ACF Boost 2026

To be eligible, applicants must meet the ACF’s registration criteria:
• I am engaged in the promotion and presentation of arts and cultural activities; and
• I will use a grant from Creative Australia within Australia or for the benefit of Australia.

In addition, applicants must:
• be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident;
• be aged 18 years or over;
• have an ABN and be prepared to receive project funds, or have an agreement in place with an auspicing body; and
• be prepared to run a fundraising campaign between 2 February and 30 April 2026.

You can’t apply if:
• you have outstanding acquittals with the ACF or Creative Australia;
• you were a participant of the 2025 ACF Boost program
• you are a participant in the 2025/26 MATCH Lab or Plus1 programs
• you owe money to Creative Australia

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.

 

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts 

All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols and provide evidence of this in their application. More information regarding First Nations Protocols can be found here.

National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children

Please note that all successful applicants will need to meet the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. More information regarding the framework can be found here.   

Applications open: Monday 27 October 2025 at 12pm AEDT
Applications close: Wednesday 17 November 2025 at 12pm AEDT

To apply for ACF Boost, applicants will be required to have the following: 

• ACF Artist Profile 

• ACF Project with the Boost tick box selected “‘I would like this project to be considered for ACF Boost, a matched micro-grant program that is granted to artists and organisations using the ACF platform to fundraise for a project’” 

• A response to the additional question on the project form ‘ ‘What impact would ACF Boost have on your project and your ongoing artistic practice?’ 

Your application can be saved and edited at any time until the application deadline. Once submitted, you cannot make further edits or amendments.    

The information you’ll need to provide in your application includes: 

• Your profile information (address, ABN, Artist/Group biography) 

• Information about your auspicing body (if applicable) 

• Details about the project you will be fundraising for  

• A project budget including your ACF campaign target 

• Fundraising strategy and contingency strategy 

• How ACF Boost matched funding would impact your project and ongoing artistic practice 

Assessment: Monday 24 November December – Monday 1 December 2025 
Applicants notified of the outcome of their submission: Monday 15 December 2025

Applications will be assessed by Creative Australia staff. Consideration is given to ensuring that successful applicants reflect a geographical spread across all states and territories, as well as a spread across art forms.    

For more information on how we assess applications please visit our Assessment page.   

The assessment process will consider:  

Quality  

Assessors will assess the quality of the artistic and cultural activities at the centre of your proposal. They may consider:  

• Demonstrated strategy to leverage matched funding as part of a wider fundraising campaign.  

• Vision, ideas and artistic rationale.  
• A well communicated case for support.  

Impact  

Assessors will assess the impact of your proposal. They may consider:  

• Impact of ACF Boost funds on the proposed project.  

• Impact of the project on ongoing artistic practice. 

• Timeliness and relevance of the work.  

Viability  

Assessors will assess the viability of your proposal. They may consider:  

• Capacity to deliver the proposed ACF campaign. 

• Skills and ability of artists, arts professionals, collaborators, or partners involved, and relevance to activity. 

• Realistic and achievable planning and resource use, including fundraising and contingency plans.  

Fundraising campaign window: Between Monday 2 February and Thursday 30 April 2026 

The ACF Team will make your fundraising campaign live on 2 February 2026 and it will close on 30 April 2026 at 11:59pm, you can choose within this window when you want to promote the campaign to your networks.  

Funds you raise through your ACF campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 per participant. As a keep-what-you-raise platform, we will match any funds raised up to $5,000. For example, if your target is $2,000 and you raise $800, we will match the $800. If your target is above $5,000, we will only match up to $5,000 of your total funds raised. 

This program will match funds donated through the ACF from: 

• Individuals 

• Businesses 

• Trusts and foundations 

This program will not match: 

• Business sponsorship 

• In-kind support 

• Revenue from fundraising events 

• Bequests 

• Donations from the participant 

• Loans 

• Earned income (including membership, box office and non-deductible ticket expenses) 

• Local, state or federal government funding 

Please note that even though they may receive an ACF donation receipt for their gift, family members cannot claim a tax-deduction on their donation to an ACF campaign. It is the responsibility of the donor to ensure that any claim of tax-deductibility is compliant with the ATO’s rules on deductible gift recipients.  

If your donors are unsure of their eligibility for tax deductibility via the ACF, they should contact the ATO directly to receive specific advice on the eligibility of their gift. 

The delivery of the project itself can start any time from May 2026. Participants are expected to liaise regularly with the ACF Team and communicate any project changes or challenges. Any material changes to the funded project/activity must be approved by us in advance. 

Participants are required to report on the results of their campaign and project via the ACF’s online acquittal process. Acquittals are due 30 days after the submitted Project End Date. 

 

The acquittal covers: 

• final project budget including amount raised through ACF Boost campaign;  

• assessment of the challenges and opportunities encountered through the campaign; and 

• your experience using the ACF. 

1. Log onto the ACF Portal. If you are new to the ACF, you will first need to register an Artist/Group Profile. Please allow 1-2 business days for your profile registration to be processed.  

1. Select ‘Create a new Project’ via the Artist Dashboard  
2. Select ‘I want to run a fundraising campaign’  
3. Fill out the project form by following the prompts 
4. Once the project registration form is complete, select the tick box ‘I would like this project to be considered for ACF Boost, a matched micro-grant program that is granted to artists and organisations using the ACF platform to fundraise for a project’   
5. Complete the additional question ‘What impact would ACF Boost have on your project and your ongoing artistic practice?’.  
6. Click ‘Submit & Launch’ to finalise the ACF Boost project submission.  

Please contact the ACF Team at hello@australianculturalfund.org.au if you need support to submit an application in another format.