No. As an applicant, you must choose one stream that best represents your main project activity.

However, if you are submitting an application on behalf of someone, e.g. a manager writing an application for one of their artists, then the artist (and their ABN) can be considered the applicant in one stream (e.g. Recording), the manager would be the Applicant Contact, and the manager would still be eligible to apply for a separate project regarding funding for their own management business / ABN in another stream (e.g Professional Development).

No. As an applicant, you can submit only one application in a round.

The online system is automated to close at 11:59pm Wednesday 4 November 2026. To avoid disappointment, you are encouraged to apply well in advance of the deadline.

Contact the MDO for questions on any technical difficulties with the application by email mdo@sa.gov.au. Support for questions, including technical difficulties, will be available until 5:00pm on Wednesday  4 November 2026. While applications are open until 11:59pm on Wednesday 4 November, you are strongly encouraged to submit prior to 5:00pm (close of business) in case you experience technical difficulties.

Although the MDO is a specialist unit of CreateSA, it has a separate grants portal to the Arts & Culture grants delivered by the broader CreateSA team. Any grants displayed on the CreateSA portal are NOT issued through the MDO, and contemporary music is likely to be ineligible for other CreateSA programs. If in doubt, please contact the relevant CreateSA officer or contact the MDO: at mdo@sa.gov.au.

For security and resourcing purposes, you will not be able to link to files/folders in Dropbox or other online storage systems that require the MDO to download your material from a web page. Any material submitted in this format will not be downloaded or reviewed as part of your application. If these files/folders contain essential information as per the Guidelines, your application may become ineligible.

No, your project activity does not necessarily have to involve new material or new activity. For instance, you may seek funding to support marketing activity for an existing product, event, or gig series. In terms of recording activity, the re-recording of existing material should offer something new, e.g. a significantly new version of your own original work. In all cases, the assessment panel will review whether this type of activity is competitive in the round. You cannot apply for project activity that involves strictly cover material, tributes, or someone else’s work.

No. You can only apply in one stream of activity, but for added context you can reference the other activity if it's related to your proposed project.

The MDO cannot retrospectively fund activity (i.e. reimburse activity that has already occurred, even if it hasn’t been paid for yet). However, if your project activity is still in progress beyond the eligible start date for the round (1 January 2027), you can apply for expenses you will incur from that date. For example, if you’re currently recording but won’t be mastering until after the eligible start date, you could apply for funding for mastering. You cannot simply retain an earlier invoice from activity at the recording studio and pay it from the eligible start date. For tours or event series, expenses relating to performance dates after 1 January 2027 are eligible. If a tour or other project activity continues past the funding end date (31 December 2027), grant funding can only be used for expenses incurred prior to or on that date.

Yes. The application process will offer you the opportunity to submit support material that can speak to your skills, experience, and role within the industry. If you are applying for recording activity, you will be required to submit demo material, with a minimum of 25% of what you want to record. For example, if you are recording a 12 track LP, you will need to submit at least three demo tracks. High-quality demos are encouraged if available. In a competitive round, you are encouraged to submit support material that shows your strongest work.

Ongoing salaries are not eligible within this funding. However, activity that supports the proposed Project is eligible. For instance, funding can be used for relevant service fees in the project’s management, production, presentation, or delivery of live original music, e.g. artist, engineer, lighting technician fees. By contrast, service fees for ongoing costs are ineligible, e.g. if security is required at your venue regardless of your live music programming/project activity. Eligible expenses vary between streams, contact the MDO with further questions.

Yes. You are encouraged to seek other income streams for your activity. If these other grants are intended to contribute to the same project activity as your application to the MDO Project Support Grants, you should outline the amount, confirmation status, and allocation of the grants in your budget. You cannot apply for funding to cover the same expenses as other income sources.

Upon notification, successful applicants will be sent paperwork and instructions for payment. Grantees will be encouraged to process the paperwork exactly as instructed by the MDO, as errors in completing the documents may cause delays in payment. The sooner a grantee returns their completed paperwork, the sooner payment can take place. Generally, payment will be at least 2-4 weeks from the time the MDO receives the correctly completed paperwork.

You can apply to the MDO for an extension or other variation, please contact: mdo@sa.gov.au. You should not begin any alteration to your project activity or use of funding until you have liaised with the MDO.

Yes, as long as you are not applying for expenses that were already covered in your previous grant, and if the previously funded project is not overdue for its acquittal.

Some streams require a minimum of 50% contribution to certain expenses. In the Marketing stream, if you want to use grant funding to produce merchandise you must contribute at least 50% of the total cost to produce the items. The same applies to purchase of equipment in the Professional Development stream. For other streams/expenses, you are not obligated to match funding but are encouraged to include additional funding sources for your project activity, whether it’s a cash contribution, other grant, sponsorship/partnership, or in-kind goods and services.

Yes. Professional practicing musicians and businesses should have an active ABN. Applicants must have at least six months professional/operating experience.

Yes, any genre is welcome to apply in the MDO Project Support Grants program as long as the project activity involves original music.

For artists applying in the round, they must be South Australian-based for at least the six months prior to the round opening date. Collaborations with/participation by non-SA artists and producers are welcome, but the purpose of an artist applicant's proposed activity should be to support  outcomes for themselves as South Australians artist(s).

Music businesses applying in the round must also support activity that centres on original music. There is some scope to include non-SA participants e.g touring acts for project activity involving venue programming and for festivals/events. However if proposed, project activity supports a majority of non-SA participants, applicants should make a strong case regarding how this fits your business model and contributes to the broader South Australian music ecosystem.

You are welcome to contact the MDO with questions on the grant program terms and conditions, eligibility, criteria, or assessment process. Due to the volume of applications expected in a competitive round, staff are unable to read drafts of applications and will not be able to take multiple meetings or multiple enquiries from the same applicant. You are encouraged to ask questions well in advance of the closing date. In the 7-14 days prior to the closing date staff will be working to service a high volume of enquiries. The best means of contacting MDO staff is through emailing mdo@sa.gov.au.

Yes. The MDO has a Milestone Micro-Grants (MMG) quick response program with grants of up to $1,000. The purpose of the program is to support South Australian artists and music businesses to take advantage of short-notice, career-defining opportunities that are likely to deliver meaningful professional or business development outcomes. The program does not support activity that was already planned and you are seeking further investment. For details see Milestone Micro-Grants.

No. The MDO Project Support Grant program is designed to complement existing funding available through the Australian and state governments and ensure the South Australian music industry can continue to develop, create, and connect during this time and in the future. Please  continue to check business.sa.gov.au to view other support for our small business community.