Whakahoa Kaitoi Te Puna Toi Arts For All Fellowship

This fellowship supports an individual to research or develop an area of arts accessibility that will increase access for Deaf and/or disabled people. You must be working in or with an arts company or organisation that is a member of the Arts For All Network, facilitated by Arts Access Aotearoa. This could be an established or emerging organisation.

This research or development project is seen as an opportunity to take new steps in understanding how to practise accessibility in a meaningful way. We expect you to work closely with Deaf and/or disability communities throughout this project.

Arts Access Aotearoa’s aims for this Fellowship are:

• to achieve an outcome that will benefit the wider Arts For All network, beyond the applicant.
• to fill gaps within the organisation that are not already resourced.
• to resource a project that is led by or involves genuine collaboration with Deaf and/or disabled organisations or community. 
• that the project leads to sustainable change and impact in the organisation, embedding accessibility into the organisation or process.
• to develop a transferable model or process that can be adapted by other organisations.

The outcomes of this research or development will be shared with the Arts For All Network.

The recipient of the fellowship receives $10,000. We anticipate that your project will be equivalent to about 200 hours of work within a 6-month period.

Eligibility criteria

You need to be either:

• employed by an Arts For All Network member organisation
• partnering with an existing and active Arts For All Network member organisation.

You also need to be:

• at least 18 years of age
• a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.

The Fellowship CANNOT be used for:

• any academic course of study
• any competition or fundraising
• capital building works, equipment or modifications for accessibility
• previous expenses.

It CAN be used for:

• salaries and fees
• materials
• travel required for project
• access-related costs for project.

The decision-making process

All complete applications that are eligible will be passed on for assessment. Proposals will be reviewed in terms of the assessment criteria. The panel of arts professionals evaluating the proposals will include at least one Deaf and/or disabled person. An Arts Access Aotearoa staff member will support the panel but will not be involved in the assessment and decision-making.

Assessment criteria

The decision-making panel will consider the following factors to evaluate each proposal:

• A carefully considered project idea that clearly articulates the accessibility focus
• Support from relevant Deaf or disability communities
• Achievability of the research/development
• A clear documentation and evaluation process for the project
• A completed application.

How to apply

Step 1: Check your dates

• The deadline for applications has been extended until 5pm Monday 20 November 2023.
• All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application by 5pm Monday 4 December 2023.

Note: The project needs to start within two months of acceptance of the fellowship and must be completed within six months of the starting date. We anticipate the Fellowship will begin in January/February and be completed by June/July.

Step 2: Consider the requirements of the application

Read the FAQs before you start.

Here are some prompts to help you prepare your answers:

1.      . Who are you? Tell us about yourself and your experience relevant to this project.
2. What do you want to do? Describe the research or development work you hope to undertake and your goals.
3. Why do you want to do this? Is this new research or are you building on previous work?
4. Describe the barriers/gaps to accessibility that this research/development project will help address.
5. How will the project happen?
6. What is your timeline? How will you order each step of the process? Have you added some flexibility to work around unexpected events or delays?
7. What is a realistic breakdown of costs (see budget template at the end of this webpage)? Consider fair pay for any other contributors.
8. How will you document and evaluate your project?
9.    .  Tell us about your partner Arts For All organisation/s and your relationship with them.

Step 3: Confirm Arts For All organisation partner/support

You need a letter confirming the support of the Arts For All organisations you are working for or with. This letter should be signed by someone in a leadership position and needs to make it clear that the organisation understands and will accommodate the requirements of your project.

Step 4: Complete your application form

We welcome applications in alternative formats: for example, NZSL or audio/visual files.

Our application form is also a Word document, which you can fill in online and email to us.

Step 5: Gather support material

Please do not send physical copies of support material or artwork.

Support material can be emailed (no more than 5 MB per email).

Larger files (up to 100 MB) can be sent via WeTransfer or Dropbox.

As part of your application, you will need to include:

1. A budget showing how the $10,000 will be spent (e.g. artist fees, disability community consultation, material costs)
2. A clear timeline
3. CV of 1-2 pages describing your skills and experience
4. Examples of your accessibility work or research (no more than 3 examples)
5. Letter of support for your project from a Deaf or disabled person, or person with a disability or impairment
6. Letter of commitment from an Arts For All Network member organisation.

Make sure all letters of support are recent, specific to the application and include writer’s contact details.

Step 6: Send application and support material

Please email your application to fellowships@artsaccess.org.nz and send your video or audio files via WeTransfer or Dropbox.

Please contact Caleb Gordon, Projects Coordinator Kairuruku a Toi, Arts Access Aotearoa if you have any questions. You can call Caleb on 04 802 4191 or email him at fellowships@artsaccess.org.nz

Download the application form

Application form: Arts For All Fellowship 2023 (Word 96.97 KB)

Download a budget template

Fellowship budget template