Grants guide: glossary of terms

Terms and definitions

Acquittal

A written report submitted after the funded project is completed, or yearly for multi-year funding. It details how the recipient administered the grant funds and met the project outcomes in the funding agreement.

Auspice

An incorporated organisation that receives, administers and manages the grant on behalf of an applicant.

The auspice is required to:

• enter into the relevant agreement with the City of Sydney
• accept grant funds and pay the grant applicant
• be responsible for any value-in-kind support we approve, including making bookings and entering into any related agreements with us
• manage grant funds during the project
• be responsible for all obligations in the agreement with us including providing insurances on behalf of the grant applicant.

The auspice should have the technical skills to guide and support the applicant in the project, while acknowledging project decisions remain with the applicant.

Capital expenditure

Funding specifically requested for purchase, maintaining or upgrading items the applicant owns and that will be used beyond the time of the project. This includes building maintenance, upgrading technology or buying new equipment. These expenses are different from regular costs like salaries or utilities because they build and improve the offerings to communities in a more permanent way.

Greater Sydney

Greater Sydney is the metropolitan area of the city of Sydney, including surrounding regions. Its populations regularly socialise, shop or work in Sydney, but live in the city’s suburbs or in the small towns and rural areas surrounding the city.

Greater Sydney stretches across southern and western areas in an arc to the Central Coast. It includes the Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains and Northern Beaches.

Priority communities

Communities that may experience heightened inequality and barriers to social, economic, cultural, political and environmental resources, services and support, including:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• people on low incomes
• people renting including social housing residents
• people experiencing homelessness
• people with disability
• people with lived experience of a mental health and/or chronic condition
• people over 65
• young people and children under 5
• new immigrants, non-citizens and refugees
• people with English as a second language
• people of diverse sexualities and genders
• women and girls.

Professional practicing artist

A professional practicing artist is defined as meeting one or more of the following criteria:

1. In the past 3 to 5 years has had an artistic achievement in their art form, such as:
   • a work of creative fiction or imagination accepted for publication by a recognised publishing outlet or performed by a professional stage, radio, television or film company, where a fee or royalties was received
   • a work or works shown or performed at a professional gallery or exhibition, or published by a recognised publishing outlet, or received a major public or private commission
   • an original composition, other than advertising jingles or other commercial music, performed under professional circumstances, either live, broadcast, recorded or filmed
   • a professional engagement as a director or dramatic actor or performer with a professional stage, television or film company
   • a professional engagement as a choreographer, dancer, musician or singer in a professional capacity
   • contributed to the development of a major community arts project, or played an important part in encouraging members of the community to create works of art, or a substantial artistic role in a festival or other important community arts event
2. has been engaged in the past 5 years in creating a serious and substantial body of work in their art form
3. has undertaken full-time training in their art form or in the past 3 to 5 years has received a grant to work in their art form through a public or private grant.

Recipient

A party who has successfully applied for a grant. Also known as grantee.

Value-in-kind

Value-in-kind refers to an arrangement where the City of Sydney gives up revenue, either in full or a percentage, on things for which a fee normally applies. This may include venue hire, banner pole hire or rent.

For more information, see our value-in-kind guide.