Aims
The Gordon Darling Foundation is a perpetual public charitable trust, established in 1991 to "support Australia-wide, activities of importance in the Visual Arts."
It will give priority to exhibitions of Australian, Asian, Pacific or other international art, or those of significant local importance.
It will assist with the costs of research, travel, publication, and the dissemination of knowledge and the enjoyment of all aspects of the visual arts to the widest possible audience.
The Foundation is normally prepared to support well-conceived projects of all kinds in the Visual Arts (other than capital works).
The Foundation encourages applications from all over Australia.
Who can apply?
The Foundation can only provide funding to Public Institutions in Australia. Applicant organisations must have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
Individuals wishing to apply for funding for projects must partner with a Public Institution which then takes on responsibility for the project.
The Trustees will normally award only one application per organisation in any twelve-month period. Darling Travel Grants are considered a separate funding stream and do not preclude an organisation from applying for or receiving a grant.
What we do
Funding may be provided for:
- catalogues and publications:
- that are scholarly, preferably with well-researched new information.
- that provide a permanent record of an exhibition, collection, or work of an artist or movement.
- marketing or promotional costs, if they aim to reach new audiences, especially young audiences.
- professional education initiatives, including individual professional development.
- collection management initiatives, including database development and conservation.
- research projects leading to the recognition and publication of material of significance.
- internationally known speakers for symposia.
In relation to catalogue projects, preference will be given to exhibitions which will tour a cluster of venues, sharing costs, staff and experience
Applications for international travel should only be made through the Darling Travel Grant / International program - see Application Procedures below.
What we don't do
The Foundation usually does not fund:
- capital works, acquisitions, prizes or commissions.
- general or core operational activities.
- retrospective funding.
- recurrent funding of a project or exhibition.
Guidelines for publication funding applications
In assessing applications for publication funding, several key factors will be considered, in addition to well-planned, scholarly content:
- pricing should be as accessible as possible and suited to anticipated audiences.
- print runs should be appropriate to reasonable anticipated demand.
- plans for distribution beyond the applicant’s venue/s should be noted, and are encouraged.
- circulating a large proportion of a print run as complimentary copies is usually discouraged, though gifts to a limited number of local, state and higher education libraries would be welcomed.
Grant reports received by the Foundation continue to show that publication print runs are often far in excess of sales, regardless of the quality of the publication. Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider anticipated sales when deciding on a print run.
The Foundation usually does not fund:
- publications to be given away.
- major publications which largely replicate existing publications.
- catalogues for commercial exhibitions.
- "vanity publications", whether of the institution, author or subject of the application.
- souvenir or promotional publications.
Other funding criteria
The Foundation will consider funding projects that provide new or increased audience access to the visual arts.
Projects will be expected to attract considerable public exposure (applications should include details).
The Foundation may be the sole grant provider, 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.
By publishing these guidelines, the Foundation aims to encourage a high standard of application.
