• Download Content grant guidelines
• Download guidelines for support for Specialist Radio Programming

Content grants aim to support the development, production and distribution of original content via Australian community radio and/or television broadcasters and associated platforms.

Original content is content that has never been broadcast before. This can include new episodes of existing programs.

This year we are particularly looking to:

• increase community participation and diversity in community broadcasting and/or
• support high quality and creative content production

You can apply for a Content grant if you are a current or prospective community broadcaster producing content for broadcast by a recognised community broadcasting station.

While the application process is open to any producer, the grant itself must be managed by an eligible organisation listed below. We encourage you to negotiate an auspice agreement with any auspice organisation you work with.

Eligible organisations include:

• a community radio station with a long term or temporary licence
• a community television station
• an incorporated non-profit community broadcasting sector organisation
• a Remote Indigenous Media Organisation or Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service
• an incorporated not-for-profit organisation producing video content with an agreement for broadcast via a licensed community broadcasting entity or recognised community broadcasting aggregator / distributor such as community television online platforms 
• Incorporated not-for-profit organisations auspicing applications for program groups broadcast on a community radio station.

Community broadcasting sector organisations provide services and resources for the sector.

A station with a temporary licence must have been on air for at least two years cumulatively prior to applying.

What conditions apply?

• The production must be first broadcast by a recognised community broadcasting organisation and continue to be made available to that organisation upon request. Permission should be sought from the community broadcasting organisation to rebroadcast content on alternate platforms.
• You must acknowledge the CBF’s financial support as detailed on the CBF website
• You must ensure a sample of the production is made available for publication on the CBF website.
• The CBF will not acquire a copyright interest in funded content. The owner of copyright in a work is the creator unless the creator has assigned copyright in advance, such as through a presenter’s, employment, auspice or broadcast agreement.

If the content you’re proposing is about Indigenous peoples or culture, please refer to the CBF Indigenous Engagement Protocols.

You can apply for any content-specific project for broadcast on:

• licensed community radio station
• community television
• online platforms associated with a community radio or television station
• aggregating / distribution services associated with community broadcasting

Organisations seeking support should demonstrate how they will address one or both of the funding objectives above, such as:

• Increasing community participation and diversity in community broadcasting by:
  • encouraging multiple contributors, and diversity of gender and cultural background in the production and/or presentation of the content
  • increasing the representation of women and young people on air
  • undertaking outreach projects to encourage new and emerging communities to broadcast on the station.

• increasing the amount of local content produced at your station
• demonstrating strong engagement with community services such as local councils, cultural organisations, community groups, schools, emergency services, Indigenous groups, migrant and refugee services, or sporting organisations

• Support high quality and creative content production by producing:
  • resource-intensive radio content, which may include a high proportion of spoken word content or live music recorded by the station
  • resource-intensive video or audio content, such as a fictional series and long-form documentary
  • radio content primarily for national distribution or by many stations
  • content of national significance or content that raises the profile of independent community media
  • content that encourages increased multiplatform engagement such as podcasts, social media, digital radio, live events, art forms and online distribution.

You may apply to be considered for multi-year funding support.  If your request is accepted, you will be required to provide additional information such as more detailed budgets and planning documentation.

For inspiration and examples of funded projects, see Success Stories on the CBF website.

For information about applications to support Specialist Radio Programming, see here.

You can apply for any number of program / content production projects and there is no limit on how much you can apply for.  Applicants should note that assessors will take the value represented by your proposal into account in their assessment scores.

Small-scale proposals have a simpler application and reporting process.  Proposals are competitively assessed against proposals requesting a similar level of support:

• Under $10,000
• More than $10,000

Each individual proposal requesting $50,000 or more within your overall application must demonstrate financial contributions from other funding sources, such as other funding partners, sponsors, fundraising or financial contributions from your organisation’s own resources.  The proportion of the co-contribution may be considered in assessment.  Such contributions are in addition to any in-kind or volunteer support.

