Music grants in Australia and New Zealand: who funds what
In Australia your postcode decides which music money you can reach. In New Zealand there are four clearly separate doors, and knowing which one is yours saves a wasted application.
Updated October 2026
Australia and New Zealand fund musicians in completely different shapes. In Australia most of the money that matters is state money, so your postcode decides which pots you can reach, and moving interstate can reset your eligibility clock. New Zealand is small and national, with four funders that each own a clearly separate job. I read every one of the pages below myself to build the funders section of the directory.
Australia: the national layer
Creative Australia is the national body and the home of Music Australia. For a working musician it funds national tours of original Australian contemporary music, international touring, professional development and promotion through its export programmes, and arts projects by individuals and groups, all listed on one opportunities page. Individuals need to be practising artists or creative workers and Australian citizens or permanent residents.
Support Act is not a project funder, and it should not be confused with one. It gives crisis relief to musicians, managers, crew and music workers in hardship because of illness, injury, mental health, older age or another crisis, paying bills directly rather than giving cash, after a social worker talks with you.
Australia: state by state
New South Wales: Sound NSW funds touring, music market trips and professional development, and recording and promoting new original music, with matched funding for international tours. Experimental, contemporary classical, choral and music theatre work is pointed to Create NSW instead. The City of Sydney supports professional artists to keep living and working in the city.
Victoria: Music Victoria delivers the state's Music Works programme for artists, music workers and businesses, and the City of Melbourne runs arts grants for public presentations in the city.
Queensland: Brisbane City Council's creative grants support Brisbane-based artists to create and present new work.
South Australia: the Music Development Office funds artists, songwriters, producers and managers creating or releasing new original music, plus mentorship and quick-response micro-grants.
Western Australia: the Contemporary Music Fund supports touring and showcasing, professional development, and recording and promotion, with priority for broadly popular music.
Tasmania: Arts Tasmania funds artists' practice and careers, including recording and producing work, but not equipment purchases.
ACT: artsACT accepts smaller applications at any time and larger ones in rounds.
Australian funders in the directory
Amounts, residency rules and the current window for each, quoted from the funder’s own page and re-checked by hand.
New Zealand: four doors
NZ On Air pays for recordings, video and getting them heard, with streams including reo Māori, Pasifika and Pan-Asian music. Your music has to count as "New Zealand music" under its checklist first.
The NZ Music Commission helps take music from Aotearoa to the world, contributing to the costs of international touring, showcasing, marketing and trade-show trips for bands, composers, songwriters, producers, companies and solo artists.
Creative New Zealand is the development funder, including support for early career artists with no track record required, plus international engagement funding and music scholarships.
Te Māngai Pāho funds reo Māori music for airplay and streaming. For hardship, MusicHelps provides confidential counselling and emergency financial support for New Zealand music workers, and runs a free 24/7 support line.
New Zealand funders in the directory
NZ On Air, the NZ Music Commission, Creative New Zealand, Te Māngai Pāho and MusicHelps, with their rounds and eligibility quoted from source.
How I would use this
Budget your share first. A lot of this money is matched or partial, so know where your part comes from before you apply. Check the residency rule before the form. It rules people out faster than anything about the music. Plan around decision dates, not deadlines. Most of these funders publish when they decide, and your release plan should hang on that.
Every funder above is in the directory with who it funds, what for and how to reach it, plus a link to its own funding page for current programmes and deadlines. Browse Australia at /funders?country=AU and New Zealand at /funders?country=NZ, or take a $19-a-year membership to open the rest of the directory too.
Frequently asked
What music grants can Australian musicians apply for?
Nationally, Creative Australia funds touring of original Australian contemporary music, international touring and promotion through its export programmes, and arts projects. Most of the rest is state money: Sound NSW, Music Victoria’s Music Works, the WA Contemporary Music Fund, South Australia’s Music Development Office, Arts Tasmania and artsACT, plus city grants in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Support Act covers crisis relief rather than projects.
What funding is there for New Zealand musicians?
Four main doors. NZ On Air funds recording, video and promotion. The NZ Music Commission helps with the costs of taking music overseas. Creative New Zealand funds development, including early-career artists with no track record. Te Māngai Pāho funds reo Māori music. MusicHelps covers hardship.
Do I have to live in a state to apply for its music grants?
Yes, and most state funds set a minimum period of residence, so check that line first. Moving interstate can reset your eligibility clock.