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General

Music Works Grants 2025 supports and invests in the development of Victoria’s contemporary music industry at all levels. It is a competitive program that provides support for projects and programs that will contribute to Victoria's contemporary music sector’s growth, stability and diversity. The program has two focus areas - Uncovering Talent and Projects – which invest in new talent, new projects, export, cross-sector collaboration, and innovation.

Focus Area 1: Uncovering Talent

  • Support musicians, artists and music workers to create and/or release new music.
  • Invest in musicians, artists and music workers to increase their creative and professional capability.

Focus Area 2: Projects

  • Support musicians, artists and music workers to create and/or release new music.
  • Enable musicians, artists and music workers to develop/establish new innovative practices/ideas.
  • Support musicians, artists and music workers to collaborate.
  • Assist musicians, artists and music workers to tour their work.
  • Invest in musicians, artists and music workers to expand their business networks and skills.

The program is open to Victorian based contemporary music industry professionals from all genres and career stages. For more detail see the guidelines for each Focus Area.

There will be two focus areas within the program, each with their own set of guidelines and requirements:

  • Uncovering Talent (a fixed $5000 grant) is for applicants who have not received Creative Victoria funding before (other than from the COVID support grants listed in the guidelines.  

    *Except for direct recipients of grants from the following COVID support programs: Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative, Creative Workers Fund, Victorian Music Industry Recovery Program, Live Music Venues Support Program
  • Projects ($10,000-$20,000 grants) is for music industry professionals with a proven track record within the music industry.

Both categories have dedicated streams for First Peoples and Deaf and Disabled applicants, alongside the General stream.

The Uncovering Talent focus area is for Victorian musicians, artists and music workers at any career level to undertake creative projects and professional development opportunities including:

  • song writing
  • recording
  • release
  • mentorship and professional development
  • marketing

The Projects focus area is for Victorian music industry professionals with a proven track record to undertake creative projects and professional development opportunities including:

  • recording and release
  • developing innovative contemporary music practice including the use of new techniques, instruments and technology
  • attending national and international conferences and events
  • national and international tour support
  • national and international PR and marketing
  • film and game soundtrack development
  • cross-industry collaborations.

The levels of funding available for each focus area are detailed below. While all applicants are encouraged to include access costs within their project budget, those applying through the Deaf and Disabled stream may apply for an additional amount on top of the general project costs to cover specific access expenses for Deaf and Disabled participants:

  • Uncovering Talent: Fixed $5,000 grant (plus up to $1,500 in accessibility costs for applicants through the Deaf and Disabled stream)
  • Projects: Grants between $10,000 and $20,000 (plus up to $3,000 in accessibility costs for applicants through the Deaf and Disabled stream)

This round supports activities commencing from 1 July 2025 and onwards.

You will receive a Common Funding Agreement if your application is successful.

The payment schedule and any relevant funding deliverable/milestones will be outlined in the funding agreement.

Once the agreement has been executed (i.e accepted by the recipient and Creative Victoria), and you have satisfied any conditions and provided us with an invoice, then the grant payment will be made.


For the purpose of this funding program, Victoria’s contemporary music industry is defined as:

  • Victorian musicians creating music now, with a clear intention and strategy to connect with audiences.
  • Victorian individuals, organisations and businesses surrounding these musicians which make up the industry in which they operate.

Eligibility

The Music Works - Uncovering Talent focus area is for musicians, artists and music industry workers who have not received Creative Victoria funding before except for direct recipients of grants from the following COVID support programs:

  • Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative
  • Victorian Music Industry Recovery Program
  • Live Music Venues Support Program
  • Creative Workers Fund.

Note:

  • Applicants can only submit one application for the 2025 round (including under auspice). Auspice bodies may apply on behalf of multiple applicants.
  • Applicants can only submit one application to either the Uncovering Talent OR the Projects focus area.
  • For the 2025 round applicants can only apply to Music Works 2025 or Creative Projects Fund 2025. Applicants cannot apply to both programs.

You are eligible to apply if you:

  • are a Victorian-based individual, collective/group, or micro to small organisation.
  • have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • If you don’t have an ABN, you can apply for one online or apply through an auspice body with an ABN.
  • have no overdue Creative Victoria (or former Arts Victoria) acquittals

For individuals, also:

  • be an Australian citizen currently residing in Victora or
  • a Permanent Resident (holding an appropriate visa) who has resided in Victoria for at least two years immediately prior to the date of your application (Note: you may be asked to provide evidence of this)
  • if under 18, be applying through an auspicing body (otherwise you are not eligible)

For organisations, also:

  • be a legally constituted organisation that has been registered under law (e.g. an incorporated association or company limited by guarantee or Aboriginal Corporation)
  • be a micro to small organisation of up to 10 FTE

For collectives/groups, also:

  • If the group or collective is not a legally constituted organisation, they must apply under an auspice arrangement or have an individual with an ABN apply on their behalf and take responsibility for the grant.
  • If an individual applies on behalf of the collective/group they must meet the eligibility criteria for Individuals, as listed above.

