Building Business Capability for Individual Practitioners Fund

For more information see Guidelines - Eligibility

This fund offers grants to support individual artists and arts practitioners to develop skills that increase their career sustainability and future-proof their business practice. Individual artists and arts practitioners can apply for activities that help them remain relevant to audiences and communities and become more resilient to changing environments.

Project costs

Individuals can apply for between $5,000 and $10,000 towards project costs, including up to a total of $3,000 for capital expenditure. The project costs could include payment for your time to undertake the project and one or more of the activities listed below:

• Research and planning – contracting consultants or industry experts to help you grow your business expertise. For example, developing or revising strategic, business and risk management plans, exploring alternative business models and platforms, researching and developing new audiences, markets and income streams
• Inclusion – supporting inclusion in your practice and increasing access to your work. For example, disability responsiveness training, building cultural competence in Kaupapa Māori and Kaupapa Pasifika or training to recognise and address unconscious bias.
• Manawaroa/Resilience – developing tools, resources and skills to sustain your professional practice within dynamic and challenging environments. For example, stress management training, professional supervision, wellbeing and hauora/health coaching.
• Professional development – learning new skills to grow or adapt your business practice and career. For example, a financial training course, a programme of business management study, attendance at marketing workshops or industry conferences.
• Digital skills – developing skills to increase online engagement and make online content accessible to new and diverse communities. For example, developing your website, fundraising using e-commerce, digital strategy development and online content development.
• Digital tools and equipment – accessing and acquiring relevant and fit for purpose resources to carry out your project up to a maximum cost of $3,000. For example, financial management software, Zoom subscription, live streaming or virtual reality tools for the duration of the project. You must outline how these resources will support your project in your application.

We don't have a recommended list of providers. We encourage you to work with your arts network to identify suitable providers.

You can only apply for costs incurred between the project start and end dates listed in your application. We don't fund retrospective or ongoing costs.

Project timing

Your project must:

• Start after 25 November 2022
• Finish before 25 November 2023

Guidelines and advice for specific activities and costs

Overseas activities

You can apply for overseas activities, but we anticipate that activities involving a training event, artist or practitioner overseas will need to be online for some time. If your project includes international travel you need to follow official travel advice. See Guidelines - International activity

Tertiary study and training courses

You can apply for tertiary study and training courses that will help you to build business skills. You can also apply for remuneration for your own time to undertake training and travel costs if the travel is outside your region.

Website development

You can apply for funding to hire an expert to build or update a website to support your practice. In your application, you need to demonstrate the value and benefit to your business in building your resilience and long-term sustainability. We would also support the purchase of a website domain as this helps build your digital presence as an individual practitioner.

Brand development

You can apply for brand development, eg graphic design costs, via a third-party contractor. In your application, you need to tell us how this activity will help you remain relevant to audiences or communities.

Subscriptions

You can include costs for a digital subscription or arts industry body or membership-based organisation. In your application, you need to tell us how this will help your skills development and long-term sustainability. We can only support the subscription cost for the duration of your project. For example, if your project duration was six months then we would only support the subscription cost for six months. 

Services provided by other artists or arts practitioners

Training, mentoring or consultancy support can be provided by artists or arts practitioners as long as they have the appropriate skills and experience and are a good fit for your project. For example, if you’re looking for training as a Producer you might want to be mentored by a Producer in the sector who has more experience than you and can help build your skills.

A consultant/mentor does not need to have a track record as long as you explain in your application why they are the right person and what their background and experience is.

You can nominate any contractor, mentor or training provider. Your application must include their CVs/bios and quotes or proposal fees as well as confirmation in writing of their availability.

Either a fee or koha can be paid for mentoring or other skills building, as appropriate.

Digital tools or equipment

You can apply for digital tools or equipment costs (as capital expenditure items) that are directly related to carrying out your project. In your application, tell us how the tools or equipment will support your project. 

