The Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program (the Program) is seeking applications from eligible service providers to deliver temporary employment placements through the Program.

The Program will match early to mid-career d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers with arts, cultural, screen and digital games organisations for temporary paid job placements of up to 12 months, for any art form and any position level across Australia.

This first phase of the Program is seeking an eligible service provider/s to deliver the temporary paid job placements through a competitive grants process. The Program can be delivered by a single grant recipient, multiple grant recipients or through consortia arrangements.

The successful service provider/s will be responsible for the recruitment, selection, matching and oversight of the placements, in close consultation with the Office for the Arts. This includes providing support to participants and host organisations over the life of the placements and assisting host organisations to ensure they are accessible and culturally safe before placements start.

The Program will benefit participants and host organisations by providing:

• more opportunities for early to mid-career d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers to advance their careers by building professional skills and networks
• host organisations with access to skilled talent and uplifting their disability confidence and cultural safety to employ more workers with disability in the future.

There will be a process later in 2026 for host organisations to apply, and then for individual participants to apply and be matched with host organisations. Placements are expected to start in early 2027.

Who can apply: Eligible organisations with experience in disability access and the Australian arts, cultural, screen and digital games sectors can apply, either alone or in partnership with another organisation/s. Key personnel delivering the placements also need to have lived experience of disability.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• where required by law, be registered for the purposes of GST
• be a permanent resident of Australia
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• be a legal entity with the capacity to enter into a legally binding agreement or contract
• comply with all regulatory, industry and legal requirements in relation to copyright, licensing, employment, planning and environmental protection not have any outstanding reports, acquittals or serious breaches relating to any Commonwealth funding.

And be one of the following entity types:

• a company incorporated in Australia
• a company incorporated by guarantee
• an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
• an incorporated association
• an incorporated not-for-profit organisation
• a sole trader
• a partnership
• a local or territory government agency or body
• an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.

• Email: Arts.Disability@arts.gov.au