16 Sep 2025
From 2026, Creative New Zealand’s Arts Organisations and Groups (AOG) Fund will offer more flexible and longer-term funding options, opening up new opportunities for arts organisations and groups.
The changes are designed to give more organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand the stability to plan ahead, grow their mahi, and deepen their impact in their communities.
Claire Murdoch, Senior Manager Arts Development, says the extended fund reflects what arts organisations and arts leaders have been telling Creative New Zealand.
“We’ve heard clearly that multi-year funding is one of the things that makes the biggest difference to arts organisations, allowing them to back their people, invest in programming and partnerships, and contribute to the arts and creativity nationally and internationally. This change ensures that more organisations have that opportunity.”
In the past, longer-term funding was primarily available through the Tōtara and Kahikatea programmes. From 2026, all arts organisations and groups will be able to apply for longer multi-year support through the annual AOG Fund.
The extended fund has four tiers, giving organisations and groups the opportunity to apply for one, two, or three years of funding at a level that fits their size, stage, and the impact they make.
“This is all about providing access, stability and flexibility,” says Claire. “With more options available, organisations can plan with confidence, sustain their work, and continue to grow the work they do for their communities, for artists, and for the wider arts ecosystem.”
“A further and deliberate aspect of this fund design is simplicity,” she says. “For too long, organisations seeking our support feel they have borne the burden of meeting complex application criteria and changing investment priorities. We want organisations and groups to tell us, in their own words, about what they do.”
The AOG Fund sits alongside the Development Fund for Arts Organisations and Groups, which provides up to $10,000 each year for organisations to build skills and capability in key areas. From 2026 this fund will be open to all eligible organisations.
These changes also align with the action in Amplify: A Creative and Cultural Strategy for New Zealand to streamline and simplify central government funding for the creative and cultural sectors to make accessing government funding easier and less resource intensive.
The Arts Organisations and Groups Fund at a glance
- One fund, four tiers
- Multi-year options (one, two or three years)
- Three pools: General, Ngā Toi, Pacific
Tier 1: up to $50,000 per year
Tier 2: $50,001 to $125,000 per year
Tiers 1 and 2 will be open for applications from March to May 2026, with results notified in September.
Tier 3: $125,001 to $500,000 per year
Tier 4: $500,001+ per year
Tiers 3 and 4 will be open for applications from February to March 2026, with results notified in July.
Organisations and groups interested in applying for Tiers 3 or 4 will need to contact a Creative New Zealand adviser first.
Download our visual explainer of the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund at a glance (pdf. 62.4KB)
For more information contact:
Matafanua Tamatoa
Senior Communications Adviser
E: matafanua.tamatoa@creativenz.govt.nz
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