The Content Grants Advisory Committee (CGAC) will apply the following priority weightings on assessment scores from:

• regional organisations (5%)
• organisations with limited capacity to self-fund initiatives due to a low income (5%).

These applicants will receive a weighting on their assessment score as described in section 8 below.   An applicant may qualify for both weightings.

FAQ link: How do the priority weightings work?

Content development and distribution costs directly associated with the production and delivery of a specific program or project, such as:

• project specific wage support: presenters, producers, cast, crew, project management, technicians
• program specific needs: research materials, music and copyright purchases, relevant project-specific insurance such as defamation insurance for a special broadcast event, travel, marketing, development resources, TV studio hire, venue hire, small equipment, equipment hire, catering, materials for set design, costumes and props, make-up, interpreters, subtitles and captioning, program specific training, phone/internet costs, program website costs, production support and facilities
• organisational support: administration costs for funded projects (up to $1,000 per project).

• Ongoing specialist program costs (Indigenous, Ethnic, RPH programs), which can be applied for as a Specialist Radio Programming component of your Content Grant application
• Operational costs, training, or equipment which can be applied for as part of a Development & Operations grant application
• Costs incurred prior to 1 July 2017
• Overseas travel
• Costs that could be met by an organisation’s in-kind contribution such as studio hire fees and admin staff work time
• Contingency costs.

Your application will be competitively assessed on its merits.

Each proposal within your application will be read by panels of people drawn from the CGAC and from our assessor pool.

You may suggest that assessors with a particular cultural background, gender or skill set would be the most appropriate to read and score each of your projects within your application against the criteria below.

The CGAC will consider assessment scores and comments for each proposal within your application on its merits and in the context of your overall proposal and make recommendations to the CBF Board. 

Your application may receive part support, i.e. some project proposals within your application may be supported and some may not. For a visual representation of the assessment process, click here [link to be provided].

This project will be assessed on the following basis:

Note: Supporting documents provided will also be considered against relevant grant criteria.

Your entire Content Grant application will be considered by the CGAC on the basis of:

• aggregated assessment scores for each proposal
• priority weightings to be applied to the score for each proposal on the following basis (Applicants may qualify for both weightings):
  • Regional Stations (+ 5%)
  • Stations with an average annual income less than $100,000 over the past 3 years (+ 5%)
  • the number of projects funded per organisation
  • the total funding amount requested per organisation
  • the diversity of content funded each round, including a balance between support for local content and content produced for many stations or for national distribution
  • the total funding available in each round.

FAQ link: How will the application be assessed?

The application will include:

• a summary of primary contact and organisational details, a brief summary of each Content project request (in your order of priority)
• project details - applicants attach and complete details for each proposal.
• most recent Annual Report and financial statements, even if you have supplied this information to the CBF previously

Applicants are strongly encouraged to include the following supporting documentation:

• a demo or pilot program
• clear and detailed Project Budgets for each proposal
• documentaries: a story pitch outline
• video projects: a production schedule and either a synopsis, step outline, beat sheet or treatment
• non-station entities: a letter from a recognised community broadcasting station demonstrating their commitment to broadcast the production.

Applicants are encouraged to supply a letter of support from any external partners supporting your proposal.  If the project is currently available through a distribution service applicants are encouraged to provide evidence through links or attachments that outline this.

• You will be required to submit a grant report. The grant report details what happened with the proposed activity (successes, learnings, outcomes) and includes any information required by the special conditions of your grant agreement.
• The grant report will show that the funds were expended as per the approved grant budget in your grant agreement. You will need to keep records of all grant expenditure.  An office holder at your organisation will be required to certify that the grant funds have been expended as per your grant report.
• We may require an Auditor to sign a form declaring that grant funds have been expended as per the approved grant budget in your grant agreement.
• Any variation to the approved grant budget required should be requested in writing during the funding period. Grant expenditure variations must be approved in writing before a grant report is submitted.