Venue subsidies and grants

PAF Trustees will review all applications at the Board meetings which take place in the weeks following the round closing.

To be eligible, your project needs to meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Audience Focus. Initiative that increases access to the performing arts for children, youth & diverse audiences. This includes Māori, Pacific, migrant and tāngata whaihaka (disability communities).
• Performer Focus. Initiative that increases participation in the performing arts for children, youth & diverse performers. This includes Māori, Pacific, migrant and tāngata whaihaka.
• Original Wellington Work. Initiative that creates an opportunity for a Wellington-based individual or company to present a new work. These are considered with lower priority if they do not also meet the audience or performer focus.

Examples of projects that PAF may fund are:

• Venue hire and marketing costs for a local children’s theatre festival.
• Performer fees for free interactive drama events for families held during the school holiday.
• Production and travel costs for a puppet show that will be toured to schools around the Wellington region.
• Costs associated with presenting relaxed, NZSL, and audio described performances of a theatre show.

Examples of projects that PAF may not fund are:

• Artist fees for an international act touring New Zealand and performing a ticketed show in Wellington.
• Production costs for a national dance competition.
• Artist fees and administration costs to present a drama masterclass to university-level students.
• Venue hire costs for a theatre performance targeting a general audience aged 25-40.
• Subsidising the cost of tickets offered to schools for a theatre performance.

PAF generally doesn’t fund competitions, internationally touring acts from outside Wellington, or projects that have received a large amount of funding from other organisations or sources such as Wellington City Council or Creative NZ.

PAF does not fund applications to make up lost revenue (shortfall) from offering discounted/ subsidised tickets to schools, tertiary institutions, or other young/ diverse audiences.

• You can only submit one application per round.
• PAF aims to ensure equitable opportunities. If PAF receives applications from different applicants in the same round involving the same performers, staff, or creative team, it will be taken into consideration when making final funding decisions.
• If your application is unsuccessful the first time, we welcome you to apply again. PAF does not encourage applying more than twice for the same project.
• After an individual or organisation has been successful in applying for PAF three times, a two-year standdown period applies before they are eligible to apply again.

We understand that many groups need to apply to multiple funding bodies. You must declare any other funding you have received or have applied for in your application. Please also outline how your use of PAF funding might change, depending on the outcomes of your other funding applications.

All eligible applications are reviewed and discussed by the PAF Board of Trustees. The Board is made up of Wellington arts community members and representatives from Venues Wellington. The Trustees review all applications and make decisions as to which they will support. PAF does not provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Ensure you have read all the information on this page and then complete the PAF Funding Application Form.

Remember to have your supporting documents ready to attach, including any project plans and budgets.

What happens if my application is successful?

• If you are successful, you can invoice PAF for the approved funding on the start date of their production or project. PAF cannot provide funds before this date. You will also need to provide proof of bank account, and GST number if applicable.
• Up to one month of your project or production finishing, you must submit a report that summarises what impact the funding had on your project. This must include a final project budget to show how funds were spent. You can submit this report in any format you wish via email to PAF@wellingtonnz.com. If you do not submit this report, you may not be eligible for future funding.
• PAF requests that all funded projects mention the support in marketing and publicity, including using the PAF logo on marketing material. To request a copy of the logo, email PAF@wellingtonnz.com.

Email the PAF Administrator at PAF@wellingtonnz.com. This inbox is not monitored regularly, the team will get back to you as soon as they can.

To be eligible, your event must be free or low-cost, and benefit the wider community in some way — whether that’s culturally, environmentally, socially or economically.

Previously these grants have supported family days, children’s art festivals, international cultural celebrations and community concerts.

Subsidies are available for:

• TSB Arena
• Shed 6
• Michael Fowler Centre
• St James Theatre
• The Opera House.

What isn’t covered

Wellington City Council venue subsidy grants are not normally given for catering and technical costs, social functions, fundraising events, and events whose primary purpose is religious ministry or political lobbying.

Conferences and expos without a strong community involvement and focus are also not usually considered.

To apply for a Wellington City Council Venues Subsidy:

1. Visit the Wellington City Council Venues Subsidy page for more detail on the application criteria and process.
2. Contact Venues Wellington to reserve the dates for your booking and request a quote for venue hire costs. You will need this for your application.
3. To apply, register online through Wellington City Council’s Funding portal.

Priority is given to Wellington groups in financial need who have not received other funding from the Council or other funding providers, for the same purpose.

• If your application for a Wellington City Council venue subsidy is successful, the amount approved will be used to offset any payments that have already been made to Venues Wellington.
• If your application is not successful, or the grant doesn’t cover all of your venue hire charges, Venues Wellington will invoice you for the balance outstanding along with any additional event service costs.
• By accepting the Wellington City Council venue subsidy, you agree to use Venues Wellington’s preferred technical and catering partners for your event.