Skip to main content

Quick Response Arts Grants

Grants of $5,000 are available for the creation and public presentation of one-off projects.

Two people wearing dark quilted jackets stand in a gallery viewing colourful geometric artworks displayed on a white wall.

City of Melbourne has closed its quick response grants.

Thank you to all who applied, we'll be in touch.

Stay up-to-date with future opportunities via Grants and sponsorships

These grants support individual artists and small to medium arts organisations in any arts practice, career stage and background.

The Quick Response Arts Grants program supports works that are welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to people of all abilities. We are committed to helping our artists and arts organisations implement best practices to continually enhance the experience for all attendees.

Visit our Accessibility checklist and solutions guide for festivals and events. For further resources, visit Make your business accessible

The City of Melbourne is a child safe organisation.

Current recipients

Assessment panel

Applications will be reviewed by the Creative Arts Grants team against the eligibility and assessment criteria and then assessed by the external arts panel.

Assessors for the City of Melbourne's Annual arts grants programs are taken from the External assessment panel members for the City of Melbourne. Occasionally alternative assessors are co-opted to fill a specific vacancy.  

[Music with text on screen 'We asked previous arts grant recipients if they had any tips for future applicants] 

[Speaker Joel Bray] Make the effort to go to one of the City of Melbourne's grant writing workshops. They actually really help you.

[Speaker Rochelle Fong] Dive really deeply into why your project is urgent, who it's for and why it's so important to you.
 

[Speaker Laura Elizabeth Woollett] Be specific about what you want to do and why you're the person to do it. I think it's 

[Speaker Melbourne Women in Film Festival - Sian Mitchell] important to make your proposal sound like something you are uniquely passionate about and uniquely qualified to carry out. Make sure your idea is really focused and that the aims and objectives for the project are also really clear, and reflect the strategy for the city of Melbourne. 

[Speaker Sapna Chandu] Start preparing early, I wish I would do that more often rather than ending up at 11:59 trying to submit your application and having a breakdown.

[Rochelle Fong]Make sure that your project is coming from a place of care authenticity and fire.

[Speaker Lisa Sewards] Raise any issues or questions that you have so you're fully armed with all the information that you require to complete the application.

[Speaker Rochelle Fong] You don't have to use fancy bureaucratic language to get your ideas across so just focus on conveying the essence of what you want to say and the stories that you want to tell.

[Speaker Joel Bray] Make sure anything that you've proposed in your proposal is paid for in the budget and is included in your timeline and vice versa.

[Speaker Sian Mitchell] Having the logistical details down is a really good idea so where are you going to hold your project, what venues are you going to be at, who are your sponsors, who are your partners.

[Speaker Lisa Sewards] I obtained a referee from a peer in the arts industry and i also obtained one from the gallery itself where I was holding the exhibition. 

[Speaker Sapna Chandu] Ask people to read over your application who can give critical feedback on how it sounds. 

[Speaker Rochelle Fong] And whatever the grant outcome remember that is not a reflection on your worth as an artist.

[Orchestral music plays in the background]

[Speaker: Mia Salsjo – City of Melbourne Grant Recipient]

The project that I'm working on the quietude is about the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre and I'm actually taking the exact system or the geometric shapes and forms of the architectural plans into music notation.

Then in the end it turns into a piece of music that is something quite a mystery and there's a certain kind of beauty to it.

So the City of Melbourne grant has enabled me to employ other arts professionals, so I've been able to work with an orchestrator and it's been wonderful to have worked in a live recording studio with a top professional quintet.

They can bring out parts of my work that I might not necessarily have heard in it.

So the grant has enabled me to realise the full vision of my work

Text on screen: City of Melbourne offers a range of grants, residencies and support for artists to develop and deliver work in the city.  Learn more about funding and opportunities for artists at melbourne.vic.gov.au/artsfunding. City of Melbourne logo.)

Accessibility

Arts grants are accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities. We offer support with submitting an application and funding is available to improve access requirements for delivery of projects. 

For further information, contact the program team on 03 9658 9658 or email artsgrants@melbourne.vic.gov.au.

Did you know?

When applying for a grant, be wary of cold-callers or websites that charge for grant-related services – this assistance is available for free. Visit the ACCC External link for tips on how to protect your business or project.

Contact us

Phone

03 9658 9658, weekdays 9am to 5pm

Keep up to date with upcoming arts grants opportunities

Subscribe External link

More information

More grant opportunities

Search a range of external grants and funding opportunities available to the City of Melbourne community, artists and businesses using the Funding Centre's SmartySearch grants tool. 

Search grant opportunities

Top image credit: Jump Left Convergence 2025 Artist Helen Butcher ArtGusto, Geelong Image by Astrid Mulder.

 

our acknowledgement

  • Torres Strait Islander Flag
  • Aboriginal People Flag

The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. 

 

We acknowledge and honour the unbroken spiritual, cultural and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations.

We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and are committed to walking together to build a better future.