacific arts funding pool:
- your activities must align to our Pacific Arts Strategy 2023-2028
- you must be of Pacific Island descent, or the activities you’re applying for must be managed or directed by a Pacific person or people
- the activities will benefit Pacific arts and artists
Select an artform
To make sure your application is assessed by people with the right artform knowledge, please select either:
- the artform that best suits the activities you are seeking support for, or
- 'Multidisciplinary arts' if your application covers activity for more than one artform
Add supporting information to your application
You can add extra documents and information to your application to:
- help show you are eligible for funding
- support the answers given in your application
- help our assessors understand your practice and the activities you want funded
Only include information that is recent and relevant.
You can add information to your application by:
- attaching files
- including weblinks
Attached files must be under 10MB each and in the following formats:
- .doc or .docx (Word)
- .xls or .xlsx (Excel)
- .png, .jpg, .jpeg (images)
- .txt
- .mp3 or .m4a (audio)
We don’t accept documents through Google Docs, Google Drive, Drop-box or WeTransfer. We can accept audio, video, and other file formats via a web-link.
Your weblinks must be to URLs where the content can be viewed or played online without needing further navigation, logins or downloading.
If your supporting documents or information are not available online or the file formats above, or if you want to discuss alternative ways of making an application, please speak to an adviser.
Create a budget
A thorough budget gives us confidence you have planned your activities well and can afford to do them.
Your budget must show:
- How much you will pay yourself and others involved in your project. Creative New Zealand’s Remuneration Policy for Artists and Arts Practitioners explains the principles and practices we believe result in fair pay. Our minimum pay rate is $30 per hour, and we expect people with more skills and experience to be paid above this rate.
- The specific costs for your project, such as the cost of materials, venue hire, promotional costs, etc. It is important to have realistic costs in your budget, so you are not left out of pocket at the end.
- How much income the project will make, if any. Income could include sales or box office, or funding from other places. If you make a profit (budget surplus), you don’t have to pay back the funding from Creative New Zealand. A Creative New Zealand grant may not cover all your costs, so we encourage you to seek funding and income from other sources.
- The value of things that you are getting free to help you carry out the activities. This could be things such as, use of a rehearsal or workshop space for free, or someone volunteering their design skills for flyers.
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
If the Payee of the grant is registered for GST, do not include GST in your budget figures. We will add the GST amount on top of the grant when it is paid.
If the Payee of the grant is not registered for GST, include GST in your budget figures.
Budget template
You can create a budget in your own format. Alternatively, you can download and use the Creative New Zealand budget template (Excel 30.3KB) which is in Microsoft Excel format.
What we mean by...
In our application forms, we ask you to speak about different elements of your projects or practice. We use certain words to describe elements that are important to us. Below we explain what we mean by some of these words, to help you answer the questions in your application.
Benefit
We use the word ‘benefit’ to mean something that produces good or helpful results or effects, or that promotes wellbeing. Benefits will be different for every artist, arts organisation, and community, so we’re asking you to tell us how this applies to you.
Your answer will help assessors understand:
- why you have chosen these activities
- why they are important for your community
- how these activities will make a difference for your community
Communities
We use the word ‘community’ or 'communities' to mean a group of people who:
- have artistic practices, experiences, or interests in common, or
- are in the same demographic group or groups, or
- live in the same place
People and organisations can belong to multiple communities, and this will be different for every artist and arts organisation. We’re asking you to tell us about yours.
Your answer will help assessors understand:
- who your community or communities are
- how you will work with them
Boards and governing bodies
A Board or governing body is a group of people who oversee an organisation and its strategic decision making. Your organisation or group may call this body by a different name.
If you have information about your Board or governing body available online, include a weblink in your application. Alternatively, you can attach the most recent or relevant meeting minutes.
Impact
We use the word ‘impact’ to mean having a strong effect or influence on someone or something.
Impacts will be different for every artist, arts organisation, and community so we’re asking you to tell us how this applies to you.
Your answer will help assessors understand:
- why you have chosen these activities
- why they are important for your community
- how these activities will make a difference for your community
Strategic plan, manifesto or other vision statements
Your strategic plan, manifesto or other vision statements are documents that explain your mission, vision, and short- and long-term goals. They help our assessors understand what your organisation or group does, what is important to you, and what you hope to achieve.
If they are available online, you can include a weblink in your application or you can attach a PDF.
If your organisation or group does not have an agreed mission, vision, or short- and long-term goals, you can find guidance about developing a strategic plan on our Sustainable Careers webpage. You can also follow the advice and guidance provided by business.govt.nz.
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