Here are some examples:

• digital tools or equipment, eg laptops or cameras
• IT software or hardware
• financial management software
• fundraising/e-commerce tools 
• Zoom subscriptions, live streaming or VR tools.

You can apply for up to $3,000 in total for capital items. Your application needs to request at least $5,000.

What we don't fund

This fund is for building business capability and does not support costs related to building artistic capability, or the research, creation and presentation of arts activity or projects.

In addition, the following cannot be supported:

• Activities already funded by another Creative New Zealand funding programme or initiative. For instance, the Creative Communities Scheme
• Activities another Creative New Zealand funding programme or initiative is designed to support
• Duplication of funding with other government agencies
• Projects, project phases or programmes of activity that have received support from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage via the Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme (excluding Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund, the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme and the Grant for Self-Employed Individuals)
• Projects or project phases that have received support from the Creative Careers Service, the pilot co-designed by the Ministry of Social Development and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage
• Projects or project phases that have received support from the New Zealand Music Commission Capability Grants Programme
• Game design, fashion design and commercial design
• Some film and screen activity
• Purchase of capital items (excluding digital tools or equipment up to $3,000), renovating or buying buildings or restoring marae.

Register or sign in to your Creative NZ Portal account to apply using the online application form.

Submit your application by 1:00pm on the closing date (earlier if you can).

See our Guidelines for step-by-step technical guidance, tips and support to create your CNZ portal account or to use the online application form.

If you have access needs or require additional support to use the CNZ portal, contact us on email portal@creativenz.govt.nz or phone 0800 CREATIVE (273 284).

How often you can apply

You can submit one application only.

Reapplying for a previously declined project

We offer the opportunity to resubmit a previously declined project only under limited circumstances. See Guidelines - Reapplying for a previously declined project.

To apply you need to fill in all sections of the online application form. You also need to prepare documents and supporting information to upload to your application form.

Application form questions

The Building Business Capability for Individual Practitioners Fund application form includes the following sections:

Idea

In this section, you tell us what you need to support your capability or skills development and why you need it now.

If you’re requesting funding for digital tools or equipment, for example applying for online development skills that require new software or hardware, outline how it will support your project. 

You also tell us how this support might benefit your career long-term and the impact it’s likely to have.

Process 

In this section, you tell us where, when and how you plan to deliver your capability/skills development project.  

People 

In this section, you tell us about yourself, and other key people/organisations involved in your project. 

Budget 

In this section, you tell us:

• How much you’re requesting from Creative New Zealand
• The total cost of the project 

You also need to provide a detailed budget. Read more below. 

Support material 

In this section, you add the required documents and supporting information to your application.

Read more below and see Guidelines - Support material

Budget

You need to provide a detailed project budget as part of your application.

It must show:

• All the costs to your programme or project
• Which of those costs you want the Creative New Zealand grant to cover
• All sources of revenue

You can present your budget using any of the following:

• Standard project budget template
• Activity and budget template for a programme of activity
• The template that is built into the Budget section of the application form 

If you are a sole trader or registered as a company, you can choose to have your grant paid into your company account rather than your individual account.

Quotes

Your application must include quotes for costs from consultants or suppliers (e.g., from mentrors, training specialists or IT providers).

Video and audio support material

You can choose to include a web-link to a video or audio file (of 5-minutes maximum in length) as support material for your application. This is an opportunity for you to record yourself talking about the skills development you are looking to undertake. This should not include footage of your work such as performances or presentation. Read the Guidelines - support material for guidance of the formats we accept. 

For more information about our assessment and decision-making process, see Guidelines - Assessment

After the round closes, staff check if your application is eligible before it moves to peer assessment.

We will let you know the result of your application on 25 November 2022. There will also be a full list of funded applications on our Results page

If your application is successful, we’ll contact you about your:

• Funding agreement
• Payment details
• Reporting requirements. See Guidelines - Reporting

If your application is not successful you can email the Capability Services & Initiatives team to get feedback on it, and you may consider looking into other sources of funding and support