Music Works Projects focus area accepts applications from Victorian-based contemporary music industry professionals from all genres, with a proven track record in the industry. This may include artists/bands, managers, promoters, labels and other music industry businesses and organisations.

  • Applicants can only submit one application for the 2025 round (including under auspice). Auspice bodies may apply on behalf of multiple applicants.
  • Applicants can only submit one application to either the Uncovering Talent OR the Projects focus area.
  • For the 2025 round applicants can only apply to Music Works 2025 or Creative Projects Fund 2025. Applicants cannot apply to both programs.

You are eligible to apply if you:

  • are a Victorian-basedindividual, collective/group, or micro to small organisation
  • have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • If you don’t have an ABN, you can apply for one online or apply through an auspice body with an ABN.
  • have no overdue Creative Victoria (or former Arts Victoria) acquittals.

For individuals, also:

  • be an Australian citizen currently residing in Victoria or
  • a Permanent Resident (holding an appropriate visa) who has resided in Victoria for at least two years immediately prior to the date of your application. (Note: you may be asked to provide evidence of this.)
  • If under 18, be applying through an auspicing body (otherwise you are not eligible).

For organisations, also:

  • be a legally constituted organisation that has been registered under law (e.g. an incorporated association or company limited by guarantee or Aboriginal Corporation).
  • be a micro to small organisation of up to 10 FTE.

For collectives/groups, also:

  • If the group or collective is not a legally constituted organisation, they must apply under an auspice arrangement or have an individual with an ABN apply on their behalf and take responsibility for the grant.
  • If an individual applies on behalf of the collective/group they must meet the eligibility criteria for Individuals, as listed above.

If you have received funding before then you may be eligible to apply to the Music Works – Projects focus area. If you are a current recipient of the following Creative Victoria programs/rounds, you are not eligible to apply for Projects (unless acting as an auspice):

  • Creative Enterprises Program
  • Regional Partnerships Program
  • Active Creative Ventures Program recipients (speak to program staff if you’re unsure).

If you were a direct recipient of one of the following COVID support programs only then you may also be eligible to apply to Uncovering Talent:

  • Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative
  • Victorian Music Industry Recovery Program
  • Live Music Venues Support Program
  • Creative Workers Fund

Previous grant recipients of other Creative Victoria programs are eligible to apply to the Projects focus area, provided they:

  • Do not have an overdue Creative Victoria (or former Arts Victoria) acquittal
  • Meet the eligibility criteria of the Music Works program
  • Funding is for activities as set out in the program guidelines; and
  • Are not applying for funding for the same project/activity that has previously been funded.

You can only submit one application to either Uncovering Talent or Projects.

If you are under 18 years of age you must apply through an auspicing body.


No. Applicants can only submit one application to Music Works 2025 or Creative Projects Fund 2025.


No. Demand for Creative Victoria project funding is high, and this will be an extremely competitive program to enter. Applicants must not assume they will be successful or make commitments based on that assumption before receiving formal notification of the outcome of their funding. Nor should applicants assume that if they are successful once, they will be successful again in the future.

For both focus areas, only one application can be submitted per applicant. Auspicing organisations can submit multiple applications on behalf of others.

Only one application per individual applicant or organisation will be accepted. One individual is not able to act as the primary contact for two separate applications. You may be involved in another project/activity but cannot be the primary contact for that application and another project. This applies to both individual and group projects.

Creative Victoria will not consider funding for activity or costs incurred prior to 1 July 2025. You should not make any arrangements or make any payments on the assumption you will receive support for activity prior to this date. As per Creative Victoria’s general eligibility, an application will be ineligible if it relates to activity that has already taken place or will occur prior to the starting date.

Music Works will from time to time allow grant budgets to include payment to non-Victorian services when the overall outcome of the project benefits a Victorian artist, industry individual or organisation as per the assessment guidelines.

This program’s aim is not to provide business support. LaunchVic’s website has information and resources for start-ups. For business support, please refer to Business Victoria’s website.

Application

The project description should be a description of the type of activity in the application and how it aligns with the outcomes and objectives of the Music Works program. Please use the following description template: Who will do what, with whom? What are the outcomes? 

For example: To support Your Band to develop and produce their debut album at XYZ Studios in collaboration with producer Tom Blank.

We recommend using the Application Drafting Tools, available for download under ‘Guidelines and Tools’.

There is only one application question for the Uncovering Talent focus area. It is important to provide a comprehensive overview of your activity, including what you are proposing to do, key outcomes of the activity as well as detailing why it is important for your career/practice.

