Arts Council Malta - Funds - Budget guidelines

Budget guidelines

Overview

The project budget template is an essential part of the application form and needs to be filled correctly in order for your application to be processed and evaluated. In this budget template you are required to fully outline both the income and expenditure, and also include any supporting documentation as required.

Some of ACM’s funding programmes only support up to 80% of the costs to implement the project, and you are required to co-fund the remaining 20% of the overall costs from other sources. Other funding programmes may fund up to 100% of the eligible costs to implement the project. Refer to the table below for an overview of the maximum supported grants for each fund. For more details refer to the guidelines of the specific funding programmes.

Funding Programme	Percentage of total expenditure	Maximum Grant awarded
Malta Arts Fund Research Support Grant Project Support Grant Multi-Annual Support Grant	100% 80% 80%	€ 5,000 € 20,000 to be updated
Creative Communities	80%	€ 5,000
Cultural Export Fund Travel Grant Presentation and Touring Translation Grant	100% 80% 100%	€ 2,000 € 8,000 € 5,000
Kultura TV	60%	Drama: not exceeding € 70,000 or 60% of the total cost whichever is the lower Creative TV documentaries: € 40,000 or 60% of the total cost whichever is the lower Culture programmes: € 25,000 60% of the total cost whichever is the lower
Kreattiv	100%	€ 5,000
Il-Premju tal-President	100%	€ 6,000 / € 8,000

These budget guidelines are for prospective applicants of the funding programmes offered by Arts Council Malta. All funding programmes are competitive and we advise you to read these guidelines before you submit your application.

Completing the budget template

The budget section in the application form gives the evaluators the necessary information needed to be able to consider the financial viability of your proposed activity. The budget template is an essential tool to outline the costs (expenditure) and forecast the amount of money it will generate (income) as well as any other funding already secured or needed to ensure the feasibility of your activity. It is crucial that you provide a realistic budget based on supporting documentation.

This guidance will help you to present a balanced budget, and we advise you to provide a clear breakdown for each entry to show us how you have reached your figures.

1. Income

In this section of the budget template you need to provide details of your cash income for your proposed activity. You need to specify also whether each item of income has been secured, unsecured or planned. A clear breakdown of all income is strongly suggested.

Types of income can include:

Planned revenue from activity (e.g. income from ticket sales, or sale of work via galleries);
Sponsors (e.g. local bank);
Own contribution (applicant’s and/or organisation’s source such as membership fees etc.);
In-kind contribution (see section 3 below for further details);
Other public funds (e.g. Local council contribution);
Royalties and license fees;
Amount requested from the Fund;
Crowd-funding.

2. Expenditure

In this section of the budget template you are required to outline in detail all the expenses related to your proposed activity. Please note that eligible costs vary from one fund to another.

Types of expenditure can include:

Fees for creative practitioners involved in the activity (e.g. actors, musicians, singers, dancers, visual artists, stage designers, directors, producers, composers, writers, translators, choreographers, stage managers, lighting designers, curators, workshop leaders and other artistic roles);
Expenses related to management activities (project management, administration, consultancy in business planning);
Other arts-related costs of delivering the activity (hiring of venue, research and development, poster design and printing costs, ticket printing, catering, website design, photography, and fees related to press releases and marketing activities hired equipment hired, production costs, travelling costs);
Extra costs for travel support and assistance to artists with a disability;
Overheads (studio rent and insurance, telephone, IT, stationery, postage);
Contingency (5-10% of total costs, depending on fund).

3. In-kind contribution

In-kind contribution, as opposed to cash contribution, is used to describe any materials or services that are provided free of charge or at a reduced rate, and demonstrates a third-party backing or investment in the proposed activity that you are seeking funding for. The value of in-kind support contributes towards other funding required from other sources.

In-kind contribution should be included both under the “income” and “expense” with the same amount. In other words, in-kind contribution cannot be accumulated, and it has value only when and if it is used.

Examples of in-kind contribution include the following:

Donated material and/or equipment needed to create or present the proposed work (e.g. speakers, projectors) that you have been given and would otherwise have to pay for;
waived venue hire (e.g. studio, rehearsal, or exhibition space);
waived fees/specialist support (e.g. consultant, business advisor, PR & marketing, filming & photography).

In-kind contributions do not include:

Cash contributions (these should be declared as income);
Activities, materials or services that were provided before the start of your proposed activity (retrospective costs are not eligible).

Sample Budget

Kindly note this budget sample is only meant as guidance. The structure of the budgets and the amounts vary according to the nature of your project.

This is a sample budget for the Research Support Grant, with maximum funding of €5,000.

Expenditure	Example	Amount (€)
Artist Fees	artist fees for 2 months	€2,400
Travel fees	flight tickets	€600
Accommodation fees	B&B for 2 months	€1,000
Rental of Equipment	Stage equipment / props	€700
Logistics Costs	Venue Rental	€1,000
Total Expenditure		€5,700

The Applicant may in principle apply for up to 100% of total expenditure. The amount requested may in no case exceed the €5,000 limit which is the maximum support than can be provided under the Research Support Grant.

Income	Example	Amount (€)
Sponsors	Own contribution	€700
Total Amount Requested from the Malta Arts Fund	Research Support Grant	€5,000
Total Income		€5,700

Balance (Expenditure – Income)

€0

The Applicant in this case will request €5,000 from the Research Support Grant, Strand 1 of the Malta Arts Fund managed by Arts Council Malta.

Budget Tips

Ensure that all the financial aspects described in the narrative part of your application correspond and relate to the items listed in the budget and vice versa. The budget is another means to present your proposed activity and it should complement your application narrative.
Identify all possible sources of income in the budget, and make sure to indicate whether they are secured, unsecured or planned.
Double check your budget and make sure your request for funding falls within the funding limit of the funding programme.
Ensure that income projections are realistic and based on evidence and/or previous experience.
Provide all necessary supporting documentation.

Need assistance?

If you need assistance when compiling the budget section of your application please contact our brokerage service team on 2334 7230 or email us on fundinfo@artscouncilmalta.org. Kindly note that we cannot read full applications before they are submitted.

Furthermore, Arts Council Malta provides a range of information sessions for its Funding Programmes as well as free-to-attend workshops to help you familiarise yourself with the funds. Contact us for more information.

Checklist

The filled-in, official application form;
The CVs/portfolios of creative practitioner/s;
The compiled budget template;
Official quotations/estimates of costs corresponding to the listed budget items in the application form;
The applicant’s declaration duly signed;
A copy of the applicant’s Maltese ID card or Maltese residence permit or Maltese citizenship certificate or Maltese passport.

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