Arts funding opportunities

Find out about Hutt City Council's arts funds and what you need to apply.

Community Arts and Culture Fund

We help non-profit groups deliver arts programmes and cultural services to the community. The grants range from $500 to $10,000.

About the Community Arts and Culture Fund

The purpose of this fund is to contribute to the creative life of the Hutt Valley, its residents and visitors by supporting:

  • the provision of a diverse range of quality arts activities and events that are easily accessed by residents and visitors
  • opportunities to increase community participation in arts and cultural activities
  • opportunities to grow audiences for the arts and cultural activities

Funding dates

Deadline for CACF applications: Monday 26 July.

Funding Calendar

What we fund

This funding is to help you cover operational and administration costs.

Examples of things we fund:

  • purchasing office equipment
  • marketing materials (flyers, posters, advertisements)
  • fees for tutors or visiting artists
  • employee salaries
  • telephone, power and rental bills
  • volunteer expenses.

What we don't fund

  • organisations that already get operational funding from any other Council source (excluding rates rebates)
  • organisations, such as schools and kindergartens, that receive significant government funding
  • organisations that plan to give funds to other people at their own discretion
  • individuals
  • expenses you've already paid
  • debt repayments
  • land, building, renovation or maintenance costs.

Funding rules

Applicants must:

  • have legal status as charitable trusts or incorporated societies authorised to receive or administer charitable funding
  • be based in Lower Hutt
  • provide services that are accessible to a wide range of people or have a clearly defined target group

If you're successful, you need to follow these rules:

  • use our funds only for the approved purpose, in accordance with any terms and conditions we've set
  • use the funds within 10 months of receiving approval
  • let us know at once if any difficulty or potential difficulty arises that might compromise the service or project
  • lay a complaint with Police if any funds are stolen or misappropriated, and then notify us
  • we have the right to audit how the funds were used
  • be available to present your completed project to our representatives
  • recognise our support in your publicity material, annual reports and similar publications
  • you'll need to complete an accountability report within an agreed timeframe. This outlines how the funds were used and how the community benefited.

Make an application

You can apply for funding online or fill out a paper form and email it to us with your supporting material.

Apply through our funding platform

Apply using our online form

Talk to an advisor

Our Community Arts and Culture Advisor is available to meet with you to discuss the eligibility criteria, registration process and how to apply.

Request a meeting with our Community Arts Advisor

Successful applicants

Successful Community Arts and Culture Fund applicants 2021 (PDF 157.7KB)

Successful Community Arts and Culture Fund applicants 2020 (PDF 146.8 KB)

Successful Community Arts and Culture Fund applicants 2019 (PDF 22.7 KB)

Creative Communities Scheme Fund

The Creative Communities Scheme (CCS) fund supports local groups and people wanting to start a project with an arts or cultural focus.

Who can apply?

Individuals or groups can apply for CCS funding. Individuals must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

If you have already received funding from CCS for a project, you must complete a report on that project before making another application, unless the project is still in progress.

Funding Calendar

CCS Application Guide (PDF 87.5 KB)

CCS Brochure

Funding criteria

Your project must meet at least one of the following:

  • Broad community involvement - the project will create opportunities for our local community to engage with and participate in all arts activities.
  • Diversity - the project will support the diverse arts and cultural traditions of local communities, enriching and promoting their uniqueness and cultural diversity.
  • Young people - the project will enable and encourage young people (under 18 years) to engage with and actively participate in the arts.

Other criteria we use to assess your application:

  • have an arts focus
  • meet the funding criteria
  • will be completed within 12 months of funding being approved
  • are based in Lower Hutt and mainly benefit people living in Lower Hutt and local communities
  • haven't already started before funding is approved
  • haven't already received funding from Creative New Zealand for the same purpose.

What we fund

The types of projects and activities we can fund include:

  • initiatives that offer opportunities for community involvement in the arts including: exhibitions, productions, concerts, festivals, workshops and presentations
  • activities that support the traditions and arts of ethnic communities
  • youth arts events
  • artist-ideas projects involving local communities
  • materials for arts activities or programmes
  • personal costs for one-off, short term projects
  • promoting and publicising arts activities to communities
  • travel for individuals or groups to attend events, presentations or shows within Lower Hutt.

What we don't fund

The types of projects and activities we cannot fund include:

  • ongoing administration and service costs (such as salaries) that aren’t related to a specific project
  • travel for individuals or groups to attend events, presentations or shows outside the local area
  • buying capital items or equipment, such as cameras, computers, instruments, costumes, lights or uniforms
  • the costs of running fundraising activities
  • entry fees for competitions, contests and exams
  • prize money, awards and judges’ fees for competitions
  • payment of royalties
  • the paying off of accumulated debt or debt servicing
  • buying existing artworks for collections held by, for example, councils, museums, galleries, community groups or individuals.

If you have any of the above costs included in your CCS application, you'll need to be able to cover these costs from project income other than CCS funding, such as ticket sales or fundraising.

How to apply

You can apply for funding online or fill out a paper form and email it to us with your supporting material.

Creative Communities Scheme Fund online application

CCS Application Form (DOCX 735 KB)

Talk to an advisor

Our Community Arts and Culture Advisor is available to meet with you to discuss the eligibility criteria, registration process and how to apply.

Request a meeting with our Community Arts Advisor

If your application is successful

If you receive funding, you must use the appropriate Creative Communities logo to show that your project has been funded by the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS).

If you're successful, you need to follow these rules:

  • use our funds only for the approved purpose, in accordance with any terms and conditions we've set
  • use the funds within 10 months of receiving approval
  • let us know at once if any difficulty or potential difficulty arises that might compromise the service or project
  • lay a complaint with Police if any funds are stolen or misappropriated, and then notify us
  • we have the right to audit how the funds were used
  • be available to present your completed project to our representatives
  • recognise our support in your publicity material, annual reports and similar publications
  • use the appropriate Creative Communities logo to show that your project has been funded by the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS)
  • you'll need to complete an accountability report within an agreed timeframe. This outlines how the funds were used and how the community benefited.
  • complete a project report.

Project completion report (DOC 86 KB)

Rules and Advice

If arts activities are the business of a company or individual, and this is how they sustain themselves, then it's reasonable to expect that they should cover their own costs and not be supported through this fund.

This fund shouldn't support activities that are core business for a profit driven arts organisation. If the project is a one-off event that is outside of the company's usual business, and if there are significant community benefits, then the panel can consider whether it should be supported.

Software purchases (e.g. Photoshop, Sibelius) are considered a capital expense and therefore can’t be funded.

Young people shouldn't be excluded from funding just because they attend school.

If an activity is part of the school curriculum (part of a programme that involves learning and assessment) we expect it should be supported through Ministry of Education resources. If an artist in residence programme has been introduced to support the arts curriculum it would not be eligible for funding.

In some schools the school production is part of an arts curriculum and students are individually assessed on their achievements. These types of productions are not eligible for funding because the project should be supported through Ministry of Education resources. To be eligible, a school production must be extra-curricular. Student involvement must be voluntary and students should not be assessed.

The panel will decide which projects will receive funding. Your application should show that significant benefits will be delivered to the community, possibly through the involvement of other schools or community groups.

Not all eligible projects will be funded

The panel will decide which projects will receive funding. Your application should show that significant benefits will be delivered to the community, possibly through the involvement of other schools or community groups.

Successful applicants

Contact details

Email: funding@huttcitycouncil.govt.nz