When you are forming your response, consider how your activity aligns with the assessment criteria.

There are two application questions for the Projects focus area. When you are forming your response to each question, consider how your activity aligns with the assessment criteria. 

You will need to provide a comprehensive overview of your activity, including what you are proposing to do, the timeframe you are delivering the activity, any key milestones and key collaborators on the activity as well as detailing why it is important for your career/practice and how it builds on your previous activity/work.

The application support documents will be used by the peer assessors to assess your proposal against the assessment criteria. The peer assessors will not assess your application without the required support materials (as listed in the guidelines). For detailed information on required support materials please see the guidelines via the Music Works page. 

The required support documents, which you must provide are:

  • Creative support material (both focus areas)
  • Project management timeline (Projects focus area only)

Additional support material may include:

  • Additional biographies/CVs
  • Support documentation to provide if your project involves Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) and/or collaborations with First Peoples creatives or community/Elders
  • Letters of support or Letters of partner confirmations
  • Budget notes (Projects focus area only)
  • Community engagement strategy for activity with community (Projects focus area only)

Ensure you prepare the required support documents and any optional support materials ahead of the program closing date, so you have everything prepared for the submission of your application.

If you are an artist manager applying on behalf of an artist and it is intended that you will receive the funds and manage the grant for the artist (with the artist’s consent), you must auspice the application. If you are not legally constituted and thus not eligible to auspice the application, you must ensure the ABN details provided in the application are the artist’s, not your own.

One of the key guiding principles of the Creative State 2025 strategy is First Peoples First. We are committed to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 11 guiding principles of Aboriginal Self-Determination as identified in the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018-23.

Applicants must follow correct protocols when working with First Peoples artists, activity and/or communities. Please refer to Creative Australia’s (previously Australia Council) Protocols For Using First Nations Cultural And Intellectual Property In The Arts. In particular, the project checklist (pages 168 to 172) can be used as a resource to guide considerations when engaging with First Peoples content, creatives and cultural heritage.

For the protection of First Peoples arts practice from misappropriation, moral and copyright infringement, appropriate documentation must be submitted if you propose to work with First Peoples stories/cultural material that is not your own, such as letters of confirmation from the First Peoples you are working with and protocols you will put in place to ensure cultural safety.

Applications from non-First Peoples applicants that contain ICIP or collaborations may also be reviewed by a First Peoples cultural protocol review panel. Activity that does not follow or demonstrate correct protocols will not be supported.

For the Projects focus area - please use the below as a guide of the types of supporting documentation you need to provide:

  • First Peoples budget line item in the budget section of your application
  • Letters of confirmation from First Peoples collaborators / communities (up to 2 pages)

For organisations/as appropriate:

  • Cultural safety protocol strategies.
  • First Peoples community engagement plans


For the Uncovering Talent focus area – you will need to identify whether you application includes Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) and/or collaboration with First Peoples creative practitioners and/or community. If your application includes ICIP and/or collaboration you will still need to provide a summary of this activity and determine if support documentation is required.

Please use the below as a guide of the types of supporting documentation you need to provide:

  • First Peoples budget details (how much are First Peoples collaborators being paid?).
  • letters of confirmation from First Peoples collaborators /communities (up to 2 pages).

For organisations/as appropriate:

  • cultural safety protocol strategies
  • First Peoples community engagement plans

If you don’t have an ABN or you are not sure that you will have the ability to manage the paperwork or requirements associated with a Creative Victoria grant, an organisation or business can submit the application on your behalf. If your application is successful, this party will receive the funding and will be responsible for managing the funds and reporting to Creative Victoria on your behalf. An auspice organisation can apply to this program on behalf of multiple people/projects.

For this program, any legally constituted organisation may act as an auspice.

In the application, you will be asked to provide details of the auspicing organisation, such as the organisation’s legal name, ABN and contact details.

  1. Click the application link provided on the relevant program funding page.
  1. On the first page of the portal application click 'Next'. Once you have completed the questions on page two it will take you to log in/register on the portal.
  2. Once logged in fill in YOUR information in the Applicant details section.
  1. When the form asks you if you are using an Auspice answer YES.
  1. Fill in the Auspice organisation information. This will include the Auspice's ABN, Legal Entity Name and contact details. Please have this information ready before you start your application.
  1. Continue to fill in the application questions.
  1. If you have an agreement with your auspice already organised, please include it with your support material.
  1. Submit your grant.

For more information, visit the Auspiced Applications webpage on Creative Victoria’s website

It may affect the payments that you are receiving. Please check with Centrelink or your contact person at NDIS. You may want to consider being auspiced by an organisation.

Grants paid by Creative Victoria may be considered part of your income in a financial year and may therefore be subject to tax. You will need to determine your own taxation responsibilities.

