1. About Touring Victoria

What kinds of activities does the program support?

Touring Victoria supports professional creative work to reach audiences in different locations across Victoria. A tour could be a theatre, dance or circus production travelling to several venues, a music performance presented in different locations, an exhibition travelling between galleries, or a literature or other creative program.

A tour can also include activities that help local audiences and communities engage with the work, such as workshops, talks, masterclasses or skills exchanges. The work should be ready to tour, with demand from presenters, venues or communities.

How much funding can I apply for?

You can apply for between $55,000 and $150,000.

If you are applying through the Deaf and Disabled stream, you can also apply for up to an additional $5,000 for specific accessibility costs. All applicants can include relevant accessibility costs in their touring budget.

Why has the minimum funding amount increased compared with previous rounds?

The minimum funding amount has increased from $10,000 to $55,000 to reflect the scale and costs involved in delivering a professional tour.

Touring Victoria is intended to support substantial, multi-location tours of professional creative work, rather than a single performance, exhibition or presentation. For example, a smaller project taking place at one location would not fit the type of touring activity this round is designed to support.

When can my funded activity start?

This round supports activities starting from 1 July 2027. Your project must conclude within 24 months of this date.

Does the grant amount include GST?

No. Grant amounts exclude GST. If your application is successful and you are registered for GST, Creative Victoria will pay GST in addition to your approved grant amount.

If I’m successful, when will I receive the funding?

If your application is successful, you will receive a Common Funding Agreement setting out your payment schedule and any conditions or milestones.

Before payment can be made, you will need to accept the agreement, meet any relevant conditions and provide Creative Victoria with an invoice. Once the agreement has been executed by both parties and those requirements are met, your grant payment can be made.

2. Where can I tour?

Where can I tour?

Either can be supported. You might tour one production or exhibition to several locations, or tour a program of works or exhibitions. What matters is that the activity is a genuine multi-location tour of professional creative work and meets the other program requirements.

3. Who can apply?

Who can apply?

You may be able to apply if you are a creative organisation, a tour coordinator applying on behalf of a creative organisation or creative practitioners, or a community or local government organisation with experience coordinating or presenting a tour.

As a quick check, applicants also need to be based in Victoria or an eligible cross-border community, have an active ABN or an eligible auspice with an active ABN, and have no overdue Creative Victoria or former Arts Victoria acquittals.

There are additional requirements depending on whether you are applying as an organisation or an individual tour coordinator, so check section 2.2 of the guidelines before applying.

I’m a sole trader. Can I apply?

If you are applying as an individual tour coordinator, you can apply, but you must use an eligible auspice organisation. You must also meet the citizenship or permanent residency and Victorian or cross-border residency requirements in the guidelines.

Can my tour include a venue that receives revenue from electronic gaming machines?

No. A tour that includes a venue receiving revenue directly from electronic gaming machines is not eligible for Touring Victoria funding. This applies to electronic gaming machine revenue as defined under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 (Vic).

I’m planning a contemporary music tour. Can I apply?

No. Contemporary music tours are not eligible for Touring Victoria funding.

Refer to the definitions in the guidelines to determine whether your proposed tour is contemporary music. For example, a tour by an indie pop or rock band touring the launch of a new album across multiple locations would fall within the definition of contemporary music and would not be eligible. This does not mean all music activity is excluded: other forms of professional music touring, such as orchestral work, may be eligible if the proposal meets the program requirements.

Contemporary music applicants can check Music Victoria for other opportunities and support that may be a better fit.

I’m planning a community-based creative project. Can I apply?

Potentially. Touring Victoria can support professional creative work delivered in a community context, but the proposal still needs to be a professional tour rather than primarily the development of a new community project.

For example, an existing professional production touring to regional communities and including local workshops or participation opportunities could fit the program. A project mainly focused on creating or developing a new work with one community would not be a touring proposal.

If I meet the eligibility criteria, am I guaranteed funding?

No. Touring Victoria is competitive. Meeting the eligibility requirements means your application can be considered for funding, not that funding is guaranteed.

Do not enter into commitments on the assumption that your application will be successful. Previous funding also does not guarantee success in this round.

4. Auspicing

What is an auspice?

An auspice is a legally constituted organisation that manages the grant on your behalf. If your application is successful, the auspice becomes the official grant recipient: it receives the funding, is responsible for managing the grant and signs off on the acquittal.

You need to have your auspice organisation confirmed before the application closing date.

Who needs an auspice?

