NAVA Grant Application Tips

Top 10 Tips for Applying for NAVA Grants:

1. Read the guidelines carefully. Everything you need to know is there.

2. Be clear and concise. Although we appreciate that you're passionate about your project, being able to succinctly describe it to someone who has never seen it before is the key. The assessors have a lot of applications to go through and the quicker they understand what you're trying to tell them, the better it is for them and you.

3. Income equals Expenses. You should cost your project properly so you know what your expenses will be. Income for the project will usually be shown as coming from a number of sources, including the grant you are asking for, money and in-kind contributions from others, expected sales or fees etc. if you still have an income shortage but expect the project to go ahead, then the shortfall will be your own personal contribution, and you should note that.
 

4. Know your tax and GST. If you are registered for GST we need a tax invoice to pay you so please attach one to the online application. You will be applying for the amount of the grant plus GST. If you are not registered for GST and have an ABN, you need to provide us with the ABN in Stage 1 of the application so that you will not have tax withheld from the grant.

If you are not registered for GST and you do not have an ABN then you need to attach a Statement by a supplier or pay withholding tax on the grant (remember this is currently 48.5%). Most of our grant applicants in this category would submit a Statement by a supplier but you may need to get further advice from your accountant or the Australian Taxation Office.

5. Check over your application carefully before submitting. Get someone else to read it who is unfamilar with your project to ensure they understand what you have written.

6. Make sure you have good quality support material, such as great high resolution images of your work, an up to date CV and letters of support. Try to use images that clearly relate to what you’ve written about your practice in the application. If you can’t produce fantastic documentation yourself, hire a good photographer who can. You should show your work in its best possible light.

7. If the application requires you to provide references, think carefully about whom you choose to be your referees. It’s a good idea to select referees whose expertise is recognised or recognisable and who can support the application convincingly and from different points of view.

8. Remember all NAVA grants are assessed externally. The small grants are assessed by a different pair of assessors in a different state for each round. The Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship, Windmill Scholarship and the Art & Australia/Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award are all assessed by selection panels. This means that it takes time to assess because your projects are all worthwhile. It also means that NAVA staff don't have any influence over the decision. We can only give limited feedback after the grants have been assessed depending on the level of feedback the assessors have, or havent, given us.

9. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Just because you aren't successful, it doesn't mean your exhibition, project, marketing plan isn't great.

10. Don't forget to tell us all about it! We love to hear how the project went, so after it's all over, submit an online acquittal form via the website and let us know. Don't forget to attach copies of the invitations/web printouts/posters/flyers, etc. so that we have something to look at too.

For more tips check out the following blogs from NAVA:

Ten tips for a successful grant application

Seven steps to super support material for grant applications