Here at the ACF we use a number of terms that might not be in everyone’s everyday vernacular. We’ve compiled some these key ABCs to help make sure we’re all on the same page.
ACF – The Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) is a fundraising platform for Australian artists and arts organisations. It was established in 2003 to encourage donations to the arts and is operated by Creative Australia.
Acquittal – Once a project has been delivered, we ask artists to complete an online acquittal report. This involves a questionnaire designed to capture demographic and fundraising specific data and requires a balanced income and expense statement to show that the funds raised were used for their intended purpose.
Auspice – Some artists/arts organisations will use an auspicing service to manage project funds for them (helping to relieve the administrative burden of a project). If you are looking to use an auspicing agency, such as Auspicious Arts Projects, just let the ACF Team know and we can best direct you on how to set up your ACF profile.
Artist Dashboard – Once you have a profile live on the ACF, your dashboard is your central hub. From here you can access your profile, projects, acquittals and grants. It’s your once stop shop on the ACF!
DGR – Organisations that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients (DGRs) are entitled to receive donations that are deductible from the donor’s income tax. This means when a donor makes a gift or contribution to a DGR endorsed organisation, they may be able to claim a tax deduction. The ACF holds DGR1 status which allows us to provide donors with tax-deductible receipts.
Donation – A donation through the ACF is an unconditional monetary gift that your supporters can make to help make your project a reality. It’s important to note that the ACF is a donation-based platform which means rewards cannot be offered in return for donations.
Grant – All donations for a specific project are bundled up and sent to the project creator as a ‘grant’, either at the end of the fundraising campaign or at the end of each month if the monthly payment plan option has been selected.
Keep what you raise – The ACF is a ‘keep what you raise’ platform which means you set a fundraising target but if you don’t meet this, or exceed this, you get to keep all the funds raised.
Matched Funding – One of the most effective strategies in fundraising is ‘matched funding’. This strategy basically lines up a donor, or donors, who are willing to match donations up until a certain point. For example, an organisation may offer to match donations up to $5,000 which is a great incentive for donors as this means their money is going twice as far!
Profile – The first step of using the ACF to fundraise is to register a profile. The profile will ask some for contact details, a current ABN (this can be any ABN including for profit or individual) and a brief biography about who you are and what your practice is. Once you have submitted your profile, the ACF Team will review it within 1-3 business days.
Project – A project on the ACF is where you outline what you are raising funds for, and how much you’re looking to raise. Once live, each project gets its own unique URL that can be shared with supporters to donate through.