Australian Dance Opportunities / Fellowships, Residencies + Grants

[Last Updated October 2024]

Fellowships

• Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships for artists in their early mid-career and in the first seven to fifteen years of their creative practice.

• Australia Council Fellowships support outstanding, established artists’ creative activity for a period of up to two years.​

• Ian Potter Cultural Trust assists early career artists of exceptional talent to undertake professional development, usually overseas. The Cultural Trust operates three funding rounds each year.

• Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fellowships for Australians to travel overseas to conduct research in their chosen field.

• National Library of Australia Creative Arts Fellowship supports established and emerging practising artists to develop new work using or inspired by the Library’s collections.

• Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships - provides financial support to Australian artists aged 21-35 years old for the disciplines of architecture, ballet, prose, sculpture and singing. Scholarships are each worth $50,000, payable in quarterly instalments over two years.

• Lady Mollie Isabelle Askin Ballet Scholarship for Australian ballet artists aged 17–29. Scholarship funds can be used to assist with study programs, professional training courses or mentor programs.

• Co3 + STRUT DANCE FELLOWSHIP - [CP]³ is an online academy for the development of critical praxes in contemporary choreography and performance making. 

Residencies

• Australia Council for the Arts international residencies

• Asialink Arts Residency Program creates opportunities for in-depth research, stimulating cultural exchanges, international collaboration and uninterrupted time for creativity.

• Bundanon Trust Artist in Residence Program—supports new work, research and collaborations by making the Bundanon properties available to creative thinkers and professional artists.

• Critical Path offers space grants and non-financial Research Room residencies for experimentation, exploration, investigation, analysis and play.

• ​Dancehouse Programs - Variety of professional development opportunities. 

• CultureLAB Arts House - For mid-career and/or established artists from across a range of disciplines.

• Dancenorth Artist Residency in the Tropics Program

• Lucy Guerin Inc Studio Residencies for artists making new contemporary dance.

• QL2 Dance Curated Residencies for young people (up to 26) and older artists. Curated Residencies provide theatre or studio space and may include other support.

• STRUT Choreographic SEED Residencies - STRUT Dance provides ongoing opportunities for dance artists, supporting the development of choreographic practice and the creation of new work.

• STRUT Space Grants - STRUT Dance provides ongoing opportunities for dance artists, supporting the development of choreographic practice and the creation of new work.

• Detour is a major opportunity, investing in two independent dance artists in 2025, to mobilise and engage in a sustained program for their personal creative development, in a spirit of reciprocity, with six Australian dance organisations.

• Tasdance Residency Program is open to professional Tasmanian, Australian and International contemporary dance artists and choreographers.

Development

• Chunky Move - Next Move commissioning program, Artistic Associate residency and salaried mentorship, and choreographic and dance secondment programs.

• Dancenorth secondment program

• Dirty Feet - The Choreographic Lab - provides a safe environment where early career professionals can come together to explore their creative practice. 

• STRUT Restore - provides ongoing opportunities for dance artists, supporting the development of choreographic practice and the creation of new work.

• International Young Choreographers Project, a World Dance Alliance Taiwan project held in Taiwan during July/August every 2nd year, choreographers are required to create a work with local dancers to create a work. Accommodation, local transport, dancers, studios, publicity, production and office assistance are all provided, as well as an honorarium.

• Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.

• The Australian Cultural Fund is a fundraising platform for Australian artists. It is managed by Creative Partnerships Australia and was established by the Australian Government in 2003 to encourage donations to the arts.

• Pozible—driving your fundraising, finding support for great creative projects and transforming them from ideas into realities.

Grant Programs

• Australia Council Grants Program

• Creative Australia 

• Creative Victoria 

• Create NSW

• QLD Government 

• Arts Tasmania 

• Arts Grants Program NT 

Regional Grant Programs

• Regional Arts NSW

• Regional Arts Victoria

• Country Arts SA

• Country Arts WA

• RANT TAS 

• RED HOT ARTS NT 

State & Territory Funding

VIC

• VicHealth Grants—assisting creative community interventions which increase physical activity and social connection. 

• Besen Family Foundation—arts and culture grants for not-for-profit organisations based in Victoria.

• City of Melbourne—providing opportunities for artists to propose new projects to create and develop in Melbourne. 

NSW

• Arts NSW—supporting NSW to be a vibrant, dynamic and creative place which values artists and cultural heritage, and enriches communities.

• Regional Arts NSW—building positive futures through enriching the arts and cultural lives of those living in regional, rural and remote areas.

• City of Sydney— invigorating and supporting the City of Sydney's local community through its grants and sponsorships programs.

QLD

• Arts Queensland—supporting professional development activities and opportunities that will significantly develop and advance artists’ careers.

• Brisbane City Council—supporting young and emerging Brisbane artists and arts workers aged between 17 and 30 through its Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artists Fellowships. 

SA

• Arts SA—recognising and promoting the strengths and needs of our SA’s makers, presenters and collectors of art and cultural heritage.

• Carclew funding, scholarships and awards support the professional development of young South Australian artists (26 years of age or under) who demonstrate outstanding motivation, talent and potential in their artform or practice. The Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for performing arts offers $12,500

• Helpmann Academy—providing valuable and practical assistance to emerging artists across all creative disciplines.

• Richard Llewellyn Arts and Disability Trust—helping professional artists with a disability and organisations working with disabled artists.

ACT

• Arts ACT—managing, supporting and advocating for the arts in the ACT.

• ACT Health Promotion Grants—providing funds to community organisations to run projects to promote healthy living and healthy environments

TAS

• Arts Tasmania —providing financial assistance to individuals and organisations for a defined project or program of activities.

WA

• Department of Culture & the Arts—enriching the lives of all Western Australians by supporting the arts and cultural sectors to provide unique and transforming experiences.

NT

• Arts NT—supporting, developing and promoting growth of the creative arts sector in the NT.

Residency Databases

• artsHub grants listing and advice (subscription required).

• Res Artis: a worldwide network of artist residencies— international organisations, and individuals in over 70 countries.