Are arts grants applications blocked by classist language?

Applying for a grant shouldn't require a specific language but for some there is a class barrier that prevents application.

Like writing a university essay, writing a grant application is an acquired skill – and if you haven’t been to university, finding the appropriate language to appeal to the arts bureaucrats who read your grant application can be a challenge – in some cases, even an insurmountable hurdle.

Rock musician Nick Larkins describes himself as one of many artists who have never been able to access arts funding in a career spanning decades.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts