Deadline Date: February 03, 2026
The Creative Australia is pleased to announce its Arts Business First Nations Development Fund to support sustainable business practices and strengthen economic and social development opportunities for First Nations individuals, groups, and micro-organisations.
The focus areas of the opportunity are professional and workforce development, governance training, capacity building, marketing, seed funding, strategic planning, building digital capabilities, access costs, and building e-commerce and digital platforms to streamline business activities. This fund supports arts and culture First Nations practitioners in developing strong business proposals that clearly outline the objective and impact of their activities. It aims to improve skills, capacity, and financial stability to foster growth and enhance both workforce and business capabilities.
Providing grants from $10,000 to $50,000 to build sustainable business practices and support economic and capacity-building development opportunities. Applicants may use the funding for activities such as purchasing design programs and equipment to improve design services, investing in digital audio tools and studio time to enhance music production, conducting community consultation and temporary marketing staffing to expand organisational networks, or improving accessibility and digital platforms to streamline business operations.
Eligibility applies to First Nations artists who are Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents, residing in Australia, and operating as Sole Traders. Groups must consist entirely of First Nations artists meeting the same eligibility criteria and operating as Sole Traders or group partnerships. Organisations must be First Nations-led small businesses or micro-organisations with no more than five full-time equivalent staff and must be based in Australia.
For more information, visit Creative Australia.
