Submissions open for Music Australia Export Development Fund

The Music Australia Export Development Fund is a bold partnership between the Australian Government and the Australian music industry – a matched funding initiative, designed to provide financial support to a diverse range of Australian artists. This includes solo artists, instrumentalists, bands, ensembles, DJ/producers and electronic artists, producers, songwriters and composers.

Funding Information

• A minimum of $5,000, up to a maximum of $25,000.
• Activity must start between 1 October 2025 and 31 December 2025 and be completed within 12 months.

Eligible Activities

• Headline tour, support tour, opening slot (or combination of all three)
• Festival or Biennale appearance/s
• Commissioned performance/s
• Official showcase performance.

Eligible Costs

• Artist and creative worker fees
• Flights, accommodation, per diems, ground transport costs
• Travel insurance
• Visas
• Freight or baggage costs
• Childcare, carer and access costs
• Tickets and/or registration costs to attend events
• Costs associated with reducing the environmental impact of your activity.

Ineligible Costs

• Activity that does not meet Music Australia’s definition of contemporary music
• International activity in your country of residence (if not Australia)
• Activity in Australia (regardless of country of residence)
• The manufacture of albums and merchandise
• Passport application costs
• International relocation expenses
• Capital expenditure (such as studio infrastructure and instrument purchases)
• Planning and preparation such as arranging or booking dates, venues, contracts, travel and visas, and rehearsals in your country of residence.

Eligibility Criteria

• Your activity must meet the following definition of contemporary music to be eligible:
  • Australian contemporary music is any genre or subgenre of music currently composed, written, produced by Australians and licensed, recorded, presented, and distributed through commercial and non-commercial activity. For the purposes of Music Australia’s initial investments, the focus will be on musical works that are new, original and relevant to contemporary Australia.
• If you don’t meet the definition above for contemporary music, you may be eligible to apply for our Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, Arts Projects for Organisations, or International programs.
• Activity must start between 1 October 2025 and 31 December 2025 and be completed within 12 months.
• You can submit a maximum of one application to each category of the Music Australia Export Development Fund. Ensure each application is targeted to the individual category you are applying for.
• The budget in your application must demonstrate matched funding, and evidence of this matched funding must be supplied in your support material.
• Open to Australian artists, composers and creators individually or in groups
• Organisations and music businesses may apply on behalf of their artists
• If you have been successful in a previous round of the Export Development Fund, you are eligible to apply again, however funding priority may be given to first time recipients
• First Nations applicants are encouraged to apply.

Ineligibility Criteria

• You cannot apply for this grant if:
  • You have already submitted an application to this category
  • You have an overdue grant report
  • You owe money to Creative Australia
  • You have applied to our Arts Projects grant rounds for the same activity.

Application Requirements

• The following support material may also be included with your application:
  • How cultural protocols have been or will be observed and permissions obtained (if relevant to your activity)
  • Evidence of your practice relevant to the activity for which you are seeking funding, such as a website link, audio and/or video links (maximum duration 10 minutes in total), images and/or written material
  • Biographies and CVs for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in the activity (no longer than 2 A4 pages in total)
  • Letters of confirmation from collaborators and/or venues directly involved in the activity (up to 5 letters of confirmation, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page)
  • Letters of support (up to 2 letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page), these should not be from individuals or organisations financially involved in the activity
  • Risk management: for international travel, you may submit a one-page risk management plan (in any format).

For more information, visit Creative Australia.