It is a little over a week since we launched the Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund, and our preparations for the opening of the fund on 27 July are going well. The hundreds of people who have attended our online information sessions have asked insightful questions and we are getting a steady series of questions through our [email protected] email address. I hope that the information we have shared has helped people work out whether the new Fund is for them. 

The response to the Fund has been positive (so far!) although there has been some disappointment from individual artists and practitioners who do not see themselves in the Fund. Whilst individual artists and practitioners are eligible for the Fund, it is fair to say that initiatives that have lasting benefit for multiple people and organisations in the arts, culture and heritage sectors will have a greater chance of funding than individual one-off creative projects. We have covered this in more detail in the Frequently Asked Questions shared below. 

If you missed the online information sessions, please visit the Regeneration Fund webpage where you can access a video of the information sessions (captioned and translated with sign language) and the presentation slides used at the session. 

Regeneration Fund webpage 

We still have a small team working on the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme and occasional payments are still being made to events that have had to cancel due to the lead performer having COVID. We are seeing an uptick in registrations for the scheme though as people are concerned about the increase in COVID-19 cases. Please do keep those registrations coming in so that you can make sure that you are covered if circumstances change. 

Regeneration Fund: Six key questions

Over the past week, Manatū Taonga has hosted a series of online information sessions for the Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund, led by Joe Fowler, Deputy Chief Executive Te Aka Tūhono Investment & Outcomes. 

A recording of the session on Friday 8 July, which was interpreted with sign language, and the presentation slides are now available on the Regeneration Fund webpage.  

Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund session video

Over the series, some themes emerged in the questions: 

Eligibility: How will I know if my project is eligible? 

One of the best ways to determine if your project is a good fit for the Regeneration Fund will be to complete our Outcomes Questionnaire. It will be available on our website when the Fund opens on 27 July. This questionnaire is designed to help you, and us, understand how strongly your project aligns with the Fund outcomes. Your answers to this same questionnaire will form part of your Expression of Interest if you decide to submit one. 

You can also email us questions via [email protected]. 

Collaboration: Do I need to partner with other organisations for my proposal to be successful?

If your initiative involves partnering with other organisations, this can be an advantage because it demonstrates that the initiative is likely to have wider benefits. Stakeholder support for the initiative and the lead organisation is also a key success factor.

Government agencies: What type of organisations can apply, what if they are already supported by other government funds and can I partner with other government agencies?   

Crown Entities (e.g. Creative NZ, Te Papa), and central and local government agencies cannot be the lead applicants. All other organisation types such as sole traders, trusts, iwi groups and businesses can apply (noting that other factors are used to decide an initiative’s eligibility) – and there is nothing to stop local Government agencies or Crown Entities being active partners in an initiative.

Public feedback: How will the feedback component work? What level of detail will be published? Will my commercially sensitive information be revealed when my project is published online?   

We will publish a summary of submitted proposals online for at least two weeks for people to provide feedback on proposals directly to Manatū Taonga. This information will likely include a project description, which Fund outcomes are targeted, indicative overall budget, and the funding requested from Manatū Taonga.  

Any concerns about sensitive information being published can be discussed with a relationship manager. If you are seeking funding to pursue a commercial opportunity that you want to keep under wraps to avoid people stealing your idea, other sources of funding may be more suitable.

Level of funding: How much funding is available for each proposal? Can projects be fully funded by this Fund?

During evaluation, we will be looking at how proportionate the amount of funding sought from Manatū Taonga is to the contribution the initiative will make to the Fund outcomes. We may well fully fund projects that contribute strongly to the Fund outcomes. However, if we are choosing between a project seeking full funding of $200,000 to deliver a given impact, and a similarly impactful project that is seeking a contribution from Manatū Taonga of $100,000, we may favour the latter. 

Scale of initiative: Are individual artists and practitioners eligible for this Fund? 

A successful strategic initiative will need to demonstrate a clear delivery plan and key milestones to implementing the proposal. It is unlikely we would provide seed funding to develop a proposal. A strategic initiative may be a regional music tour featuring workshops to develop skills for at-risk young people. This would be more likely to attract support than a music tour alone. 

Further information about the Fund, such as guidance for applicants and other frequently asked questions, will be provided when the Fund opens for Expressions of Interest on 27 July.