Financial Support and Grants for Australian Festivals and Events in 2026
First published 2024. The list of grants and funding available to Australian events and festivals is updated as of January 2026.
Amid some of the hardest times for festivals and events in Australia, a range of measures are being rolled out nationwide to support the industry to bolster pre-existing funding programs already in place.
The NSW government has announced emergency funding and a series of reforms to reduce pressure on events and a $3.9m funding boost to the live music industry in Victoria, further evidence that the industry has government attention, but many events are still teetering on the edge of cancellation.
The recent publication of SoundCheck 2, a 2024 update on a survey of festival organisers, confirms festivals are under immense pressure from rising costs coupled with changing ticket-buying behaviour.
The survey reported not-for-profit festivals have a heavy reliance on grants for survival, with other income including grants making up 15 - 23% of total revenue. By comparison, other income sources including grants make up 6% of the income for large commercial festivals and 4% for touring festivals.
“The vast majority of festivals can benefit from grants - they can take your event to another level and the work involved in grant applications is absolutely worth it when you see people enjoying the special piece of art or experience you got funding for.”
Top tips for applying for a grant.
There are plenty of resources offering generic tips on writing a grant application.
As recipient of a Sustainability Victoria grant for $446,000 to support growth, bettercup’s co-founder Christie Kamphuis provides tips that she believes supported the success of their application.
In an effort to support these festivals, below is a summary of grants available, along with tips on successfully applying for a grant.
“Winning our Sustainability Victoria grant was a game-changer for Bettercup, but it took a lot of work and focus to put together a solid application. My biggest tip is to be very specific about what the funding will achieve and why the funding is essential. Use clear, direct language, and support every claim with numbers and impact projections. Grants are competitive, but if you can show assessors that your project is well-planned and impactful -- you’re halfway there!”
— Christie, Co-founder of bettercup.
LIST OF OPEN GRANTS FOR FESTIVALS AND EVENTS 2026.
FUNDING / GRANT.
WHAT IS IT?
OPEN AND CLOSE DATES.
$1.4m approximate funding each year focused on engaging arts projects that invite community participation and audience engagement in regional and remote Australia.
Projects can include but are not limited to a parade, performance, workshop, installation or exhibition.
The next funding round is due to open in February 2026 for projects starting from 1st July 2026.
Up to $500,000 for music festivals with event capacity of at least 15,000 people, and are currently experiencing financial challenges.
Opened: 1st May 2025
Closes: 30th April 2026
$50k – $500k for major events with a focus on:
Economic benefit.
Marketing impact.
Social and community.
Benefit and event leveraging opportunities.
Event management capacity and capability.
Applications must be submitted ideally 6 months prior to the event date.
For events that attract at least 750 people from interstate visitors, ranging from sports to science or motorbikes to music.
Grants of up to $750,000 per event are available to organisations that have been invited to apply after competing stage one.
Opens: 16th Apr 2025
Closes: 31st May 2027
or until all the funding allocated to this program has been exhausted — whichever comes first.
N.B applications are still open, however the funding allocation for this grant program may already be fully committed, depending on the results of applications currently under review.
Designed to deliver a regionally and seasonally balanced event portfolio for Tasmania that included a variety of event types.
Ongoing: Contact Events Tasmania directly to discuss your projects objectives and deliverables for Tasmania.
Applicants can apply for between $5,000 and $40,000 per event, per financial year from a total available funding pool of $1 million.
Eligible events must be held in one of WA's nine regions and are assessed against how well the event achieves the following objectives:
Visitation
Economic
Media
Social
The 2027-28 RES funding round, for events held between 1st July 2027 and 30th June 2028, is scheduled to open in June 2026.
Support is available across three (3) streams.
Stream 1: Regional Event Acquisition.
One off or ongoing major events.
Stream 2: Event Growth and Development.
Funding of up to $500,000 to grow the economic impact of medium to large-scale events.
Stream 3: Event Industry Support.
Funding of up to $50,000 to build capability and support the marketing and operations of events that attract intrastate or interstate visitors.
Applications will be considered from private sector organisations (where projects will deliver a clear public benefit), public, and non-profit organisations like sporting, cultural and community groups that are an incorporated body, cooperative or association or joint proponents/consortia applications (identifying the consortia lead agency for funding).
Stream 1: Discuss your proposed event with Visit Victoria, or your Regional Tourism Board, or Visitor Economy Partnership. After this, you will be invited to submit a proposal if your event meets the Stream 1 criteria.
