The Office for the Arts sought applications from eligible service providers to deliver temporary employment placements through the Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program (the Program). Following a competitive grants process, a consortium led by Diversity Arts Australia has been selected to deliver the Program.

Diversity Arts Australia and its consortium members bring strong lived experience of disability and expertise in supporting d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers and building disability confidence within sector employers.

The Program will match early to mid-career d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers with arts, cultural, screen and digital games organisations for temporary paid job placements of up to 12 months, for any art form and any position level across Australia.

Who can apply

Eligible organisations with experience in disability access and the Australian arts, cultural, screen and digital games sectors, either alone or in partnership with another organisation/s. Key personnel delivering the placements also need to have lived experience of disability.

When to apply

The open competitive grant opportunity to deliver the Program opened on 9 March 2026 and closed on 19 April 2026. Information about the successful grantee is available in the 'Who we've funded' tab below.

Funding available

A total of $2.2 million (GST exclusive) will be provided to a consortium led by Diversity Arts Australia over 3 years from 2025–26 to 2027–28. All funding under this grant opportunity has been allocated.

About the program

The first phase of the Program sought an eligible service provider to deliver the temporary paid job placements through a competitive grants process. A consortium led by Diversity Arts Australia was selected as the service provider. Diversity Arts Australia and its consortium members bring strong lived experience of disability and expertise in supporting d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers and building disability confidence within sector employers.

The consortium will be responsible for the recruitment, selection, matching and oversight of the placements, in close consultation with the Office for the Arts. This includes providing support to participants and host organisations over the life of the placements and assisting host organisations to ensure they are accessible and culturally safe before placements start.

The Program will benefit participants and host organisations by providing:

  • more opportunities for early to mid-career d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers to advance their careers by building professional skills and networks
  • host organisations with access to skilled talent and uplifting their disability confidence and cultural safety to employ more workers with disability in the future.

There will be a process later in 2026 for host organisations to apply, and then for individual participants to apply and be matched with host organisations. Placements are expected to start in early 2027.

Program documents

The Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program grant opportunity documents, including the grant guidelines and frequently asked questions, are available on the GrantConnect website at www.grants.gov.au .

Program logos

The Program logos are used to acknowledge Australian Government funding.

The logo or wording below must be used by funding recipients on materials such as promotional materials, websites, invitations, other publications and signage.

Any use of the program logos must be displayed to include the department name and Australian Government crest.

The Australian Government crest must not be smaller than 20mm in width. The guidelines on its use can be found on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's website.

Wording to use: The Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program is an Australian Government initiative funded through Equity: the Arts and Disability Associated Plan.
 

Program logos and brand guidelines

Stay up to date 

As the Program is implemented, more information will be available on the Program webpage and the department's social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can also register for our Equity e-newsletter through our contact form.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program, you can contact us:

Email: Arts.Disability@arts.gov.au 

Phone: 1800 080 090 (during business hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm [Canberra local time] Monday to Friday)

Write to us at:
Arts Inclusion and Workforce Section
Office for the Arts
GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601

Recipient

A consortium led by Diversity Arts Australia

Funding

$2.2 million (GST exclusive)

Project description

A consortium led by Diversity Arts Australia will deliver and have oversight of the Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program, in close consultation with the Office for the Arts.