Arts Organisations and Groups Fund

Key dates

Applications for up to $125,000 per year

• Applications open: 2 March 2026
• Applications close: 1:00 PM (NZ time) on Thursday, 28 May 2026
• Results notified: Mid-September 2026

Applications for over $125,000 per year

• Expressions of interest open: November 2025
• Expressions of interest close: March 2026
• Applications open: 9 February 2026
• Applications close: 1:00 PM (NZ time) on Thursday, 26 March 2026
• Results notified: Late June - early July 2026

Exact dates will be confirmed ahead of the fund opening.

Who can apply

New Zealand-based arts organisations or groups.

International arts organisations may apply if the funding directly benefits New Zealand arts and artists.

What we mean by arts organisations and groups

Who cannot apply

Individual artists and practitioners.

Arts organisations and groups that have accepted funding for activity in 2027 from the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund in 2025 cannot apply in 2026.

What can be funded

The funding allows arts organisations and groups with a dynamic vision for the arts in Aotearoa to:

• deliver a programme of artistic work over one, two, or three years
• make a positive impact in their communities

How much you can apply for

The Arts Organisations and Groups Fund has four tiers of funding:

• Tier 1 - up to $50,000 per year
• Tier 2 - up to $125,000 per year
• Tier 3 - up to $500,000 per year
• Tier 4 - over $500,000 per year

Eligible organisations and groups can submit one application to the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund in 2026.

To apply for more than $125,000 per year, your arts organisation or group must have:

• an average annual turnover of more than $250,000 in the past two years
• received funding from Creative New Zealand within the past three years (excluding Creative Communities Scheme)

The intention of this fund is to provide a contribution towards an organisation’s or group’s artistic and operational costs. Offers of funding generally will be no more than 70% of an organisation’s or group’s average annual turnover from the last two financial years. The amount offered may be less than the amount requested.

Fund period

To apply in 2026, your fund period must start on 1 January 2027.

You can apply for funding for one, two, or three calendar years.

Offers of funding may be for a shorter period than requested.

What cannot be funded

We are unable to fund all creative practices and distribution channels.

We do not fund organisations with a focus on:

• fashion design, game design, commercial design, or architecture
• film, screen, or content for television and radio.

The artforms we support

We do not fund some activities supported by other funders. 

What we don’t fund

How to apply

Eligible organisations and groups can submit one application to the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund 2026.

Applying for up to $125,000 per year

Complete and submit the application using the CNZ portal from March 2026.

Applications for up to $125,000 must be submitted with all required information by May 2026.

Exact dates will be confirmed ahead of the fund opening.

CNZ portal

Applying for more than $125,000 per year

To apply for more than $125,000, you first need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

The link to the EOI form will be available on this webpage from November 2025 to March 2026.

You must submit the EOI form with all the required information by March 2026.

Expression of Interest form

Creative New Zealand staff will review the EOIs. If you meet the criteria to apply for more than $125,000 per year, your arts organisation or group will be given access to the application form in the CNZ portal.

Applications for more than $125,000 per year must be submitted with all required information by March 2026.

Exact dates will be confirmed ahead of fund opening.

CNZ portal

What to include in your application

The amount of information you need to provide depends on the amount requested and the funding pool you apply to.

Proposal questions

Note: Proposal templates (available on this webpage before the 2026 rounds open) will include detailed guidance to help you answer these questions.

All organisations and groups must answer:

• What activities (operational, artistic, or both) do you want to do?
• What needs or opportunities have you identified for your communities, and how are you currently engaging with them to meet those needs or opportunities?

If you are applying to the General or Pacific arts pool and intending to engage with hapori Māori, also answer:

• Who are the specific hapori Māori your organisation intends to serve?
  (be as specific as possible)
• How do you define these hapori Māori?
  (for example, shared artistic practices, cultural heritage, iwi or hapū, geographical location)
• How will your work engage these hapori Māori? What relationships do you have with them, and how are they involved in shaping or leading your mahi?
• What role do these hapori Māori play in your organisation or group’s vision or artistic practice?
• How does your organisation or group contribute to strengthening ngā toi Māori and mātauranga Māori within and across these hapori Māori?

If you are applying to the General or Pacific Arts pool and are not intending to engage with hapori Māori, you do not need to answer these questions.

If you are applying to the General arts or Ngā toi Māori pool and intending to engage with Pacific communities, also answer:

• Who is the Pacific community or communities your organisation or group intends to serve? 
  (be as specific as possible, for example, Samoan, Fijian, Tongan youth in South Auckland, or Niuean weavers in Wellington)
• How do you define this community or communities?
  (for example, shared artistic practices, cultural heritage, geographical location)
• How will your work engage these Pacific communities? What relationships do you have with them, and how are they involved in shaping or leading your mahi?   
• What role does this Pacific community or communities play in your organisation or group’s vision or artistic practice?
• How does your organisation or group contribute to strengthening cultural connections and knowledge within and across this community or communities?

If you are applying to the General arts or Ngā toi Māori pool and are not intending to engage with Pacific communities, you do not need to answer these questions.

If you're applying for more than $50,000 per year, also answer:

• How do you contribute to the development of your artform, practice, or the careers of New Zealand artists and practitioners?
• How will you share your knowledge or resources with others in your community?

If you're applying for more than $125,000 per year, also answer:

• How are you planning to maintain or grow your income streams to ensure the sustainability of your organisation or group?

• If you are not applying to the Ngā toi Māori pool, how do you recognise in the arts the role of Māori as tangata whenua?

If you're applying for more than $500,000 per year, also answer:

• What unique contributions do you make to the development and sustainability of our arts ecosystem?

Support material

The documents you need to attach depend on the amount requested.

All applications must include:

• Strategic plan, manifesto, or other vision statements
• Detailed budget
  Budgets for the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund

If you’re applying for more than $50,000 per year, also include:

• Detailed budget showing evidence of income from sources other than CNZ
• Last two years' annual accounts
  Budgets for the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund
• Evidence of a Board or governing body, such as meeting minutes

If you’re applying for more than $125,000 per year, also include:

• Revenue generation plan, fundraising plan, or both

If you’re applying for more than $500,000 per year, also include one or more of the following:

• Specific examples of partnerships, programmes, or initiatives that demonstrate your commitment to developing and sustaining the arts ecosystem
• Information about how you’re supporting arts infrastructure, arts development, or community projects
• Examples of your advocacy work, such as participation in policy discussions or other public campaigns

How to format your support material

There are limitations on the file format, size, and names for application support material.

Any support material that does not meet the support material guidelines may not be able to be added to your application and will not be assessed. 

Support material guidelines

How applications are assessed

The assessment criteria and who assesses your application depend on the amount requested and the funding pool.

Full assessment criteria will be available on this webpage before the 2026 round opens.

Applications for up to $125,000 per year

Creative New Zealand staff assess your application. External peer assessors may be used as needed.

Applications for over $125,000 per year

Peer assessors and Creative New Zealand staff will assess your application.

Applications to the Ngā toi Māori fund

Ngā toi Māori staff, peer assessors, or both will assess your application. 

Applications to the Pacific arts fund

Pacific arts staff, peer assessors, or both will assess your application.

Who makes the funding decisions

Applications for up to $125,000 per year

Funding decisions will be made by Creative New Zealand’s Senior Leadership team.

Applications for over $125,000 per year

Funding decisions will be made by the Arts Council Toi Aotearoa.