An individual tour coordinator must apply through an eligible auspice organisation. An organisation that is already legally constituted can apply in its own right if it meets the other eligibility requirements.

How do I apply if I have an auspice?

Complete the application using your own applicant details and answer “yes” when the form asks whether you are using an auspice. You will then provide the auspice organisation’s ABN, legal entity name and contact details.

Have this information, and your agreement with the auspice, organised before you submit your application.

5. Planning your tour and budget

I’m putting together my tour budget. What kinds of costs can I include?

Think about the costs that arise because you are taking the work on tour. These can include freight, touring allowances, accommodation and travel, tour coordination and management, community engagement activities, touring-party wellbeing costs, and costs of engaging First Peoples for advice, consultation, Welcome to Country or cultural safety purposes.

For example, if a production is travelling to four venues, the budget might include transporting the set, travel and accommodation for the touring party, the person coordinating the tour, and a workshop delivered alongside one of the presentations.

You can also include reasonable costs of remounting an existing work and getting it tour-ready. The guidelines contain the full list of eligible and ineligible costs, and the budget template includes examples of acceptable expenditure.

My work already exists, but I need to rehearse or make changes before touring it. Can I include those costs?

Potentially. Touring Victoria can support the costs of remounting an existing completed work for a new tour. That could include re-rehearsal, re-design, preparing new marketing material or other work needed to make the production tour-ready.

The distinction is whether you are preparing an existing work to tour or developing a new work. For example, rehearsing an existing production before it goes back on the road may be eligible; writing a new script or developing a work that is not yet complete is not.

If you include remount costs, explain them clearly in your budget and show why they are needed for the tour.

Can I include accessibility costs?

Yes. All applicants are encouraged to budget for costs that make their touring activity accessible to Deaf and Disabled audiences, such as Auslan interpreting, captioning, audio description or accessible materials.

If you are applying through the Deaf and Disabled stream, you can request up to an additional $5,000 for specific accessibility costs. This additional amount can only be used for those accessibility costs, not general project expenses.

What are some examples of accessibility costs?

Accessibility needs will vary from project to project. Examples can include an access consultant, support workers, Auslan interpreters, audio description, captioning, assistive listening equipment, accessible marketing material, a quiet or sensory space, disability liaison support or staff and volunteer training.

Use your budget notes to explain the accessibility costs that are relevant to your tour rather than trying to include every possible type of access support.

What does an in-kind contribution mean?

An in-kind contribution is something contributed to the tour that has value but is not money. It could come from you, a presenter, another project partner or private supporter.

For example, a venue might provide its space at a reduced rate, or someone might contribute agreed voluntary hours to the project. Show the value of the contribution in your budget so the panel can understand the full resources supporting the tour.

What kinds of audience and community engagement activities could I include?

Think about what would make sense for the communities you are visiting, rather than adding an activity simply because the program asks about engagement.

Depending on the tour, this could be a post-show talk, workshop, masterclass, artist or curator talk, skills exchange, professional development activity for local creatives, or an opportunity for community participation. Explain who the activity is for and why it is relevant to that location.

Can my tour include professional development activities?

Yes. Professional development or skills exchange opportunities for local creative practitioners and other creative professionals can form part of your tour.

For example, the touring team might deliver a masterclass, skills exchange or professional development session for local creatives alongside a performance, exhibition or other touring activity. These activities should complement the tour and respond to the communities you are visiting.

I haven’t confirmed every venue yet. Can I still apply?

Yes. Not every presenter or venue has to be confirmed when you apply. Be clear about what is confirmed and what is still being discussed.

For example, if three venues are confirmed and a fourth is in negotiation, identify that in your itinerary and include evidence of the discussion where possible. Tours where most presenters are confirmed are given priority in assessment.

My tour includes a performance or activity at a school. Can I apply?

Yes. A school can be one of the locations included in a broader eligible tour. Touring Victoria can support tours presented in different types of settings where the activity is part of a broader community-focused tour.

For example, a regional tour might include performances at a theatre, a community venue, a school or a residential aged care setting such as a nursing home.

However, school-based tours are not supported. A tour designed primarily to travel from school to school for school audiences would not be eligible. The focus should be on providing communities with access to professional creative experiences through a broader touring program.

What costs are not supported?

Some common examples are costs for developing new creative work, costs already incurred before the funded activity, general business overheads or capital purchases, school-based tours, grant-writing fees and touring costs already funded through another government program.

