What does the Gordon Darling Foundation support?
The Foundation provides funding for a range of visual arts projects Australia-wide.
Funding may be provided for:
- catalogues and publications
- that are scholarly
- that provide a permanent record of an exhibition, collection, artist or movement
- the Foundation does not fund souvenir or promotional publications
- exhibition development excluding marketing or promotional costs
- professional education initiatives including individual professional development
- research projects
- symposia
NB. Applications for international travel should only be made through the Darling Travel Grant Global Program - see Application Procedures below.
The Foundation does not normally fund:
- capital works
- general or core activities
- retrospective funding
- recurrent funding of a project
Who is eligible?
The Foundation can only provide funding to Public Institutions in Australia.
Individuals wishing to apply for funding for projects are required to partner with a Public Institution which then takes responsibility for the project.
The Trustees will normally award only one application per organisation in any given year.
Funding criteria
The Foundation encourages applications from all over Australia.
The Foundation is a funder of innovative projects.
The Foundation is a funder of projects providing increased access to the visual arts.
Projects will be expected to attract considerable public exposure.
Projects should demonstrate the highest levels of professional practice.
The Foundation may be the sole grant provider or the lead donor or a participant in a collaborative funding with other private and/or public donors.
The Foundation will not normally support projects that have been almost fully funded from other sources.
Preference will be given to projects which will tour.
Application procedures
General Grant Program
Read the guidelines above.
Contact the Gordon Darling Foundation to request the current year's application form and detailed guidelines.
Phone: 03 9820 3168, Email:
Administrators: Sherrie Antonio / Alister Shew
Applicants are encouraged to phone the Foundation to discuss their proposed application prior to submission.
Applications must be submitted by mail in hard-copy on the current year's form with any supporting material, postmarked on or before the closing date.
The application form must also be emailed (in the original Microsoft Word format) to by the closing date (supporting material not required with email copy).
Submissions will be examined by the Trustees of the Foundation three times a year in March, June and October.
The closing dates for applications are 7 January, 31 May and 30 September respectively.
Darling Travel Grants - Global
Applications for the 2019 Darling Travel Grants - Global have now closed.
Applications open in November of each year for international travel and are announced on this page.
Contact the Gordon Darling Foundation to request an application form:
Phone: 03 9820 3168, Email:
Administrators: Sherrie Antonio / Alister Shew
Applications may be submitted by mail or email. Postal submissions must be postmarked on before the closing date.
Applications close in mid-January and applicants will be advised of the outcome in the first week of March.