Creative Fellowship Fund

Who can apply

Artists and practitioners who are New Zealand citizens or Permanent Residents.

You can apply as:

• an individual, or
• a group of collaborators

Who cannot apply

Arts organisations and groups cannot apply to this fund.

Get advice before you apply

Talk to a Practice Adviser about applying to this fund.

Check that:

• you are eligible for this fund
• your activities can be funded
• you know what to include in your application 

Get accessibility support

If our systems are not accessible for you, we will help you find an accessible way to apply.

Talk to a Practice Adviser about your access needs.

Read more about how we can support your access needs when applying for funding.

What can be funded

The Creative Fellowship Fund supports artists and practitioners to spend time developing new ideas, new work and new approaches in their artistic practice.

The artwork you create does not need to be ready to present to the public. The focus is on you developing as an artist or practitioner and having time to experiment.

How much you can apply for

You can apply for either:

• $25,000 to support up to 6 months’ work
• $50,000 to support up to 18 months’ work

You can use the grant towards living costs, materials and resources needed to develop new work.

Additional funding through the Creative Impact Fund

You can apply to the Creative Fellowship Fund and the Creative Impact Fund in the same year, but you cannot apply for the same activities.

The Creative Fellowship Fund supports you to develop your practice and your work. The Creative Impact Fund supports you to deliver activities that benefit audiences, participants and communities.

You can receive a maximum of $125,000 within a 12-month period between the Creative Fellowship Fund and the Creative Impact Fund combined.

Payment for accessibility costs

People who identify as Deaf or disabled, or experience disability or an impairment, can claim an additional payment on top of their grant. The payment is to help cover accessibility costs during the period of the grant.

Read more about claiming an accessibility payment.

How to apply

Start your application in the CNZ Portal

The application form is available when the funding round is open. You can submit one application per funding round.

Register or sign into the CNZ Portal.

Get help using the CNZ Portal.

Prepare answers to the application questions

For a $25,000 grant, answer these three questions:

• What creative activities do you want to do?
• In what way would these activities build on your previous work, and why is it important that you do these now?
• How do these activities allow you to take risks, develop new ideas and contribute to your growth in your arts practice?

For a $50,000 grant, answer these two extra questions:

• How will you share with others the learning, discoveries or reflections you encounter through this process?
• How do you think these activities will evolve your arts practice, your artform or your community?

Prepare support material

Add your artistic CV, samples of work, letters of support, or other material, to support your application.

Read more about support material, and which file formats you can upload to your application.

No budget needed for the application

You do not need a budget in your application.

The funding amounts are fixed at either $25,000 or $50,000. It is up to you how you manage your grant. 

How your application is assessed

Assessment criteria

Peer assessors consider whether your proposal:

• encourages you to take creative risks and develop new ideas
• supports your creative thinking, experimentation and growth in your arts practice
• supports your development by helping you achieve your artistic goals
• is timely and crucial for you to do at this stage in your career

Creative New Zealand staff consider whether your proposal:

• allows you to grow your practice
• will support dynamic, diverse, and resilient New Zealand arts, in line with our Interim Investment Intentions 2023-25

For the $50,000 grants, Creative New Zealand staff and peer assessors also look at whether your proposal:

• allows you to share your learning, discoveries, and reflections with your community
• helps you evolve your practice, artform, or community

Who assesses your application

Your application is assessed by different people, depending on which funding pool you apply to.

General arts funding pool

Your application is assessed by an artform-based panel of peer assessors and Creative New Zealand staff.

Ngā toi Māori funding pool

Your application is assessed by a panel of Ngā toi Māori assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Ngā toi Māori staff.

Pacific arts funding pool

Your application is assessed by a panel of Pacific arts assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Pacific arts staff.

Read more about choosing a funding pool.

Who makes the funding decisions

The assessment panels make funding recommendations to Creative New Zealand’s Senior leadership team who make the final funding decisions.

We aim to fund a diverse range of Aotearoa artists and practitioners.