Creative Fellowship Fund

On this page

• Who can apply
• What can be funded
• What to include in your application
• How to apply
• How we assess your application and make decisions
• Who to talk to

Who can apply

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

What can be funded

The Creative Fellowship Fund supports artists, practitioners and collaboratives for a period of time in which to think, explore, create, and develop fresh ideas and approaches in their creative practice.

It offers a contribution towards living costs, materials and resources needed to produce work.

The amounts are fixed. You can apply for either:

• $25,000 for up to 6 months, or
• $50,000 for up to 18 months

If you receive a $50,000 grant, we may ask you to work with us in future as a peer assessor, mentor, or research participant.

You can submit one application to a funding round.

Applying for additional funding

If you receive a grant through the Creative Fellowship Fund, you can also apply to the Creative Impact Fund. However, you must submit a Proof of Concept in your Creative Impact Fund application.

In a 12-month period, you can:

• receive the Creative Fellowship Fund twice to a maximum of $50,000 (e.g., two $25,000 grants), but you must finish the first grant before applying again, or
• receive one $50,000 Creative Fellowship grant
• receive a maximum of $125,000 across the Creative Fellowship Fund and the Creative Impact Fund

Additional access payment

If you identify as Deaf or disabled, or experience disability or an impairment, and are awarded a grant through this fund, you can claim an additional access payment on top of your grant. You can read more about the access payment in If you receive funding.

What to include in your application

Application questions

If you apply for $25,000, provide responses to the following three questions:

• What do you want to do?
• What have you been doing recently in your creative practice and how will this grant contribute to what you want to do in your creative practice now?
• Why is it important to do this now and how do you think this will benefit your creative practice?

If you apply for $50,000, also include responses to these two additional questions:

• How will you share your learning, discoveries or reflections with others, and who will they be?
• How do you think this will evolve your creative practice, your artform or your community?

No budget required

You do not need to supply a budget in your application because the funding amounts are fixed at either $25,000 or $50,000. It is up to you how you manage your grant. 

How to apply

Apply using the online application form, which is available in the CNZ portal when the funding round is open.

You can submit one application per funding round.

Support making an application

If our systems are not accessible to you, speak to one of our advisers to find the best way for you to apply. 

How we assess your application and make decisions

Your application is assessed by different people, depending on which funding pool you apply to. There are three funding pools for this fund: 

• General arts funding pool – Artform-based panels of external peer assessors and Creative New Zealand staff assess your application and make the funding decisions.  
• Ngā toi Māori funding pool – A panel of Ngā toi Māori assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Ngā toi Māori staff and assess your application and make the funding decisions. 
• Pacific arts funding pool – A panel of Pacific arts assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Pacific arts staff assess your application and make the funding decisions.

You can find advice about choosing a funding pool in Making an application.

When assessing your application, assessors consider whether the grant will allow you to take risks and develop new ideas, and whether your proposed activities:

• allow you to think, create and grow
• will help you achieve your goals
• are important for you to do now

Creative New Zealand staff consider whether your proposed activities:

• allow you to grow your practice
• deliver to our Interim Investment Intentions 2023-25

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

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

Who to talk to

Speak to a Practice and Pathways adviser to discuss your application