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.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts