Four-Year Investment for Organisations

About the program

Four Year Investment for Organisations provides multi-year investment for arts and cultural organisations. This enables organisations to plan with longer-term certainty and increase their capacity to leverage other investment, support and collaborations.

The application process for Four Year Investment requires a pre-application to determine an organisation’s eligibility to apply to the category. If your organisation meets the criteria, your pre-application will be confirmed, and you will be eligible to make an application.

Your organisation must demonstrate a high degree of artistic achievement, along with a compelling four year vision for the 2029–32 period. To be competitive, your organisation will also need to show that it is well governed, effectively managed, and generates diverse income streams.

It is the intention of this category to invest in organisations that are part of the small to medium arts and cultural sector. Large, well-resourced organisations or institutions seeking investment in multi-year arts programs may not be a priority for investment in this category.

Investment for approved organisations will support programs of activity from 1 January 2029 to 31 December 2032.

The minimum eligible grant request for this category is $100,000 per year, over the four year investment period ($400,000 in total). The maximum eligible grant request is $550,000 per year over the four year investment period ($2,200,000 in total). Creative Australia will advise what level of investment your organisation may apply for.

Before we have in-depth discussions with organisations about their application, we ask that you first submit your pre application.

Please read the following pre-application eligibility advice and application guidelines.

Pre-application

The application process for Four Year Investment requires a pre-application to determine an organisation’s eligibility to apply to the category.

All organisations can access the pre-application form in our Application Management System from Tuesday 7 July 2026, 10.00am AEST.

You must be registered in our Application Management System to submit a pre-application. Registrations take up to two business days to process. You will not be able to submit a pre-application unless you register before 10.00am AEDT on Monday 26 October 2026.

Pre-application key dates

• Pre-applications open on Tuesday 7 July 2026, 10.00am AEST
• Pre-applications close on Tuesday 27 October 2026, 3.00pm AEDT

Pre-application eligibility criteria

The pre-application form has eligibility criteria that must be met. If your organisation meets the following pre-application eligibility criteria, you will be confirmed as eligible to apply for Four Year Investment.

1. Investment history 

Your organisation received:

• at least two Creative Australia project grants in the last five years (since 1 January 2021)*

OR

• Creative Australia multi-year investment from one or more eligible programs during 2017–28.

1. Annual revenue 

Your organisation had:

• an average annual total income of at least $100,000 ex GST per annum for the past three years.

1. Length of incorporation 

Your organisation has:

• operated as a legally constituted entity in Australia for minimum two years

AND

• delivered a creative arts or cultural program for minimum two years

1. Governance 

Your organisation has:

• a clear governance model that is articulated in your constitution or similar.

*The following Creative Australia grant categories will not be eligible for consideration at this criterion:

• The Australian Cultural Fund
• AusArt Day
• Giving Day to the Arts

Pre-application support material

You will be required to attach the following support material to your pre-application form:

• most recent audited accounts (or equivalent)
• an excerpt from your constitution or similar that refers to the governance model for your organisation
• current or most recent annual program of activities.

Arts practice

In your pre-application form, please indicate to which arts practice panel you intend to submit your application. If you are unsure, you may select up to two from the list. If you are eligible to make an application, we will recommend which arts practice panel your organisation should apply to. This recommendation will be informed by the information provided in your pre-application however the final selection of arts practice panel is at the discretion of your organisation.

See below ↓ for more information on selecting your arts practice panel.

Pre-application outcomes 

Once you submit your pre-application form, we will send you an email acknowledging that it was received.

Once received, Creative Australia will check your organisation meets the published pre-application eligibility criteria for the category.

If your organisation meets the pre-application eligibility criteria, you will be confirmed as eligible to apply for Four Year Investment. We aim to notify you of the outcome of your pre-application no later than 20 business days from submission. You can expect access to the application form in our Application Management System no later than mid November 2026.

If your organisation does not meet the pre-application eligibility criteria, you will not be eligible to apply for Four Year Investment. You will receive an email advising you of the outcome.

Investment history eligibility outcomes

If your organisation does not meet Creative Australia’s investment history eligibility criteria, we will consider whether you can demonstrate regular project or multi‑year investment from other sources, such as local government, state or territory governments, or the private sector.

Where we determine that you can demonstrate a record of financial stability, your pre-application may be confirmed as eligible to apply for Four Year Investment.

Exceptions to this criterion will be determined through an internal review process. Please note, internal review outcomes may take up to 20 business days from submission of your pre-application.

Appealing a decision

If you wish to request an appeal of the outcome regarding your pre-application please follow the advice on the Creative Australia website.