Four Year Investment provides multi-year investment for arts and cultural organisations. This will enable organisations to plan with longer-term certainty and increase their capacity to leverage other support and collaborations.

What's on offer

Organisations must demonstrate a high degree of artistic achievement, along with a compelling four year vision for the period 2025-2028. To be competitive, organisations will also need to show they are well governed, effectively managed, and generate diverse income streams.

It is the intention of this category to invest in organisations that are part of the small to medium arts and cultural sector. Large, well-resourced organisations or institutions seeking investment in multi-year arts programs may not be considered a priority for investment in this category.

Four Year Investment for Organisations is a two-stage process. Stage one is an expression of interest (EOI). If an organisation is successful in its first stage EOI, it will be invited to make a full Stage 2 application for assessment.

Investment for organisations approved after Stage 2 assessment will support activities from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028.

The minimum eligible grant request for this program is $100,000 per year, over the four year investment period ($400,000 in total). The maximum eligible grant request is $520,000 per year over the four year investment period ($2,080,000 in total).

The revised cap of $520,000 per year acknowledges partial indexation that has been applied across the 2021-2024 investment cycle.

Context for EOIs

Since the last cycle of four year investment was implemented, organisations in the arts and cultural sector were impacted by events that have significantly disrupted their operations and sustainability. The livelihood and well-being of artists, creatives and those working in the sector to support them were also impacted. The effects of this were experienced in different ways across the country.

The Australia Council acknowledges that the ramifications of these events are ongoing.

We anticipate that artists and creatives, management, and boards of organisations will develop artistic visions and plans that while forward looking, will take into account the very different operating environment likely to be experienced over the next few years.

We welcome and strongly encourage you to contact us to discuss your EOI in the context of your particular circumstances.

Australia Council for the Arts also offer the following additional resources to these guidelines:

• frequently asked questions
• access to online webinars
• links to services that offer free, confidential support (found below).

Australia Council accept EOIs from organisations that develop, create and/or present artistic programs.

Organisations that deliver services as part of an artistic program may apply for Four Year Investment and will be assessed on the quality of their artistic program.

The Australia Council will also support services to the arts sector through a new stream of investment called Delivery Partners. Further information on this investment stream will be made available on our website in November.

The Australia Council requires that organisations be registered under Australian law (for example, incorporated association or company limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example, a government statutory authority).

• Organisations that are not legally constituted are not eligible to apply.
• Organisations that are registered as Trusts are not eligible to apply.

Organisations may be required to provide a certificate of incorporation or evidence of their current legal status.

It is the intention of this category to invest in organisations that are part of the small to medium arts and cultural sector. Large, well-resourced organisations or institutions seeking investment in multi-year arts programs may not be considered a priority for investment in this category.

You can’t submit an EOI if:

• you have an overdue grant report
• you have overdue Multi-Year Investment reporting
• you owe money to the Australia Council
• your organisation is not registered in Australia
• you are an individual or group
• your organisation is registered as a Trust.

You can’t submit an EOI for the following activities:

• activities that do not involve or benefit Australian practicing artists, arts professionals, audiences or communities
• activities that do not have a clearly defined arts or cultural component
• activities that have already taken place
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to the Australia Council First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols.

• Phone: 02 9215 9000
• Website: https://australiacouncil.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/