The Wellington region will moved to Orange Level on Friday 3 December.
Read morePlease access our enquiry form below.
Bin Enquiry FormIndividuals or groups can apply for CCS funding. Individuals must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.
If you have already received funding from CCS for a project, you must complete a report on that project before making another application, unless the project is still in progress.
CCS funding supports community groups or individuals who want to start a project involving any kind of creative or interpretative expression. Funding is available for projects that:
Your project must meet at least one of the following:
The types of projects and activities we can fund include:
Specific costs we don't fund
If you have any of the above costs included in your CCS application, you'll need to be able to cover these costs from project income other than CCS funding, such as ticket sales or fundraising.
Before applying, make sure you’ve read the CCS Brochure (PDF 1 MB) and have all of the supporting documents you need.
To find out when the next funding round will take place, check the Funding Calendar - there are two funding rounds per year.
You can apply for funding online.
We prefer online applications, but you can also:
Check out the CCS Application Guide (PDF 87.5 KB)
Sometimes it’s easiest to get your funding sorted if you can talk to someone. Our Community Arts Advisor is available to meet with you to discuss the eligibility criteria, registration process and how to apply.
Request a meeting with our Community Arts Advisor
Once we've received your application, the CCS panel will assess your application and make a decision. Check the Funding calendar for dates.
If you receive funding, you must use the appropriate Creative Communities logo to show that your project has been funded by the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS).
You’ll also need to complete a project report. You’ll receive a Project completion report (DOC 86 KB) along with the letter that lets you know your application has been successful.
If arts activities are the business of a company or individual, and this is how they sustain themselves, then it's reasonable to expect that they should cover their own costs and not be supported through this fund.
This fund shouldn't support activities that are core business for a profit driven arts organisation. If the project is a one-off event that is outside of the company's usual business, and if there are significant community benefits, then the panel can consider whether it should be supported.
Software purchases (e.g. Photoshop, Sibelius) are considered a capital expense and therefore can’t be funded.
Young people shouldn't be excluded from funding just because they attend school.
If an activity is part of the school curriculum (part of a programme that involves learning and assessment) we expect it should be supported through Ministry of Education resources. If an artist in residence programme has been introduced to support the arts curriculum it would not be eligible for funding.
In some schools the school production is part of an arts curriculum and students are individually assessed on their achievements. These types of productions are not eligible for funding because the project should be supported through Ministry of Education resources. To be eligible, a school production must be extra-curricular. Student involvement must be voluntary and students should not be assessed.
The panel will decide which projects will receive funding. Your application should show that significant benefits will be delivered to the community, possibly through the involvement of other schools or community groups.