Creative Fellowship Fund for Artists (New Zealand)

Deadline: 24-Sep-2026

The Creative Fellowship Fund provides grants of NZ$25,000 or NZ$50,000 to New Zealand artists and practitioners for dedicated time to develop their artistic practice, experiment with ideas, and create new work. The funding supports up to six or twelve months, respectively, and includes additional accessibility support for eligible Deaf or disabled artists and practitioners. What Is the Creative Fellowship Fund? The Creative Fellowship Fund supports New Zealand artists and practitioners who need dedicated time and resources to develop their creative practice. Unlike funding that requires an immediate public performance, exhibition, or completed outcome, the fellowship is designed to give artists space to: Require accessibility-related support to participate fully in the fellowship. The accessibility component is designed to help ensure that artists can access the same creative development opportunity regardless of disability or impairment. Who Is Eligible? The Creative Fellowship Fund is open to individual New Zealand artists and practitioners who meet the citizenship or residency requirement.

Eligible applicants must be:

New Zealand citizens, or New Zealand Permanent Residents. Applicants can work across different artistic disciplines. The fund can also support a group of collaborators applying together for a specific arts activity or project, but the application must be made by eligible individual artists or practitioners rather than by an arts organization. Who Cannot Apply? The following are not eligible to apply: Arts organizations. Groups applying as an organization rather than eligible individual practitioners. Applicants who have not completed a previous Creative Fellowship Fund grant. Individuals submitting more than one application in the same funding round. The program is intended to directly support artists and practitioners rather than established arts organizations. What Can the Fellowship Support? The fund is designed primarily around creative development. An applicant could use the fellowship period to: Develop a new body of artwork. Experiment with a new medium. Research a new creative concept. Develop a performance or exhibition concept. Explore collaborative artistic practices. Take creative risks that would otherwise be difficult to undertake. Develop an existing artistic practice. Investigate new ways of working. Create new work without immediate public presentation requirements. The proposal should establish a clear connection between the requested fellowship period and the applicant’s artistic development. Why Does the Creative Fellowship Fund Matter? Artists often need substantial periods of uninterrupted time to experiment and develop new work. The Creative Fellowship Fund is particularly valuable because it supports process, experimentation, and artistic growth, rather than requiring artists to focus exclusively on immediate public outcomes.

The fellowship can help artists:

Take greater creative risks. Explore ideas that may not have guaranteed outcomes. For the larger NZ$50,000 fellowship, applicants are also expected to consider how the experience and learning from the fellowship will influence their future practice or community. How the Creative Fellowship Fund Works The application and assessment process is centered on the proposed creative development activity.

Step 1: Choose the Fellowship Level

Applicants should determine whether their proposed development requires: Up to six months and NZ$25,000, or Up to twelve months and NZ$50,000. The requested period should be appropriate to the scale and ambition of the proposed work.

Step 2: Define the Creative Development

Explain clearly:

What you want to explore. Why you want to explore it. What you hope to develop. How the fellowship will change or strengthen your practice. Why dedicated time is important at this stage of your career.

Step 3: Explain the Use of Funding

Applicants should demonstrate how the requested funding will provide the time and resources necessary for creative development. The proposed use of funds should be realistic and connected to the project.

Step 4: Consider Accessibility Requirements

Applicants who are Deaf, disabled, or experience disability or impairment should identify any accessibility costs required to participate fully.

Step 5: Submit One Application

Applicants may submit only one application per funding round. Anyone who has previously received a Creative Fellowship Fund grant must complete that grant before applying again. How Applications Are Assessed Applications are assessed by peer assessors. The assessment considers the artistic value and developmental potential of the proposed fellowship.

Important considerations include:

Creative risk-taking: Whether the opportunity enables meaningful artistic risks.

Experimentation: Whether the applicant has scope to test new ideas or approaches.

Practice development: How the fellowship will contribute to artistic growth.

Timeliness: Why this is the right time for the proposed activity.

Potential for new work: Whether the fellowship can lead to meaningful creative development.

For NZ$50,000 applications, assessors also consider: How the applicant intends to share learning. How the fellowship process will influence future practice. How the experience may contribute to the applicant’s community or wider artistic field. What Makes a Strong Application? A strong application should explain why the artist needs this fellowship now. Applicants should clearly connect four elements: Current practice → Creative opportunity → Fellowship support → Future development

For example, applicants should explain:

Where their artistic practice currently stands. What new direction they want to investigate. Why existing resources or normal working conditions are insufficient. How six or twelve months of dedicated development would make a difference. What they expect to learn or develop. How the experience will influence their future pra