We strongly encourage applicants to consider inclusive ways of working and ensuring access to all audiences. Funding can be used to cover any access costs that help remove barriers for participants involved in your activity. You can also use the funding to make your activity accessible to a wider audience.

If you are applying under the Deaf and Disabled Stream , you can apply for an additional amount of up to $1,500 (Uncovering Talent focus area) or $3,000 (Projects focus area) on top of your general project costs to cover specific access expenses that will help you reduce barriers for Deaf and Disabled artists/industry workers involved in your project. These additional access costs can only be allocated towards access initiatives and can’t be repurposed to cover general project costs.

This is not an exhaustive list as it is dependent on type of activity and individual:

  • Access consultant - for support in designing an accessible space/event
  • Access/disability support workers
  • Assistive listening devices, audio loops, etc
  • Audio description
  • Auslan interpreters
  • Blind or low vision assistance
  • Braille in labelling, marketing, signage at venue, etc
  • Captioning services (open/closed)
  • Coordinate or develop a support program like Bandmates Victoria – Inclusive Arts Network
  • Disability concession pricing or subsidised ticket prices
  • Disability liaison person – for meeting and/or engaging with Deaf and/or Disabled people to be responsive to their access needs
  • Ergonomic equipment and/or an ergonomic consultant
  • Guide dog access
  • Hiring access aids/equipment
  • Plain English marketing material – short, simple sentences with pictures
  • Setting up a quiet or sensory space or session – to avoid sensory overload or to provide sensory input to meet a sensory need
  • Staff and volunteer training e.g. disability awareness, communication, etc
  • Therapy – incl. counselling, physio, occupational therapy, etc
  • Updating website and booking system to a more accessible user interface.

Access costs vary depending on the project and services required. Please get in touch with an Access Consultant. An Inclusive Practice Guide and a list of organisations in Victoria offering support to Deaf and Disabled people can be found on Arts Access Victoria’s website.

An in-kind contribution is a contribution of a good or service other than money. This can be from the applicant, other activity partners/participants or private support. In-kind contributions could include donated goods, services or volunteer work to support a project. Some examples include:

  • Voluntary hours from the artist
  • Mastering services provided free of charge
  • Venue hire contribution at a reduced rate.

Assessment

Applications from First Peoples or First Peoples-led groups will be assessed in alignment with Aboriginal self-determination by an assessment panel of First Peoples creative industries peers.

Applications in the Deaf and Disabled stream and the General stream that contain First Peoples activity or Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property may be reviewed by a Cultural Protocol Review panel of First Peoples creative industries peers, which will include at least one Victorian Traditional Owner.

No. The First Peoples stream is specifically for applications led by First Peoples. For non-First Peoples-led applications wishing to collaborate with First Peoples to present First Peoples stories, culture or ICIP, please apply through the General or Deaf and Disabled creatives streams.

This means your application will be assessed by relevant external peers and may also be reviewed by a First Peoples panel to ensure appropriate cultural protocols and cultural safety are reflected in the application. Activity that doesn’t follow or demonstrate correct protocols won’t be supported. Please refer to the ‘Support material’ section of the program guidelines for more details on what to provide to demonstrate cultural protocol.

Applications by Victorian Deaf and Disabled creatives can choose to be assessed by a panel of creative industries peers with lived experience of deafness and disability. Applications that are not led by Deaf and Disabled creatives but involve key participants who identify as Deaf and Disabled may also elect to be assessed under this stream. Please contact program staff to discuss.

Any relevant funding deliverable/milestone will be outlined in the funding agreement.

You will be required to provide regular updates about your funded activity, including information about the activity budget and activity plan.

At the end of your funded period, you must submit an acquittal which provides information about the outcomes of your funding.

During and after your funded period, you are required to participate in a program evaluation. You may be asked to provide information about your funded activity and any longer-term outcomes that may inform the evaluation of the Music Works program.

After the round closes, submitted applications go through an eligibility and due diligence check. External assessors are then allocated applications and given a period to review them.

Recommendations are compiled and provided to the Minister for Creative Industries for final approval. All applicants will be advised on the outcome of their application approximately 16 weeks from the closing date.

We acknowledge that in getting funding right, we need to make sure there is diversity in the process from inception to delivery.

Creative Victoria is working with industry representatives to ensure there is diverse representation on assessment panels for this program.

First Peoples applicants or First Peoples businesses or organisations applying under any stream will be assessed through a First Peoples-led assessment process. Deaf and Disabled applicants or businesses or organisations may also elect to be assessed by a panel of assessors with lived experience of deafness and disability.

We will also be reaching out to a broad range of organisations to promote the program and to encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds including applicants who are First Peoples, Deaf and Disabled, women, LGBTQIA+ and from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.