Musical Instruments and Equipment for Secondary Schools for the Asking

21 February 2007

Music. Play for Life, an initiative of the Music Council of Australia, is urging Schools to take advantage of extra government funding to inject capital into their pupils' musical activities.

The Federal government's Investing In Our Schools (IOSP) grant scheme has just got a $181 million boost. The program now has an additional $127 million available for State schools and $54 million for non-government schools.

The program covers small-scale capital equipment – and that includes musical instruments and equipment. Up to the last published figures, 376 Australian schools had bought themselves more than $17.2 million worth of musical instruments and equipment with funds from this scheme.

But schools need to be quick – 2007 is the final round in this program. It can take up to six months to get funding approved. Don't delay. Take advantage of this scheme and boost your school's musical life.

2007 is the final round in a program which, by its end, will have distributed almost $1.2 billion in capital grants to State and Independent schools in Australia.

If yours is a State school and you've made no funding application to the scheme yet, or if you've received funds in other rounds of the scheme which total $50,000 or less, you can still apply for projects which will take your total to a maximum of $100,000.

If you've already received funding at or above $100,000, you are not eligible to apply in 2007.

Funding is also made available to less well-off independent and Catholic schools, through Block Grant Authorities (BGAs).

Application deadlines for the final funding rounds (State schools) are:

Australian Capital Territory: 21 March 2007 – 2 May 2007

New South Wales: 21 March 2007 – 2 May 2007

Western Australia: 21 March 2007 – 2 May 2007

Victoria: 4 April 2007 – 16 May 2007

Queensland: 11 April 2007 – 23 May 2007

Northern Territory: 18 April 2007 – 30 May 2007

Tasmania: 18 April 2007 – 30 May 2007

South Australia: 2 May 2007 – 13 June 2007