Indigenous Languages and Arts program

The Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to express, preserve and maintain their cultures through languages and arts activities around Australia.

How it works

Who can apply

Organisations that support participation in, and maintenance of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through community-led Indigenous languages and arts activities.

When to apply

The annual open competitive grant opportunity commences around the beginning of each calendar year. The 2020-21 grant opportunity opened on 24 February 2020 and closes on 30 June 2020.

Funding available

The ILA program administers around $20 million per annum that is available for Indigenous languages and arts projects.

Program Information

funding tabs

About The Program

Funding application period: February 24, 2020 09:00 AEDT to June 30, 2020 11:30 AEST

COVID-19 update

With the COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) pandemic affecting all of Australia's arts and cultural sector, including organisations active in the Indigenous cultural languages and arts, the ILA program wants to update you on what is happening with the 2020–21 Open Competitive Grant Opportunity.

Up to date information about COVID-19 and how it relates to the arts sector, can be found on the COVID-19 update page.

After careful consideration, the decision has been made to extend the current closing date for grant applications to the 2020–21 ILA Program Open Competitive Grant Opportunity—GO3720.

The new closing date for applications is TUESDAY 30 JUNE 2020.

It is recommended that you monitor the ILA program website regularly for updates about the 2020–21 Open Competitive Grant Opportunity.

If you have any questions or need further information, please email the ILA program at ila@arts.gov.au or call 1800 006 992.

Program background

The ILA program invests around $20 million per annum that includes operational funding support to a network of 21 Indigenous Language Centres around the country working on capturing, preserving and maintaining over 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The ILA program also supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to develop, produce, present, exhibit or perform Indigenous arts projects that showcase Australia’s traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultural and artistic expressions.

To apply for funding through the Indigenous Languages and Arts program, organisations should submit an application using Department's SmartyGrants online portal. The SmartyGrants application form is designed to assist applicants to demonstrate how their proposal meets the objectives of the program by addressing all the assessment criteria. All eligible applications will be competitively assessed against the assessment criteria.

The ILA program guidelines include eligibility criteria and information about the application and funding process. The guidelines can be accessed at the Australian Government's GrantConnect website.

Open competitive grant opportunity

The open competitive grant opportunity is designed to support one-off Indigenous languages and arts projects. There is a cap on the amount of funding available and the duration of the project.

Restricted competitive grant opportunity

The restricted competitive grant opportunity is by invitation only from the ILA program and is designed to assist community-based organisations such as Indigenous Language Centres with annual multi-year operational funding.