Round 6 – Stream 2:
Opens: 2nd Feb 2026
Closes: 23rd Mar 2026
Funding decision: May/June.
The Plastic Free Riverpark Program works with riverfront events, food and beverage businesses, sporting groups, and local governments to reduce single-use packaging, particularly single-use plastic packaging, in the Swan Canning Riverpark.
Eligibility:
Be an event that is run, managed, or supported by the local government or event manager.
Be located within 1km of the Swan Canning Riverpark.
Introduce reusable alternatives to single-use packaging items, including, but not limited to, those items phased out in Western Australia’s Plan for Plastics.
Align with the WA Local Government Association’s Waste and Recycling Management at Public Events Guide.
Support one or more community events occurring on or before 30 June 2026.
Include a reporting component to measure the success of the project.
Closing date: 30th April 2026.
Applications are encouraged before this date and will be assessed and awarded on a first come, first served basis.
This grant program supports local festivals and events that celebrate, develop, and engage our diverse communities.
Cash funding up to $50,000 a year is available (up to 3 years).
Value-in-kind in the form of street banner and venue hire is available.
Sponsorship recipients provided value-in-kind venue hire for a landmark venue are also eligible for a 25% reduction on equipment hire fees.
If not an eligible not-for-profit organisation, a business advocacy organisation or an incorporated association is required to match the cash funding requested with cash and/or value in kind.
You can apply for up to $10,000 worth of capital expenditure or equipment purchase.
To be eligible, an applicant must operate within the City of Sydney’s local area or be able to demonstrate significant benefits for the area’s residents, workers and/or visitors.
These individuals and organisations can apply:
not-for-profit organisation
incorporated association
individual auspiced by an eligible not-for-profit organisation
unincorporated community group auspiced by an eligible not-for-profit organisation
corporation
co-operative
sole trader
trustee of a trust
business advocacy organisation
government entity
Opens: 3rd February 2026
Close: 3rd March 2026 (4:00 PM)
For projects with:
Project timeline: 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
Destination Signature Event (from $15,000–$40,000) – For events with a proven track record of attracting visitors beyond the local government area.
Destination Significant Event (from $40,000–$100,000) – For high-performing regional events that drive significant tourism outcomes.
Destination Indigenous Events (from $15,000–$40,000) – For events incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content to expand tourism impact.
To check your eligibility for the different funding, read more about it here.
Round 1 (2026):
Opens end of February 2026 and closes early April 2026 – for events held October 2026 to January 2028.
This funding program supports a wide variety of events, including music festivals, major sporting events and cultural events that drive tourism in the Northern Territory.
For more information, email: Grants.TourismEventsNT@nt.gov.au or call (08) 8999 8344.
Round 2:
Opens early February 2026.
The Celebrate Together Grants provide one-off funding annually to eligible multicultural organisations for festivals and events which celebrate multiculturalism and diversity and support an inclusive and cohesive society.
Categories:
Small Grants (up to $5,000)
Large Grants (between $5001 - $30,000)
There are matched funding requirements for applicants requesting more than $5,000.
Funding guidelines here.
2026-27 (Round 1):
1st December 2025 – 22nd February 2026.
2026-27 (Round 2):
1st July 2026 – 31st August 2026.
Coastal event organisers are invited to apply for the $750,000 Algal Bloom Event Support Fund to host events in South Australia’s coastal destinations impacted by the algal bloom.
Grants of up to $20,000 will be made available to existing events in metropolitan and regional coastal areas to stimulate visitation, drive economic recovery, and foster community connection.
The Fund will support events held from 1 December 2025 to 31 March 2026 in eligible postcodes across metropolitan and regional coastal areas.
Applications close at:
5pm ACDT, 1 March 2026, or earlier, if funds are exhausted.
This funding program supports contemporary music events and festivals to deliver new programming and activities that builds audiences, promotes NSW music, supports local music collaboration and provides opportunities for community connection through music.
Grant amount: Up to $100,000.
Funding is available for music businesses and industry professionals to generate new activity through the delivery of contemporary music events and festivals.
Contemporary music events and festivals must:
be presented in NSW
be majority Australian owned
program new and original contemporary music
have a maximum capacity of 15,000 OR have a primary focus of First Nations cultural priorities OR be based in regional NSW or Western Sydney
collaborate with local venues and community organisations to deliver new activity that supports growth in audiences
provide opportunities for local community connection
predominantly program local music artists and acts
program artists from NSW Government priority groups.
Application opened: 8th December 2025
Application closes: 12th February 2026, 2:00 pm