For example, you cannot use Touring Victoria to write and develop a new production from scratch. You could, however, seek eligible remount costs to prepare an existing completed production for a new tour. Check section 3.3 of the guidelines for the full list before finalising your budget.

6. Preparing your application

What do I need to include in my application?

Your application needs to give the assessors a clear picture of the work, the route, who is involved, how the tour will be delivered and why audiences and communities want it.

You will provide a short description of the tour, answer questions about quality, viability and audience and community outcomes, and submit a balanced budget, tour itinerary and required support material.

A useful test is whether someone unfamiliar with the project could understand what is touring, where it is going, who is delivering it, how it will be paid for and what will happen in each location.

Do I need to provide a budget?

Yes. You need to upload a balanced budget with your application. Use it to show the real cost of the tour, where income is coming from and what you are asking Touring Victoria to support.

The budget drafting tool is available from the Touring Victoria webpage under “Guidelines and Tools”. Budget notes can be used to explain items that may not be obvious to an assessor.

What financial information do I need to provide?

You need to provide financial reports for the last three years. These should be your final accounts and include the relevant financial statements and notes. If your accounts are not audited, accounts prepared by an accountant can be accepted.

If your latest financial report is more than six months old, you will also need to provide current management or interim accounts for the current year, including a profit and loss statement and balance sheet. Check section 6.1 of the guidelines for the full requirements.

What kinds of support material should I include?

The required support material includes your Tour Itinerary, Budget and financial reports. Other material should help the panel understand and assess your particular tour.

For example, if audience demand is important to your proposal, letters from presenters or communities can help demonstrate it. If the panel needs to understand the quality and readiness of the work, you might provide biographies, existing marketing material, media coverage or documentation of previous presentations.

Choose material that adds useful evidence rather than uploading documents simply because they are available.

What if my project involves First Peoples collaboration or Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP)?

Your application needs to show that appropriate cultural protocols are in place. Applications in the Deaf and Disabled or General streams that include First Peoples activity or ICIP may also be reviewed by a First Peoples cultural protocol review panel.

Check section 6 of the guidelines for the supporting documentation to provide. This can include letters of confirmation from First Peoples collaborators or communities and, where relevant, cultural safety or community engagement plans.

My project includes First Peoples activity or Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP). Should I apply through the First Peoples stream?

The First Peoples stream is for applications led by Victorian First Peoples creatives or First Peoples-led organisations.

If your application includes First Peoples activity or ICIP but is not First Peoples-led, that does not make it a First Peoples stream application. Depending on your circumstances, you would apply through another eligible stream, and the First Peoples activity or ICIP may also be reviewed for cultural protocols.

For example, a non-First Peoples-led organisation touring a work that involves ICIP would not select the First Peoples stream on that basis alone. The application should instead clearly demonstrate the appropriate cultural protocols and provide the required supporting documentation.

Can I update my application after submission?

You cannot change the submitted application itself. Check your application carefully before submitting it.

If you receive a new confirmation after submission, such as additional funding or a partnership confirmation, you can notify program staff and include your application reference number. Program staff may provide the new information to peer assessors at their discretion.

7. How applications are assessed

Who will assess my application?

Eligible applications are assessed by external creative industries peers. The panel depends on the stream you select: First Peoples, Deaf and Disabled, or General.

If an application in the Deaf and Disabled or General stream includes First Peoples activity or ICIP, it may also be reviewed for cultural protocols by First Peoples peers.

You can see a list of panel members from the previous round on the program web page.

How are applications assessed and who makes the final decision?

Applications first undergo an eligibility check. Eligible applications are assessed by peer assessors against the program objectives, outcomes and three equally weighted criteria: Quality, Viability, and Audience and Community Outcomes. Value for money is also considered. After assessing the applications, the peer assessors will meet as a panel to discuss their assessments and reach their funding recommendations.

Recommendations may then be moderated by Creative Victoria to consider the program’s policy objectives and balance across activities, organisations and geographic locations. Final recommendations are subject to approval by the Minister for Creative Industries.

What does it mean when the guidelines say some activities will be “considered more favourably”?

These activities are considered within the existing assessment criteria; they are not a separate eligibility test.

For example, a tour may be stronger where presenters are paying performance or exhibition fees, most presenters are confirmed, or it includes meaningful community engagement or professional development opportunities for local creative professionals. Your application should still explain how the project performs against all of the assessment criteria.

When will I know the outcome of my application?

Applicants will be notified in writing approximately 16 weeks after applications close, and before the activity start date for this round.