Asian Artists' Fund

The Asian Artists’ Fund was established in 2022 as part of an attempt to address funding inequalities in Aotearoa for artists of Asian descent. 

Since its launch, the fund has undergone continual evolution, responding to community feedback through an ongoing co-design process with Asian arts practitioners in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Tokerau. In particular, the fund responds to the recommendations made in Enter The Multiverse – Building a Stronger Sector For Our Asian Arts Practitioners (Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi, Sep 2022), specifically:

1. Mid-career practitioners are supported to become leaders in Aotearoa on an international stage
2. Early-career practitioners have culturally safe opportunities to build capability
3. Asian diaspora artists have access to the opportunities and resources to develop a distinctive voice within Aotearoa

Underscoring this fund is an acknowledgement of the place of Asian peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand in relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our nation’s bicultural foundation. Understanding the place of Asian New Zealanders goes hand in hand with understanding their roles and responsibilities as Tiriti partners since Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an agreement between Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti. In this context, we define Tangata Tiriti as inclusive of all those who call Aotearoa home – Pākehā and Tauiwi.

In 2025, we have added a suite of residencies, recognising the need for artists to have dedicated time and space to experiment, explore, and develop new work. Together, we hope these different streams provide a pathway for artists to be supported at all stages of their careers.

Not sure which funding stream is right for you? Take our quiz.

Please note: Only one application per person or group can be made to the Asian Artists’ Fund. This does not include registering for our Te Tiriti workshops, which are open to all creative practitioners of Asian descent (even if you are not applying for funding).

• Creative Fellowship: A $60,000 stipend designed to support creative practitioners to develop new ideas, new work and new approaches in their practice. We will be awarding up to four fellowships with a stipend of $60,000 in 2025.
  
• Creative Projects: To support the development or presentation of a creative project, or a combination of both. We will be awarding up to 10 grants of up to $35,000 each.
  
• Professional Development: For practitioners to undertake development activities that benefit their careers. This might include mentorship, workshops (whether related to your practice or to skills supporting the sustainability of your career), or documenting and archiving your own work. We will be awarding up to four grants of up to $5000 each.
  
• AAF Writers Residency: A residency for an artist developing a text of any kind (this may be poetry, fiction, non-fiction, theatre). Presented in partnership with Samoa House Library. The artist receives $10,000 and six months access to the co-working space at Samoa House Library.
  
• AAF Music and Sound Art Residency: A residency for a music or sound artist to experiment, explore, and develop new work. The artist receives $10,000 and four weeks studio space at Te Oro or an alternative Auckland Council studio space (noting that this time does not have to be consecutive).
  
• AAF Visual Arts Residency: A residency for a visual artist to experiment, explore, and develop new work. Presented in partnership with Te Tuhi. The artist receives $10,000 and 12 weeks shared studio space at Te Tuhi.
• AAF Dance and Movement Residency: A residency for a dance or movement artist to experiment, explore, and develop new work. The artist receives $10,000 and four weeks studio space at Te Oro or an alternative Auckland Council studio space (noting that this time does not have to be consecutive).
  
• AAF Performance Art Residency: A residency for an experimental performance artist or live artist to experiment and develop work, presented in partnership with Artspace Aotearoa and F.O.L.A. [AKL]. The artist receives $10,000 and four weeks of research and development (R&D) space (noting this time does not have to be consecutive), along with curatorial and dramaturgical support from Artspace and F.O.L.A.
  
• AAF Critic in Residence Programme: A residency for up to three early-career writers to be mentored as they work on eight pieces of criticism, features and profiles across a ten-month period. Presented in partnership with Metro and The Spinoff. Each writer receives a $5000 stipend across the ten-month period, during which time they will receive one-on-one mentorship and participate in regular writing workshops.

Please view the application guides for information about each funding stream.

For any general questions about the fund or the Funding Hub, either book in for one of our info sessions or speak to one of the team at Foundation North at asianartistfund@foundationnorth.org.nz or 0800 272 878.

If you have an idea but would like some help developing it into an application, you can book in to speak with one of our advisors here.

This year, our Advisors are Pennie Chang, Saraid de Silva, Ghazaleh Gol, and Dilohana Lekamge.

Advisors are available to discuss your applications until 4pm on the closing date, Wed 16 July.

Thank you to Creative New Zealand, Foundation North and Auckland Council for co-investing in this fund.

Thank you to Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi, the regional arts trust for Auckland, which has supported the development of this fund. Its redesign in 2024 was led on behalf of the trust by Rosabel Tan and Jane Yonge in order to respond more strongly to the recommendations made in Enter The Multiverse – Building a Stronger Sector for Our Asian Arts Practitioners (Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi, Sep 2022).

In 2025, the fund is being run by Rosabel Tan (Satellites) with Jane Yonge (Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi) supporting its continual evaluation.