IFACCA has started compiling this range of 'good practice guides' to assist arts councils and arts funding agencies to review, inform and improve their key functions including: running grant programs, undertaking strategic activities (not directly related to grant giving), general management of arts funding agencies, and providing information to the arts community about marketing, governance, management, community engagement and advocacy. This 'good practice guides' section provides links to resources published by a wide variety of organisations including arts funding agencies, private foundations, commercial publishers and by IFACCA.
The 'good practice guides' have been categorised into four sections: subsidies and grants; strategic activities and government relations; managing an arts funding agency; and information provision. These categories may be further refined as we add more resources and get user feedback.
This is a trial or 'beta' version of this resource. Please give us your feedback - and send any suggestions you have for additional resources - to info@ifacca.org.
Subsidies and Grants
This section includes resources about the design and evaluation of grant programs; and the promotion and delivery of grant programs.
Grantcraft: Practical Wisdom for Grantmakers
The GrantCraft website is a source of practical knowledge for grant makers on the tools and techniques of effective grant making. more >
International Grant Making: Funding with a Global View
In this guide, grant makers describe the benefits and challenges of bringing a global perspective to their work. more >
Peer assessment: a guide
Every year, the Council receives over 800 applications and awards over 500 grants. To ensure that its limited financial resources are used wisely and that decisions are made fairly and objectively, Council uses peer assessment as a cornerstone of the granting process. more >
Tools for the Trade: Core Resources for Grantmakers
This list encompasses the resources deemed worthwhile for all grantmakers, large or small, new or old. Books, articles, websites and other media resources are included in this annotated bibliography. more >
Free Expression in Arts Funding: A Public Policy Report
The result of almost two years of research, FEPP's report surveys free expression policies among state and local arts agencies, including procedures for anticipating and handling controversy. more >
Administration of grants : better practice guide
The guide aims to provide practical assistance to those who may be involved with the planning, project selection, management and review of grant programs within the Commonwealth of Australia. more >
Centre for Best Practice in Grants Management
The Centre for Best Practice in Grants Management is devoted to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian government grants managers. more >
Strategic activities and government relations
This section includes resources about how funding agencies can advocate on behalf of the arts or artists, inform policy development and legislation (i.e. advice on laws affecting the arts), create partnerships with other areas of government, undertake research and analysis on the arts sector; and support leadership development.
D'Art report: Policy research by government arts agencies: a review of approaches
According to the report, the majority of national agencies undertake some sort of research activity, with all but four respondents undertaking research 'in house' and all bar one agency contracting research externally. more >
Policy tool-kit for cross-domain working
This policy tool-kit is intended to support all those developing policies for partnerships between museums, libraries and archives. more >
Arts Advocacy Toolkit
Everything you need to help make the case for the arts and arts education. more >
Managing an arts funding agency
This section includes resources about strategic planning and policy making, governance, service charters and general arts agency management issues.
Service charter
The Australia Council's Service Charter is available online. more >
Civil Service - Public bodies
Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments. This updated guidance supersedes the previous September 2004 version of the NDPB Guidance. more >
Arts Queensland Code of Conduct
Our professionalism and high standards of ethical conduct are shown in all our work activities and are supported in this Code of Conduct by a clear statement of what is expected of us and how we should behave and perform our work. more >
D'Art Report: Arts and disability policies
Looks at definitions, concepts and the terminology surrounding disability in the arts. more >
Cultural Governance in the Netherlands
This publication is a summary of the ‘Handleiding Cultural Governance’ [Cultural Governance Manual], as published by the stichting Kunst & Zaken. The manual is a guide for the practical implementation and application of the 23 Recommendations for Cultural Governance. more >
D'Art Report: Conflict of interest policies in arts and culture funding agencies
Investigates how national arts support agencies manage conflict of interest policies and provides exampels of policies. more >
City of Austin, Identification of Public Cultural Arts Funding Best Practices and Benchmarks
Within discussions in each of these topics, the Best Practices Report will present processes, practices and model programs of cities comparable to Austin or notable for exemplary innovations relevant to Austin’s interests. more >
A State Arts Agency Strategic Planning Toolkit
A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to strategic planning. more >
Corporate Governance and Resource Management in the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio
This Handbook has been designed to assist you in your role as a director of a Commonwealth authority in the portfolio, by providing you with an overview of the whole-of-government context and the corporate governance framework within which Commonwealth authorities operate. more >
Information provision
This section includes resources produced by arts funding agencies to help artists and arts organisations to: develop marketing skills and audiences (nationally and internationally); improve governance, financial and management capabilities; undertake community planning and consultation (including partnerships); advocate key issues affecting artists and the arts.
