Creative communities festival fund

About the Creative Communities Festival Fund

The CCS Festival Fund is a one-off funding boost from Government, to support established festivals that celebrate the life experiences, stories, cultures, and regional identities of New Zealanders, that continue to be impacted by the effects of COVID-19 in 2023.

Funding is available for operational, commissioning, development, and presentation costs.

There is no maximum amount a single festival can apply for, but applicants should contact our funding advisor about their specific plans for this one-off fund.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications should meet the standard CCS criteria as outlined below

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

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.

In addition the the standard criteria, applicants:

  • Must have delivered a festival at least once in the previous five years (this may include digital presentation) and include evidence of previous delivery in their application.

A festival (for the purpose of this fund) involves an integrated programme of events and activities featuring one or more artforms, from any cultural tradition, that takes place within a defined area or region over a designated period of time.

Once the project is complete, a project completion form must be submitted within two months after your project has ended. You can find this report under Accountability Reports

Note: 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.

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 Hutt City.

  • 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

  • Fill in our online form ensuring you include the word festival in your title or project description.

More information

Contact details

Email: funding@huttcity.govt.nz