Project Support Grants Program FAQs

The Music Development Office (MDO) Project Support Grants program is designed for South Australian artists, songwriters, producers/engineers, record labels, live music venues, promoters, booking agents, recording studios, and other music entrepreneurs, businesses or organisations. These parties must play a role in the creation, presentation, production or delivery of original musiccomposition or content. See the Guidelines for a complete list of eligibility criteria.

Stream A – Creative Development grants (Artists) are up to $15,000 per grant.

Stream B – Business Development grants (Music Businesses) are up to $15,000 per grant.

No. As an applicant, you must choose between Stream A or B.

However, if you are submitting an application on behalf of someone, e.g. an artist manager writing an application for one of their artists, then the artist would be considered the applicant in Stream A, and the manager would be eligible to apply for a separate project regarding funding for their own management business in Stream B.

No. As an applicant, you can submit only one application in a round.

Artists should apply in Stream A.

It is important to note that while the Music Development Office manages this funding program, it does not determine the final outcomes. Applications are assessed by industry representatives with a local and national perspective. This panel of representatives makes recommendations to the Department. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for details.

In competitive funding rounds, there are usually a greater number of worthy applications than the available funds can support. As such, the assessment panel of industry representatives may choose to offer partial funding to some applicants.

You may choose to explain this in your budget notes. Similarly, if your project activity can proceed with part funding, you may choose to state this in your budget notes, specifying what modifications you would need to make to your project activity if it were not fully funded.

If your project activity is strongly dependent on other pending income sources (e.g. another grant in progress, unconfirmed sponsorship, crowdfunding campaign), you are strongly encouraged to explain this in your budget notes, along with your contingency plans if you are unsuccessful in securing these other sources.

Any budget notes as described above will not make your application more or less likely to be funded. All applications are assessed on their own merits according to the criteria.

Applications can be found via a link on the MDO website’s Project Support Grants page. This link will open an online web form. You can enter information directly into the web form, and in some cases, you will be asked to upload documents.

Applications are open from 9:00am Tuesday 3 October 2023 to 11:59pm Sunday 29 October 2023.

The automated systemwill not accept late applications so you are encouraged to apply well in advance of the deadline, in case you experience last minute technical difficulties.

The online system is automated to close at 12:00am Sunday 29 October 2023. To avoid disappointment, you are encouraged to apply well in advance of the deadline.

Contact the MDO for questions on any technical difficulties with the application by email [email protected]. Support for questions, including technical difficulties, will only be available until 5:00pm on Friday 27 October 2023. While applications are open until 11:59pm on 29 October, you are encouraged to submit prior to 5:00pm in case you experience technical difficulties.

The MDO is not part of Arts SA. Although the MDO is now an initiative of the Department for Premier and Cabinet, it is a separate office and budget from Arts SA. Any grants displayed on the Arts SA portal are NOT issued by the MDO, and contemporary music is likely to be ineligible for Arts SA programs. If in doubt, please contact the relevant Arts SA officer or contact the MDO: at [email protected].

Please contact the relevant Arts SA officer for access to their portal.

You will need to submit a completed application form via the web form linked to this page – see the Program Guidelines (available as a downloadable pdf on the webpage) for a list of essential information for each application.

You will be required to answer multiple choice and open-ended questions, with specific requests to upload documents or link to your online presence.

Please ensure that all web links in your application are active and working. Broken links can hinder the assessment of your application.

For security purposes, you will not be able to link to files/folders in Dropbox or other online storage systems that require the MDO to download your material from a web page. Any material submitted in this format will not be downloaded or reviewed as part of your application. If these files/folders contain essential information as per the Guidelines, your application may become ineligible.

No, your project activity does not necessarily have to involve new material or new activity. For instance, you may seek funding to support marketing activity for an existing product, event, or gig series. In terms of recording activity, the re-recording of existing material should offer something new, e.g. a new version of your own original work. In all cases, the assessment panel will review whether this type of activity is competitive in the round. You cannot apply for project activity that involves strictly cover material, tributes, or someone else’s work.

The MDO will accept applications that outline strategies or plans taking place within the funding period: 1 January 2024* – 31 December 2024.

*The date that a Funding Agreement is executed (signed by both parties) is the official start date for an individual grantee’s funding period. 1 January is the earliest possible date that a grantee will receive the Funding Agreement to sign.

Yes. There are no ‘categories’ for projects. However, in a competitive round, you should be able to strongly demonstrate how each activity within a project supports your goals for career development.

The MDO cannot retrospectively fund activity (i.e. reimburse activity that has already occurred, even if it hasn’t been paid for yet). However, if your project activity is still in progress beyond the eligible start date for the round (1 January 2024), you can apply for expenses you will incur from that date. For example, if you’re currently recording but won’t be mastering until after the eligible start date, you could apply for funding for mastering. You cannot simply retain an earlier invoice from activity at the recording studio and pay it from the eligible start date. For tours or event series, expenses relating to performance dates after 1 January 2024 are eligible. If a tour or other project activity continues past 31 December 2024, grant funding can only be used for expenses incurred prior to or on that date.

Yes. The application process will offer you the opportunity to submit support material that can speak to your skills, experience, and role within the industry. You can apply for recording activity as well, and high-quality demos can be helpful in the assessment process if available. In a competitive round, you are encouraged to only submit support material that shows your strongest work.

