Arts Business: First Nations Development Fund

Grants from $10K-$50K
Closing date: February 3, 2026
Funding for First Nations arts businesses to build sustainable, capacity-building and digital capabilities

Creative Australia’s Arts Business: First Nations Development Fund provides grants between $10,000 and $50,000 to strengthen sustainable business practices and support economic and capacity-building development across First Nations arts and culture. The program is open nationally to First Nations individuals, groups and micro‑organisations, and funds activities that build governance capability, professional and workforce development, strategic planning, marketing, seed funding and digital capabilities, including e‑commerce and platform upgrades.

Key Requirements

Purpose & focus — Strengthen sustainable First Nations arts business operations via governance, professional development, capacity building, strategic planning, marketing, seed funding and digital capability.

Business proposal — Present a clear, outcomes‑focused proposal that demonstrates objectives, impact and how activities will improve skills, capacity and financial stability.

Protocols & safety — Where relevant, comply with First Nations cultural/IP protocols and Child Safe obligations; include eligible access costs to ensure accessibility.

Timing & duration — Activities must start on/after 01 June 2026 and be completed within 12 months of the proposed start date; one application per initiative.

What is eligible for funding?

Funding can support:

purchasing design software

a short course and equipment (e.g., tablet) to improve mobility and service quality

acquiring a digital audio workstation,

mentoring and studio time to lift music production standards

community consultation and temporary marketing staffing to expand audiences and networks; access costs (Auslan, captioning, translation, audio description, carer/support worker, specific equipment, sensory spaces)

building e‑commerce and digital platforms to streamline business operations

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

Industry analysis presentation
Competitor Analysis Presentation
Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.

This grant is open

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