The Participatory Museum
The Participatory Museum is a practical guide to working with community members and visitors to make cultural institutions more dynamic, relevant, essential places. more >
Arts for All | Ngā toi mo te katoa
This is a practical guide to help artists and arts organisations become more accessible, build new audiences and market their arts to the disabled community. more >
Best practice: a cultural resource for Australia's galleries and museums
A new resource for the collections sector will help galleries and museums across the nation better manage their collections. more >
Adjust your view: developing multicultural audiences for the arts - a toolkit
Multicultural marketing is not rocket science. But it is complex and needs passion, commitment and a willingness to learn. more >
Solo practitioner code of practice for working with children and young people
The code is intended to provide support and guidance to artists working in a solo capacity as practitioners, facilitators or tutors with children and young people. more >
Guidelines for taking and using images of children and young people in the arts sector
The guidelines are intended to provide support and guidance to arts organisations and artists working as arts practitioners, facilitators or tutors making, recording and using images of children and young people. more >
On Board: serving on the board of an arts organisation
Effective governance is one of the most important aspects of running a successful arts organisation. But what makes a great board? What are a board’s responsibilities? And how do you attract terrific board members? more >
The writer’s guide to making a digital living
The writer's guide was developed through the Australia Council's Story of the Future project to explore the craft and business of writing in the digital era. more >
Culture and sport improvement toolkit
An improvement tool covering all aspects of how an organisation operates to improve its cultural and sport services to local people and enhance their quality of life. more >
Sample Contracts for Visual Artists
The following contracts are provided for you to modify to your own needs when doing business in the visual arts. more >
Working With a Non-Profit Board: Tips and Tools for Cultural Managers
Free online resource that has been developed to support the efforts of managers in cultural non-profits to work effectively with their Boards. more >
Calimera Guidelines
These Guidelines have been compiled by CALIMERA to provide policy makers and professionals working in cultural institutions at the local level (in particular, public libraries, museums and archives) with a concise and relevant summary of the state of the art in the use of new technologies. more >
The Art of Renewal: A Guide to Thinking Culturally About Strengthening Communities
Part 2 of the Guide suggests a pathway through the three community planning steps. more >
Self-Assessment Tools for Organizations
The Organizational Self-Assessment Tool was developed to help non-profit organizations identify institutional strengths and weaknesses. more >
Creating safety - child protection guidelines for the arts
The experience of participating in the arts should be enjoyable and rewarding. In order for this to happen it is important that children and young people feel safe, comfortable and respected. more >
Code of Practice for the Australian Visual Arts and Craft Sector (2nd edition)
Provides a set of practical and ethical guidelines for the conduct of business between visual and craft artists and their galleries, agents, retailers, buyers, sponsors, commissioners and the managers of residencies and workshops and competitions, prizes and awards. more >
Beginner's Guides
If you've always wondered what it's like, but been scared to give it a try, these beginner's guides are here to help you. more >
Voluntary and Community Arts Evaluation Toolkit
The toolkit provides a consistent and sympathetic method of measuring the social impact of arts groups working in the community and voluntary sectors. more >
Learning from the Community: Effective Financial Management Practices in the Arts
Summary Findings and a Framework for Self-Assessment more >
Creative Management in the Arts and Heritage: Sustaining and Renewing Professional Management For the 21st Century: A Proposed Action Plan for Creating Winning Conditions
The purpose of the project was to identify the challenges facing professional management personnel in Canada’s not-for-profit arts and heritage organizations and develop practical recommendations to meet these challenges. more >
Cultural Collaborations: Building Partnerships for Arts Participation
A report on Community Partnerships for Cultural Participation, examines various types of partnerships and lessons learned. more >
Dance Audience Research: Twelve Top Tips
Twelve top tips for bigger audiences for your dance company and twelve top tips for bigger audiences for dance at your venue. more >
Getting connected: making your mentorship work
This is the handbook for you if you are seeking or planning a mentorship in the arts industry - either as a mentoree or mentor. more >
Partnership as an Art Form: What Works and What Doesn't in Nonprofit Arts Partnerships
This working paper discusses the merits of artistic collaboration, presenting lessons learned from interviews and a literature review. more >
Model memorandum and Articles of Association for charitable arts organisations
These model governing documents are for arts organisations seeking guidance on the form and content of constitutions. more >
Benchmarks in Collection Care for Museums, Archives and Libraries
Stewardship is central to the development and use of collections, and lies at the foundation of Resource’s ambition to ensure sustainable access to our cultural heritage for all. more >
The Art of Export Marketing of Cultural Products and Services
Information to assist artists in understanding and managing issues related to Export Marketing of Cultural Products and Services. more >
Don't Panic: A Guide For Local Arts Promoters
This publication is aimed at both new and more experienced local promoters and provides accessible and practical advice about the myriad of challenges in promoting the performing arts in small venues. more >
Getting on Board: a governance resource guide for arts organisations
A resource to help professional arts organisations enhance the effectiveness of their governance practice. more >
Guidance to district councils on the development of local cultural strategies
In Northern Ireland the District Councils have a statutory authority under the Recreation and Youth Service Order to provide for sport and leisure. more >
Boost your performance: Marketing Action Plan Template
This template aims to provide a summary of the users marketing plans which relate to the users marketing objectives. more >
Mapping the future: a guide to business planning for small arts organisations
This guide will help organisations to understand the process of business planning. more >
Planning a Marketing Campaign
These notes provide a basic introduction to planning a marketing campaign. more >
Business Planning Workbook
This Workbook has been commissioned by the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) to provide clear, concise guidance notes to help you with the production of a Business Plan for your organisation. more >
Lessons Learned: A Planning Toolsite
A series of essays about the process of planning more >
Careers in Culture
Fun, easy-to-read booklets feature the latest information on career trends in six different cultural fields. more >
Cultural Well-being
New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage's cultural well-being web pages, which have been built as a resource for local government. more >
What's my plan? A guide to developing arts marketing plans
This step-by-step guide provides useful information on how to develop arts marketing plans. more >
A Step by Step Guide to Accessible Arts in California
This guide is designed to assist the arts community as they make their space, programs and activities available to the approximately five million Californians with disabilities. more >
Marketing strategies for arts organisations
Provides arts organisations with easy to follow instructions for developing effective marketing strategies. more >
Access all areas: guidelines for marketing the arts to people with disabilities
How to identify this audience, how to reach them and how to provide what they want is the key advice contained in Access all areas. more >
Disability fact pack
Outlines a variety of issues for arts organisations regarding people with disabilities including access, attitude, employment and discrimination. It also provides an overview of the Disability Discrimination Act. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >