If you have a great community arts and culture event in mind and need some financial support to realise your idea, the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS) may be able to assist you.
The Creative Communities Scheme aims to increase participation from the local community in the arts sector, support the diversity of local cultural traditions, and to encourage and engage young people to participate in local arts. ‘Arts’ is broadly defined to mean all forms of creative and interpretative expression.
The Creative Communities Scheme is a partnership between Creative New Zealand (the national arts development agency) and local councils in New Zealand. The scheme promotes community involvement, diversity and young people participating in the arts.
Creative New Zealand Application criteria:
Applications must meet at least one of the three criteria below:
- Access and participation – the project will create opportunities for local communities to engage with and participate in arts activities.
- Diversity – the project will support the diverse arts and cultural traditions of local communities, enriching and promoting their uniqueness and cultural diversity.
- Young people – the project will enable and encourage young people (under 18 years) to engage and actively participate in the arts.
Tauranga Creative Communities Scheme Information:
Tauranga City Council delivers the local scheme on behalf of Creative New Zealand.
By applying for a Tauranga CCS grant, applicants acknowledge:
- Priority will be given to local Tauranga projects and organisations.
- Priority will be given to applicants who have not received funding in the last twelve months.
- Only one application per individual/ organisation per round will be accepted.
- The project must not have started before funding is approved.
- The project must be completed within a year of funding being approved. Please contact us if your project is delayed.
- Accountability reports must be submitted within two months of the project being completed.
- A summary of all successful projects will be published on the TCC website.
How much can I apply for?
For the 2025 2026 Financial Year, TCC has been allocated approximately $100,000. This amount will be split between the two grant rounds.
There is no limit to how much you can apply for, however most grants are between $2,000 - $4,000+GST if applicable. Grants may be partially funded.
How to apply
- Applications to the Creative Communities Scheme are administered through an online application service, powered by SmartyGrants. The Creative Communities Scheme application guide can also be downloaded. It features an example application.
- Due to demand, individuals/organisations can only receive one grant per Creative Community Round.
- Before applying, make sure to read the 'Supporting information' below.
- When you're ready, click on the 'Apply now' button to start drafting your application. You can save your application as a draft as you progress (you don't need to complete it all in one go).
- Creative Communities Scheme application guide (1.8mb pdf)
- TCC will deliver two Creative Communities Grants Rounds in the 2025 2026 Financial Year.
- The first round will open on 1 July 2025 and close at midnight 1 August 2025. Decisions will be released late August and payments will be paid in the weeks following. We recommend applying to this round if your project begins after October 1st 2025.
- The second round will open 1 February 2026 and close at midnight 1 March 2026. Decisions will be released late March and payments will be paid in the weeks following. We recommend applying to this round if you project begins after April 1st 2026.
Apply now
Who do I contact to discuss my application?
There are several options. You can contact Tauranga City Council's team at grants.enquiries@tauranga.govt.nz. Alternatively, you can contact the team at Creative Bay of Plenty (CBOP) for independent advice. CBOP can provide funding advice, as well as having excellent knowledge of what makes a successful application.
Supporting information
The Tauranga area for funding is defined the same way as the electoral boundary for Tauranga. Please contact us if you have questions regarding boundaries including iwi boundaries.
No, you don’t need to provide supplier quotes with your application, although our panel find them helpful in understanding your application and as a demonstration that you have done accurate research. You will need to provide a high-level budget. You are advised to add images of other events you’ve created, and any statements of support from project partners.
All applications are assessed by a volunteer panel, comprised of local arts practitioners and people with experience in working with community organisations. The Tauranga City Council Arts & Culture Advisor chairs the panel, but does not assess.
Our Funding Team complete an initial assessment. Any queries are followed up by the TCC Arts & Culture Advisor. The applications are scored by the Assessment Panel who then meet to allocate the available funding.
Funding decisions will be advised to applicants as soon as possible. TCC aims to release funding payments within a month of the grant being approved. Accountability forms will be sent as part of the payment process. Accountability reports need to be completed within two months of the end of the project.
Please note that the Creative Communities Scheme is a contestable funding process, and demand often exceeds the funds available.