What do the CBF Content funding objectives mean?
When setting the outcomes for your grant, you will need to align them with the grant category objectives as listed in the grant guidelines. Your activities may meet one or more of the grant objectives for the category and you are not expected to meet them all. The key question is which of our grant objectives will your project contribute to?
Some examples of activities that align with the Content grant objectives include:
- Increase community participation in community media: programs/projects that aim to increase or develop participation or listenership of e.g. women, gender diverse people, First Nations Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse people, LGBTIQ+ people, people with disability, and people living in poverty in your community
- Increase the diversity of voices and languages in community media: programs/projects that aim to increase or develop the inclusive engagement of underrepresented members of your community, oral histories, programs in First nations languages or languages other than English.
- Enhance creativity & excellence in community media content production: programs/projects that aim to increase or develop their listenership, media coverage, distribution and recognition via awards/website or social media engagement
- Expand partnerships between community media content makers: programs/projects that aim to increase or develop relationships and collaboration with like-minded community media organisations and other community partners and/or share their content more broadly with other stations, organisations or platforms.
See also Inspiration for your Content grant application for more info.
What are Community media sector organisations?
Community media sector organisations provide services and resources for the sector and include but are not limited to the following organisations:
How do we define who is a recognised community media organisation?
The Community Broadcasting Foundation recognises community media organisations as being:
- Long-term community broadcasters licenced by the ACMA
- Temporary and trial community broadcasters licensed by the ACMA
- ICTV
What is content production?
The application form asks a series of questions about the number of people involved in content production at your organisation. We define content production as people contributing to media content across all platform, e.g. presenters, producers, segment contributors, social media publishers, photographers, television crew etc.
The people involved will vary depending on your organisation, so think about all of the platforms your organisation broadcasts through (tv, radio, online, social media) and who makes various components of that content.
What is a TV Pilot?
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a telemovie) is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distributor.
A pilot is created to work out if a series will be successful. It is usually used to test whether an idea for a TV show is viable and marketable. It is, therefore, a test episode for the intended television series and an early step in the series development.
Are some activities prioritised over others?
Yes. We detail what we are looking to fund in the grant guidelines. These grant objectives may change from round to round to respond to sector needs.
How much funding is available?
The Department of Communications and the Arts allocates funds to the CBF to support particular activities.
There are dedicated funds to support:
- Ethnic broadcasting
- RPH broadcasting
- First Nations broadcasting
- Other purposes (general funds)
There are specific funds available to support Specialist Radio Programming in Content grants. Ethnic, RPH and First Nations broadcasting funds may also be allocated to support other activities relevant to those broadcast groups or audiences. Funds available for general content may be allocated for any content purpose.
In a single financial year, applicants can only receive support for a total of six content projects. Read the grant guidelines for more information.
Why do you want our Strategic Plan in a Content grant application?
Strategic Plans help Grant Assessors understand the overall goals of the station and hopefully, where your content projects connect with that plan. For example, if your station has identified attracting youth announcers as a priority over the next three years, your request for an outside broadcast at the local high school can be understood in the greater context of what the station is trying to achieve.
To support stations, we’ve worked with the CBAA to develop the Community Radio Station Health Check. This online self-assessment tool is designed to help community radio leaders evaluate their station’s governance and develop effective Strategic Plans. Outside of your grant application, you may wish also to consider encouraging your station to undertake this check to prepare your organisation for the future. If you are looking to revisit your Strategic Plan, our Planning Assistance Guide may be helpful.
Can I apply for wages under Content grants?
It depends on the type of wage. There are generally two types of salaried roles that relate to the production of content.
The first type relates to people who work across a number of programs within the station, such as Program Managers, Interview Coordinators or Content Engagement Officers. These roles are viewed as station salary positions and funding requests for these types of positions should be applied for under Development & Operations grants. These types of salaries are considered operational expenses of the station.
However, if the wage is specific to a particular program or content project, you can request support as part of your Content grant application and include it in your project budget for that particular show, series or project. Project-specific content wages include presenter or producer fees for an individual program, technician fees for an outside broadcast, expertise the station needs to pay to carry out a particular content project. You can apply for support towards these types of wages or costs involved in creating an individual program or content project within the project details section of your Content grant application.
If applying for a wage that is specific to a content project and is also for someone who is already on a station salary, please include information about how this wage subsidy is for additional activities and outcomes not covered as part of their wage as a staff member at your organisation
My proposal is for a new program, do I have to provide a demo?
Your application will be stronger if you provide a demo. If you can provide a demo of the program, it will help Grant Assessors get a clearer idea of the program you’re expecting to create. If you can at least provide an example of previous work, it can demonstrate your capacity to create quality programming, the style of content you can create or indicate the people who will be involved and what they can achieve.
My project has a First Nations focus, is there anything I need to consider?
Yes. For all projects with a First Nations focus in Content and Specialist Radio Programming grants, we expect First Nations participants to drive the program/project. You must engage First Nations people in a meaningful and respectful manner. Such projects must refer to the CBF Indigenous Engagement Protocol. More information and quick references guides are also provided by Media Diversity Australia.
We encourage you to view our other Frequently Asked Questions and explore our website to learn more about successful grant recipients, managing your grant, reporting, how to acknowledge the CBF and other funding opportunities. Also, don’t forget our Top 10 Tips for Applications!