No. For music or video files, you must provide links to streaming platforms (e.g. Spotify, YouTube), not the files themselves.

Your links should lead directly to a platform that hosts the streaming of music or video (e.g. YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud etc). If you link to a private page on these platforms (e.g. for unreleased material), make sure you provide the password or access instructions. You will NOT be able to link to Dropbox or folders containing material that requires the MDO to download it.

Test all links prior to submitting your application. Due to the high volume of expected applications, staff will not have capacity to contact you regarding any broken links.

Yes, this is an eligible expense in both Stream A and B.

If you’re applying for this equipment in Stream A (Artists), you should demonstrate how it will significantly contribute to the creation and/or improved quality of your artistic output during the project activity. Purchase of equipment or instruments for the sake of it is not likely to be considered a competitive application.

If you’re applying in Stream B (Businesses) you should demonstrate how this equipment will significantly contribute to your production, presentation, or delivery of live original music, and how it supports your business model.

Yes. You should demonstrate how this equipment will significantly contribute to your production, presentation, or delivery of live original music, and how it supports your business model.

Yes. You should demonstrate how this equipment will significantly contribute to your production, presentation, or delivery of live original music, and how it supports your business model.

Ongoing salaries are not eligible within this funding. However, activity that supports the proposed “Project” is eligible. For instance, funding can be used for relevant service fees in the project’s management, production, presentation, or delivery of live original music, e.g. artist, engineer, lighting technician fees. By contrast, service fees for ongoing costs are ineligible, e.g. if security is required at your venue regardless of your live music programming/project activity.

Yes. However, if a project’s artist fees are funded by another source, you cannot apply for more funding to increase payment to the same artists. You can, however, apply for funds to include additional artists (local, interstate, or international artists) in the project activity, or for other expenses within the project.

Yes. You are encouraged to seek other income streams for your activity. If these other grants are intended to contribute to the same project activity as your application to the MDO Project Support Grants, you should outline the amount, confirmation, and allocation of the grants in your budget. You cannot apply for funding to cover the same expenses as other income sources.

Upon notification, successful applicants will be sent paperwork and instructions for payment. Grantees will be encouraged to process the paperwork exactly as instructed by the MDO, as errors in completing the documents may cause delays in payment. The sooner a grantee returns their completed paperwork, the sooner payment can take place. Generally, payment will be at least 2-4 weeks from the time the MDO receives the correctly completed paperwork.

All applicants, successful and unsuccessful, will be notified of their results by email. The MDO highly recommends that applicants regularly check their email junk folder for MDO emails. The MDO anticipates notification to occur before the end of December. We cannot offer a specific notification date due to the amount of processing involved. If you have confirmation that your grant was successfully submitted, then please wait until you receive the second email with your outcome notification.

You can apply to the MDO for an extension or other variation, please contact: [email protected]. You should not begin any alteration to your grant’s activity or use of funding until you have liaised with the MDO.

Yes, as long as you are not applying for expenses that were already covered in your previous grant, and as long as the previously funded project is not overdue for its acquittal.

No, as of April 2020 the MDO Project Support Grants have replaced the Contemporary Music Grant Program.

No, you are not obligated to do so, but are encouraged to consider additional funding sources for your project activity, whether it’s a cash contribution, other grant, sponsorship/partnership, or in-kind goods and services.

No. However, professional practicing musicians and businesses should have an ABN, and you will be asked why you do not have one. Applicants must have at least six months professional / operating experience.

In this context, auspicing is when you require an organisation to handle the financial management of the grant on your behalf if you are successful in receiving funding.

Yes, any genre is welcome to apply in the MDO Project Support Grants program as long as the project activity involves original music.

Only project activity that involves original music that is composed and performed by South Australian-based artists is eligible for Stream A. Collaborations with non-SA artists and producers are welcome, but the purpose of the project activity should be to support an outcome for the participating South Australians artist(s).

Music supported by Stream B applications must also be original. There is some scope to include non-SA touring acts for project activity involving venue programming and for events (if travel conditions allow), but in most cases the majority of participating artists should be South Australian. If not, you should be able to make a strong case as to how the project activity supports your business model and contributes to the broader South Australian music ecosystem.

Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, feedback will not be available. In competitive rounds, there is generally not enough funding to meet demand. As such, strong and competitive applications may still miss out.

You are welcome to contact the Grant Program Manager with questions on the grant program terms and conditions, eligibility, criteria, or assessment process. Due to the volume of applications expected in a competitive round, staff are unable to read drafts of applications and will not be able to take multiple meetings or multiple enquiries from the same applicant. You are encouraged to ask questions well in advance of the closing date and should expect delays in the 7-14 days prior to the closing date as staff work to service a high volume of enquiries. Contact Elizabeth Reid, Senior Grant Program Manager at [email protected].

No. The MDO does not offer a quick turnaround on its grants due to the processing involved.

MDO Project Support Grants are assessed by a panel of industry representatives who review each application according to the program criteria outlined in the Guidelines. In competitive funding rounds there is usually a greater number of worthy applications than the available funds can support, and thus strong applications may still be unsuccessful.

No. The MDO Project Support Grant program is designed to complement existing funding available through the Australian and state governments and ensure the South Australian music industry can continue to develop, create, and connect during this time and in the future. Please continue to check business.sa.gov.au to view other support for our small business community.