About the ILA program
The ILA program invests over $27 million per annum as part of the Australian Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program. The ILA program provides operational funding support to a network of 24 Indigenous language centres around the country working on preserving, revitalising and sustaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. A list of the Indigenous language centres is provided at Appendix B. The ILA program also supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop, produce, present, exhibit or perform Indigenous arts and language projects that showcase Australia’s traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultural and artistic expressions.
Objectives – Indigenous languages activities
1) Preserve, revitalise and sustain Indigenous languages by:
a) Supporting the use of spoken language in everyday life by facilitating language practise in a range of contexts through culturally appropriate learning and teaching activities.
b) Supporting community members to improve their language knowledge and skills and build capacity in the sector by providing language learning and teaching pathways that include opportunities to gain formal qualifications in learning and teaching an Indigenous language.
c) Recording, preserving and making available Indigenous languages using digital technology in an innovative and culturally appropriate way
d) Facilitating the use of Indigenous languages in everyday life by producing and providing access to language materials that enable community to enjoy, learn, use and teach their languages.
Objectives – Indigenous arts activities
1) Create, promote and celebrate Indigenous cultural expression by:
a) Developing, producing, presenting, exhibiting or performing a diverse range of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art forms which could include dance, theatre, film, literature, music and traditional Indigenous arts and crafts.
b) Promoting and celebrating Indigenous art forms and providing access to arts activities that enable community to enjoy, connect and take pride in their cultures.
Grant funding allocated through the ILA program supports activities that:
Preserve, revitalise and sustain Indigenous languages by:
- Supporting the use of spoken language in everyday life by facilitating language practise in a range of contexts through culturally appropriate learning and teaching activities.
- Supporting community members to improve their language knowledge and skills and build capacity in the sector by providing language learning and teaching pathways that include opportunities to gain formal qualifications in learning and teaching an Indigenous language.
- Recording, preserving and making available Indigenous languages using digital technology in an innovative and culturally appropriate way.
- Facilitating the use of Indigenous languages in everyday life by producing and providing access to language materials that enable community to enjoy, learn, use and teach their languages.
Create, promote and celebrate Indigenous cultural expression by:
- Developing, producing, presenting, exhibiting or performing a diverse range of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art forms which could include dance, theatre, film, literature, music and traditional Indigenous arts and crafts.
- Promoting and celebrating Indigenous art forms and providing access to arts activities that enable community to enjoy, connect and take pride in their cultures.
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To be eligible for an ILA program grant, your organisation must:
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for the purposes of GST - if your business has a gross annual income minus GST of $75,000 (or $150,000 for non-profit organisations)
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• be one of the following entity types:
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 20067
- an organisation established through specific Commonwealth or State or Territory legislation
- a company incorporated in Australia
- a company limited by guarantee
- an incorporated association
- a not-for-profit organisation
- a partnership (as defined in the Glossary)
- a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation8 – refer to Section 10.3
- a publicly funded research organisation
- a local government body or organisation that is funded by an Australian State/Territory government or one of its departments or agencies. For example, TAFE NSW is eligible for ILA funding as it is a body funded by the NSW Department of Education (the NSW Department of Education itself is not eligible for ILA funding).
- have no overdue acquittals or serious breaches relating to Australian Government funding (a serious breach is one that has resulted in, or warrants, the termination of a grant agreement)
Additional eligibility requirements for the targeted competitive grant opportunity
In addition to the above requirements, organisations invited to apply for ILA program funding through the targeted competitive grant opportunity will:
• have previously received funding from the ILA program
• have a demonstrated capacity to deliver quality Indigenous language or arts projects
• have a demonstrated history of good governance, good financial management over an extended period, effective business planning and high-quality performance against fundingm objectives
What the grant money can be used for:
The grant monies can only be used to fund activities for Indigenous languages and/or arts projects that align with the ILA program objectives, including, but not confined to, activities such as:
• costs associated with implementing and delivering the project, including project coordination and salaries of people directly working on project delivery
• Up to 20 per cent of the total grant monies can contribute to project administration expenses that relate specifically to the delivery of the grant activity, including book-keeping, audits, financial management, report-writing, data capture and reporting (where required)
• the engagement of consultants, specialists, experts or contractors (for example linguists, language experts and workers, artist fees, arts workers, curators and Indigenous cultural experts) – the ILA program strongly recommends you look into the most suitable contract arrangements when engaging human resources by visiting the Fair Work Ombudsman website10 and/or obtaining independent legal advice • consultation on, as well as development, maintenance and storage of, languages and/or arts resources and materials, including website(s), mobile apps and hard-copy materials
• providing access and participation for languages and/or arts resources and materials
• facilitation of languages and/or arts workshops and/or community meetings
• domestic travel essential for the delivery of the project
What grant funding cannot be used for:
ILA program funding cannot be used for the following activities:
• projects, or components of projects that currently receive grant funding from other grant programs administered by the Australian Government
• the conservation, exhibition or interpretation of museum artefacts
• cultural camps that do not deliver a language and/or arts outcome
• the staging and production of festivals
• activities with a primarily commercial focus or intent
• activities with a political or lobbying focus or intent
• international travel or activities that happen outside Australia
• language interpreting and translating services
• purchase of land or buildings
• costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation
• infrastructure/construction/capital works projects
• activities for which other Commonwealth or state or territory or local government bodies have primary responsibility Additionally, ILA program funding cannot be used for activities that:
• have a focus on Kriol, Yumplatok and Pidgin language work – the ILA program provides funding to revive and maintain Australia’s traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Kriol, Yumplatok and Pidgin are not classified as a traditional language, and not eligible for funding through the ILA program. If you are unsure if your language is eligible for funding, please contact us at ila@arts.gov.au
• are intended for, and form the basis of, National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) celebrations
• are the core business of early education, primary and secondary schools. For example, teacher salaries and the development of teaching and learning resources that are for exclusive use in schools. If you are developing teaching and learning resources as part of your project you must demonstrate that they will be used outside the school setting, and have evidence to support this
• have received funding from another government source for the same purpose – if you are currently receiving funding from another government source, or through a previous round of the program, your application will need to clearly distinguish how this project is different to your existing grant agreement
• include re-granting of funds to other groups or organisations without prior agreement from the Department
• fall within the scope of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, Culture and Capability stream
• fall within the scope of the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program
To apply, please click on the link below
