Closing date: Friday 6 June 2008
GUIDELINES
The NSW Indigenous History Fellowship is offered biennially by the Government to assist a person living in New South Wales to research and produce a work on a subject of historical interest relating to New South Wales from an Indigenous point of view.
Applicants may be independent historians, or historians working in conjunction with Indigenous communities. In both instances, applicants should provide evidence of support and agreement from relevant peak bodies or representative community groups.
Applicants are required to demonstrate that their project will add to, or bring fresh perspectives to bear upon, their nominated subject. They should also demonstrate that the project will benefit their experience and development as an historian, and/or advance scholarly historical writing from an Indigenous perspective in New South Wales.
In assessing applications, the judges will have regard to factors including:
- relevance of the project to Indigenous historical perspectives and Indigenous history
- quality of the project and its contribution to the advancement of Indigenous history
- evidence of support from Indigenous people or communities (where appropriate)
- applicant’s skills and qualifications to complete the project successfully
- benefit of the fellowship to the applicant’s development as an Indigenous historian
- overall quality of the application.
Applicants are required to submit:
- a completed Application Form
- details of the proposal
- their qualifications and experience
- ten pages of published material or, if they have not been previously published, ten single-sided typewritten A4 pages demonstrating their research and writing skills
- evidence of community support and agreement on relevant letterhead, or some other identification that indicates the independence and impartiality of the letters of support.
The fellowship is not generally available for:
- projects that have been, or are being, substantially funded by other competitive public funding sources for research (e.g. the Australian Research Council)
- production of books consisting primarily of drawings, photographs or reproductions of paintings
- compilation of general reference books, bibliographies or listings of historical sources
- completion of university theses.
The fellowship is not to be used for the purpose of self-publication.
The fellowship will be administered by the
History Council of New South Wales and judged by an independent committee appointed by the Minister for the Arts. It is expected that fellowship funds will be used to supplement the successful applicant’s income during work on their nominated project and to defray necessary research and travel costs.
If the project is not already in progress, the successful applicant will be required to commence work on it within 12 months of the presentation of the fellowship. The successful applicant may be requested to negotiate a proposed work plan with the History Council of New South Wales. This work plan may include provision for mentoring, if required.
The fellowship will be paid in two instalments over a two-year period. Payment of the second instalment is subject to a satisfactory progress report on the project being received by the History Council of New South Wales. A final report on work completed during the course of the fellowship will be required within three months of the end of the fellowship period.
The winner of the fellowship will be expected to make a public presentation and/or publish an article on the work undertaken during the period of the fellowship. This presentation/publication will be undertaken in association with the History Council of New South Wales and a record or copy of it will be lodged with the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW.
If appropriate, the winner will be encouraged to lodge a copy of research or work done during the fellowship period with the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW.
It is expected that the winner will be announced by the Minister for the Arts, and the fellowship presented in late 2008.
Applicants should also refer carefully to Arts NSW’s General Guidelines and Information for all individual applicants which follows, as well as to Arts NSW’s Indigenous Arts Protocol.
ARTS NSW GENERAL INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICANTS
Individuals applying for fellowships must be (unless otherwise specified):
- Australian citizens currently resident in New South Wales, or
- persons holding permanent residence visas who have been residents of New South Wales for two consecutive years immediately prior to the date of their application.
In general, previous recipients of Arts NSW’s fellowships are ineligible to apply for the same award twice.
Applications will not be considered from previous recipients:
- who have not fulfilled the conditions of an Arts NSW (previously Ministry for the Arts) grant, fellowship or scholarship
- whose use of a grant, fellowship or scholarship did not, in the opinion of the Peer Group Committee, conform to the spirit and intentions of these guidelines, or
- who have not acquitted or satisfactorily acquitted prior Arts NSW (previously Ministry for the Arts) grants, fellowships or scholarships.
Fellowships are:
- not intended to meet costs associated with a project or program that has already been substantially completed
- generally not available to assist the completion of degree theses or university or college projects undertaken to gain formal qualifications
- not to be applied towards the cost of items and materials already purchased at the time an application is lodged.
Fellowships are usually awarded to an individual, although joint applications may be accepted under certain circumstances. Inquiries should be directed to the relevant Arts NSW program staff or, in the case of the Indigenous History Fellowship, to the Executive Officer of the History Council of NSW.
Recipient-created tax invoices
Applicants registered for GST are encouraged to enter into a recipient-created tax invoice agreement to expedite payment of a successful application. If you are a first-time applicant, or have recently become registered for GST, please download a
recipient-created tax invoice agreement or contact Arts NSW for a form to be sent to you. Complete two copies of the form, and sign and return both to the History Council of NSW with your application.
Electronic funds transfer payments
To facilitate the payment of grants, Arts NSW, where possible, pays grant recipients through electronic funds transfer (EFT). If Arts NSW does not already have your current bank account details, please download an electronic funds transfer payment form from Arts NSW’s website or contact Arts NSW for a form to be sent to you. Complete one copy of the form, and sign and return it to Arts NSW with your application.
Please note: Electronic funds transfer payments information will be handled according to Arts NSW’s Privacy Policy. It will be seen by relevant Arts NSW / History Council of NSW staff and, if the application is successful, it will be forwarded to the Finance section of the NSW Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation, which processes grants payments for Arts NSW.
Personal information and privacy
Arts NSW is required to comply with the
Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Arts NSW collects the minimum personal information to enable it to contact an organisation and to assess the merits of an application. An application may be hindered if you do not supply the information requested.
Applications with associated personal details are accessible by Arts NSW staff, History Council staff in the case of the Indigenous History Fellowship, members of the Peer Group Committees, staff of the Minister for the Arts and the Minister. Bank account details relating to electronic funds transfer payments are accessible by relevant Arts NSW staff and to staff of the Finance section of the Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation. All staff members are bound by privacy laws.
Personal information obtained from applications or otherwise provided to Arts NSW may be retained on Arts NSW’s database and used to advise applicants of arts-industry related information in the future. Please notify Arts NSW if you do not wish to be on this mailing list.
Applicants must ensure that people whose personal details are supplied with their applications (including artists whose CVs are supplied) are aware that Arts NSW is being supplied with this information and of how this information will be used by Arts NSW.
In accordance with privacy legislation, in cases where Arts NSW has been requested to provide information about arts organisations to a third party, Arts NSW will provide only general contact details. It will disclose the names of individuals associated with the organisation only if these are publicly available.
For inquiries about personal information, please contact Arts NSW.
How to apply for the Indigenous History Fellowship
1 Read the guidelines carefully.
2 Check the closing date for your application.
3 Check to see if you are eligible to apply.
4 Complete the Application Form you have obtained from the History Council of NSW or Arts NSW website with all the required details, using these guidelines to help you.
5 First-time applicants are required to complete an electronic funds transfer (EFT) authorisation form and, only if registered for GST, two copies of a recipient-created tax invoice (RCTI) form. These forms can be obtained by downloading them here or by calling 02 9228 5533 or 1800 358 594 (NSW). (See below for further details on RCTI and EFT forms.)
6 If you have not previously applied to Arts NSW and you need guidance on completing the application, contact the Executive Officer at the History Council of NSW.
7 Forward the completed Application Form (and one copy of it), two copies of all written supporting material, single copies of other supporting material, the completed EFT authorisation form and, if applicable, two copies of the completed RCTI to: History Council of NSW. PO Box R1737, ROYAL EXCHANGE NSW 1225.
Note: Late applications, those lodged by fax or email or without the requested supporting material will not be accepted except under extenuating circumstances.
Applications are to be postmarked no later than the closing date.