Creative Impact Fund

Overview

Funding for artists and practitioners to create, share and present work that enriches audiences and encourages understanding and participation.

Funding rounds

Current and upcoming rounds

• Creative Impact Fund 2026 - Round 2
  For Activities Taking Place Between: 2 Dec 2026 - 30 Jun 2028
  Opens: 17 Aug 2026
  Closes: 17 Sep 2026, 1PM
  Results due: 2 Dec 2026

Closed rounds

• Creative Impact Fund 2026 - Round 1
  For Activities Taking Place Between: 21 May 2026 - 21 Nov 2027
  Opened: 27 Jan 2026
  Closed: 26 Feb 2026, 1PM
  View results
• Creative Impact Fund 2025 - Round 2
  For Activities Taking Place Between: 3 Dec 2025 - 3 Jun 2027
  Opened: 18 Aug 2025
  Closed: 25 Sep 2025, 1PM
  View results

Who can apply

Artists and practitioners who are New Zealand citizens or Permanent Residents.

You can apply as:

• an individual, or
• a group of collaborators.

Arts organisations and groups cannot apply to this fund.

What can be funded

The Creative Impact Fund supports artists and practitioners for up to 18 months to deliver arts activities that:

• enrich audiences and communities
• deepen people's understanding and participation in the arts
• encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills

The grant can support you to:

• create artwork and present it through exhibitions, performances, or touring
• distribute artwork by publishing books, catalogues, resources, or recordings
• engage with audiences or raise awareness through research and advocacy
• share knowledge and skills through workshops, wānanga, fono, or talanoa

Pay

You can apply for up to $125,000. Most grants will be less than $100,000.

If you apply for more than $50,000, you must show in your budget that you have revenue from other sources. This can include earned income, other grants, sponsorship or in-kind support.

You can receive a maximum of $125,000 within a 12-month period between the Creative Fellowship Fund and the Creative Impact Fund combined.

People who identify as Deaf or disabled, or experience disability or an impairment, can claim an additional payment on top of their grant to help cover accessibility costs during the period of the grant.

Additional funding

You can apply to the Creative Fellowship Fund and the Creative Impact Fund in the same year, but you cannot apply for the same activities.

• The Creative Fellowship Fund supports you to develop your practice and your work.
• The Creative Impact Fund supports you to deliver activities that benefit audiences, participants and communities.

How to apply

• Start your application in the CNZ Portal. The application form is available when the funding round is open.
• You can submit one application per funding round. Submissions close at 1.00 PM on the closing date (NZ time).
• Register or sign in to the CNZ Portal.
• Get help using the CNZ Portal.

This fund is for individual artists and practitioners.

Applying as a group of collaborators

If you're a group of artists or practitioners working together on a specific arts activity or project, you can apply jointly to this fund. Here's how it works:

• One person starts the application in the CNZ portal as an individual.
• They then invite the other group members to join the application in the CNZ portal.
• Everyone must sign the application to agree to the terms and conditions of funding and will share responsibility for delivering the funded activities.

Applying as a sole trader or a company

• If you operate as a sole trader or have a company for your arts practice, you still need to apply to this fund as an individual.
• If your application is funded, you can ask for the grant to be paid into your company's bank account.

Prepare answers to the application questions

• What creative activities do you want to deliver with this funding?
• What have you been doing recently in your creative practice, and how has this shaped what you want to do now?
• What needs or opportunities have you identified for your community or audience, and how will this help meet those needs?

Prepare support material

Attach your artistic CV, budget, samples of work, letters of support, timeline, or other material to support your application.

Read more about support material, and which file formats you can upload to your application.

Create a budget

• You must include a detailed and viable budget in your application.
• For applications between $50,000 and $125,000 you must show you have income from other sources. This can include earned income, other grants or sponsorship or in-kind support.

Read more about creating a budget.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

You can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help you draft, research, and refine your application, or to make funding processes more accessible. We have developed guidance to consider if you do use AI in funding applications or creative mahi. These include thinking about possible impacts on intellectual property rights and data privacy, and cultural considerations, particularly in relation to Ngā Toi Māori and Pacific arts.

Read the guidance for using AI in funding applications and creative mahi.

Contact

Get in touch if you have questions or need support to complete your application.

• Email: funding@creativenz.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 CREATIVE (273 284) or +64 4 473 0880