Creative Communities

Let's get our creative juices flowing!!!
The Creative Communities Fund Round One is now open!

Last day for fund applications is Sunday 27th August 2023

The Creative Communities Fund (CCS Fund) provides creative assistance to make our district a vibrant place to live. It is a rolling contestable fund for creative projects available to craftspeople, artists, musicians, dancers, actors, community groups, non-profits, and organisations. It has total annual budget of $28,000.00 which is spread across two ‘rounds’ held at six-month intervals.

The CCS Fund is supplied by Creative NZ and administered by the Ōtorohanga District Council. Members of the public are nominated to be on the decision panel (The Creative Communities Committee) and are joined by Elected members and Iwi Representation.

Applications are encouraged from community groups and individuals whose projects:

  • demonstrate growth over time
  • develop and support local artistic communities
  • encourage a transfer or artistic skills.
  • diversity, inclusion, and projects with a youth focus are also encouraged.

Who can apply

  • Individuals or groups can apply.
  • Individuals must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the CCS Fund, your project must:

  • take place within Ōtorohanga District
  • be completed within 12 months of funding being approved
  • produce benefits which are largely experienced within the Ōtorohanga District
  • not have started or finished before CCS funding is approved
  • not have already been funded through Creative New Zealand’s other arts funding programmes.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application window for this Round One is;
Tuesday 1st August 2023 through Sunday 27th August 2023.

Applications will be considered by Council’s Grants and Awards Committee, with the Round One deliberation meeting to assess and allocate funding is being held in the Council Chambers, 17 Maniapoto Street, on 25 October 2023. All applicants will be informed of the results the following week. Remember this is a rolling fund- if you miss this round just apply for the next one in six months' time.

If you are successful – fantastic! As an agreement for receiving funds, you must fill in a CCS Grant Accountability Form (found in the right hand sidebar) This tells us all about your project and how it went. It’s a good idea to get it done as soon as you finish.

 

COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM

Before you prepare your application you should read the Creative Communities Scheme Application Guide (found in the right hand sidebar). This guide tells you:

  • whether you are able to apply for Creative Communities Scheme funding for your project
  • which projects and costs are eligible and ineligible
  • what information you will need to include in your application


All applications must be;

  • Made online
  • Complete with all necessary documents attached
  • Submitted before the advertised closing date/time.
  • Include bank account details for the applicant/organisation. Please double check this is current, and all the numbers are correct.

Please note: Incomplete or late applications may be deemed ineligible and therefore may not be considered for funding.

 

Types of projects funded.

Projects that get funded do at least one of the following:

  • Encourage participation — they create opportunities for local communities to engage with, and participate in local arts activities
  • Support diversity — they support the diverse artistic cultural traditions of local communities
  • Enable young people — they enable young people (under 18 years) to engage with and participate in the arts.

Examples of CCS projects

Projects that encourage participation

  • performances by community choirs, hip-hop groups, theatre companies musicians or poets
  • workshops on printmaking, writing or dancing.
  • creation of new tukutuku, whakairo or kowhaiwhai for a local marae
  • exhibitions by local craft groups promoting weaving, pottery and carving.
  • arts festivals featuring local artists, musicians.

Projects that support diversity

  • festivals or exhibitions in Māori or Pasifika heritage or contemporary artforms
  • workshops, rehearsals, performances, festivals or exhibitions by local migrant communities
  • arts projects bringing together groups from a range of different communities
  • workshops, rehearsals, performances, festivals or exhibitions by groups with experience of disability or mental illness

Projects that enable young people to engage with, and participate in, the arts

  • a group of young people working with an artist to create a mural or street art
  • a group of young people creating a film about an issue that is important to them
  • printing a collection of writing by young people
  • music workshops for young people
  • an exhibition of visual artwork by young people

What costs are funded?

CCS can fund:

  • materials for arts activities or programmes
  • venue or equipment hire
  • personnel and administrative costs for short-term projects
  • promotion and publicity of arts activities.

Types of projects not funded

The CCS Fund cannot fund:

  • fundraising activities
  • developing galleries, marae, theatres or other venues or facilities
  • projects which are mainly focused around other areas, eg sport, health, education or the environment and that only have a very small arts component.
  • arts projects in schools or other education institutions that are the core business of that institution or that are normally funded through curriculum or operating budgets. You must prove that the project falls outside of normal arts curriculum.

What costs are not funded

CCS grants cannot fund:

  • ongoing administration or personnel costs that are not related to the specific project.
  • costs for projects already started or completed.
  • travel costs to attend performances or exhibitions in other areas.
  • food or refreshment costs
  • buying equipment, such as computers, cameras, musical instruments, costumes, lights or uniforms
  • entry fees for competitions, contests and exams
  • prize money, awards and judges’ fees for competitions
  • royalties
  • buying artworks for collections
  • debt or interest on debt.

 

Want more CREATIVE support?

If you are looking for advice, training or support with your creative projects, then check out Creative Waikato(External link). It is a non-profit organisation that works to develop, support and champion Waikato arts and culture. Sign up to their newsletter.

Also, have a read of the Waikato Arts Navigator,(External link) it is a framework used to enhance the role of arts, culture and creativity in the region.

In order to be able to pause and restart your application at any moment, and to have quick access to completed applications you will be asked to register to Connecting Ōtorohanga before starting your application. Once registered you won't be asked again and you will be able to easily apply to our other grants and participate in all our public consultations and engagements.

APPLY HERE

If you have any questions, please email.

[email protected](External link)

Thank you for your idea, your creative energy helps make Ōtorohanga District a vibrant place to live. Good luck!