Development Fund for Artists and Practitioners

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.

If you have already received a Development Fund for Artists and Practitioners grant, you need to complete your funded activities and submit your project completion report before you can apply again.

Who cannot apply

Arts organisations and groups cannot apply to this fund.

What can be funded

You can apply for professional and creative development activities such as:

• research, training, coaching, or mentoring
• attending workshops, conferences, wānanga or talanoa nationally or internationally

What cannot be funded

This grant does not support creative projects or new work. If you are looking to make new work, consider the Creative Fellowship Fund or the Early Career Fund.

How much you can apply for

You can apply for up to $5,000.

This is the maximum amount, whether you apply as an individual or as a group of collaborators.

The grant can go towards fees and costs associated with your professional and creative development activities. 

You can use the funding to buy capital items if they are necessary for your development activities and provide long-term benefits to your professional or creative development.

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, and submissions close at 1.00 PM on the closing date (New Zealand time).

You can submit one application per funding round.

Register or sign into the CNZ Portal

Get help using the CNZ Portal

This fund is for individual artists and practitioners.

Applying as a group of collaborators

If you're a group of artists or practitioners working together on a specific arts activity or project, you can apply jointly to this fund. Here's how it works:

• One person starts the application in the CNZ portal as an individual.
• They then invite the other group members to join the application in the CNZ portal.
• Everyone must sign the application to agree to the terms and conditions of funding and will share responsibility for delivering the funded activities.

Applying as a sole trader or a company

• If you operate as a sole trader or have a company for your arts practice, you still need to apply to this fund as an individual.
• If your application is funded, you can ask for the grant to be paid into your company's bank account.

Prepare answers to the application questions

• What development activity or activities do you want to do?
• Why is it important that you do this now?
• What do you think the benefits will be for your creative and professional practice?
• What do you hope this may lead to?

No budget needed for the application

You do not need to provide a budget with your application.

If your application is successful, we will ask you to provide a budget when we offer you the grant.

Read more about creating a budget

Use of Artificial Intelligence

You can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help you draft, research, and refine your application, or to make funding processes more accessible.

We have developed guidance to consider if you do use AI in funding applications or creative mahi. These include thinking about possible impacts on intellectual property rights and data privacy, and cultural considerations, particularly in relation to Ngā Toi Māori and Pacific arts.

Read the guidance for using AI in funding applications and creative mahi

If you need more information or support to apply

Get in touch if you have questions or need support to complete your application.

Email: funding@creativenz.govt.nz 

Phone: 0800 CREATIVE (273 284) or +64 4 473 0880