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Please read these grant guidelines before you apply. The grant guidelines include important information about this grant category including what you can use the grant for and the criteria used by the General Grants Advisory Committee to assess your application.

1. What is the objective of the Content Development grant category?

To support the production and broadcast of short and interesting local content by Australian community radio stations.

2. Who is eligible to apply?

You can apply for a Content Development – OB and Program Special grant if you are:

• a community radio station with a long term or temporary license

A station with a temporary license must have been on air for at least two years cumulatively prior to applying.

3. How much can you apply for?

An amount up to $2,500 per grant. Multiple projects must be applied for through separate applications.

A maximum of 5 Content Development applications can be funded per year across all Content Development categories. We aim to support as many stations across the sector as possible.

4. What are the priorities in this grant category?

Each priority is not required to be met but applications that do address one or more priority area will be looked upon more favourably.

We will prioritise applications which:

• are from small (average annual income over the past three years less than $85,000), volunteer-run stations;
• demonstrate collaboration between larger and smaller stations, or produce programs for distribution to the broader sector;
• have a high proportion of spoken word content or musical content recorded by the station;
• demonstrate strong and innovative engagement with community services such as local councils, cultural organisations, community groups, schools, emergency services, Indigenous groups, migrant and refugee services and sporting organisations;
• encourage multiple contributors in the production and/or presentation of the content; and/or
• utilise multimedia platforms such as online video, digital radio, social media and online distribution.

5. What can you use the grant for?

Timely OBs and program specials that you would not be able to produce without funding.

Projects that produce and broadcast short and interesting local content by your community radio station.

Projects might include:

• Outside broadcasts at special community events such as community meetings discussing pressing community issues, community cabinet meetings and social justice rallies.
• Documentaries, storytelling and in-depth journalistic pieces covering local issues such as natural disasters, controversial infrastructure projects and historical milestones.
• Special live performance events by local or touring bands, artists, poets and comedians.
• If you have any other ideas speak to the Grants Administrator to see if it could fit this category.

6. What can’t you use the grant for?

• Outside broadcasts at regular (such as annual) community events.
• Projects with no time provisional requirements (which can be more appropriately funded through the annual Content Development - Program grant round).
• Content that you could produce without this funding.
• Projects that are currently or more appropriately funded in other CBF grant categories.

7. What does the committee look at when assessing your application?

Applications will be competitively assessed and prioritised against the following assessment criteria:

8. What should you include in the application?

• Supporting documents (if relevant)
• Most recent Annual Report with audited financial statements, even if you have supplied this information to the CBF previously.