Early Career Producer Mentorship

The Early Career Producer Mentorship Grants are an additional funding opportunity, new in 2026.

Applications are now closed.

This funding opportunity offers additional funding of up to $2,500.00 to support mentorship costs for both the mentee and mentor.

This opportunity is open to emerging & mid-career producers presenting at least 1 show during Adelaide Fringe 2026.
The mentorship should relate directly to an Adelaide Fringe 2026 outcome.
The Early Career Producer Mentorship grant must be applied for in addition to either a ‘Get Involved’ or ‘Australian First Nations’ grant and will only be awarded alongside a successful ‘Get Involved’ or ‘Australian First Nations’ grant application. More information about our 'Get Involved' and 'Australian First Nations' Fringe Fund grant rounds here.

Key Dates
Information for Mentees
Information for Mentors
Early Career Producer Mentoring Agreement

Key Dates

June 3 - Grant Applications OPEN
August 1 - Grant Applications CLOSE
Mid-September - Notification of Successful Applicants
24 October - Show Registration Deadline for Successful Applicants

Information for Mentees (Applicants)

This funding opportunity offers additional funding of up to $2,500.00 to support mentorship costs.

These self-directed mentorships are intended to support professional development for Early Career producers presenting an Adelaide Fringe Show in 2026. Areas of focus can include building creative, administrative and logistical skills.

Applicants choose their own mentor, and can choose to engage with mentors located locally, nationally and internationally.

Applicants should have clearly articulated and achievable goals for their mentorship. Mentorship outcomes to aim for include growth and development in specific areas of your professional practice, in order to build the long-term sustainability of your creative career.

Who Can Apply?

Emerging and mid-career producers presenting at least 1 show in Adelaide Fringe 2026
Applicants must be linked to a ‘Get Involved’ or ‘Australian First Nations’ Grant application.
Artist, Collective, Venue and Community Group applicants can apply on behalf of a producer involved in their project

How to Apply

Applicants will be prompted to apply for this additional funding opportunity within their ‘Get Involved’ or ‘Australian First Nations’ grant application.
- Our Fringe Fund Grants are now closed.

What You’ll Need:

A letter of support from your mentor, confirming their willingness to participate and outlining the contact hours they are committing to.
An outline of how the mentorship funds will be spent, including a budget of paid hours for both mentee and mentor, and any other costs directly related.
- When completing your mentorship budget, any pay rates should be in line with relevant Live Performance Award or NAVA rates of compensation. We recommend a minimum rate of $80 per hour for the chosen mentor and $40-$50 per hour for the mentee.

Your Early Career Mentorship budget should not include details of any funding you are applying for as a part of either a ’Get Involved’ or ’Australian First Nations’ grant application.

What Will We Fund?

Mentor Wages - Your budget should include the total number of hours the mentor has committed to, along with the hourly rate they will be paid.
Mentee (Producer) Wages - Please ensure that you detail how much the mentee (producer) will be paid per hour of their time and the total hours budgeted.
Other costs directly related to the Early Career Mentorship - These costs can include: Travel costs to meet with your mentor in person, Facility Costs: Renting a meeting space, Communication Costs: Costs related to keeping in touch with your mentor

Things to Consider:

How would you like to advance your professional practice and position within the industry?
What goals do you need to put in place to effectively build your creative career?
Do you have the time and energy to dedicate to the mentorship process and your mentorship goals?
Is a self-directed mentorship the right option for you?
Are you prepared to be welcoming of critical conversations and feedback?

How Do I Choose my Mentor?

You should look to engage a mentor who has a strong practice of their own that you admire. A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor, with the capacity to both support and challenge you.
Does your mentor have experience relevant to your own practice?
What professional strengths and qualities does your mentor have that you could benefit from?
Does your mentor have the time to dedicate to this mentorship?
Adelaide Fringe has collated a list of potential mentors for 2026. Please reach out to the Artist and Venue team if you need guidance on choosing a mentor.

Adelaide Fringe has collated a list of potential mentors for 2026. Please reach out to the Artist and Venue team if you need guidance on choosing a mentor.

Information for Mentors

Are you an experienced professional producer interested in mentoring the next generation? For the 2026 Fringe season we're introducing our Early Career Producer Mentorship Grants.

To assist mentees in finding the right mentor we'll be creating a list of interested potential mentors. While some applicants will have a mentor in mind, others will benefit from a list of established producers to reach out to.

If you're interested in mentoring an early career producer, and are willing to be contacted by potential mentees, please fill out the expression of interest form HERE. If a mentee reaches out to our team, we will recommend 3-5 options based on their area of practice.

These mentorships are self-directed, so it is up to the mentee to make initial contact with you and propose a mentorship timeline, fee and goals. Once you have come to an agreement with potential mentee/s, please provide them with a Letter of Support so they can include this in their Fringe Fund application.

Things to Consider:

Do you have the time to commit to this initiative in the lead up to the 2026 Fringe season? Mentoring requires time and patience, mentors should consider their capacity to meet regulalrly with their mentee and their availability to answer questions and provide support.
Are you prepared to provide honest and constructive feedback and take part in potentially challenging conversations?
In order to build a strong relationship with your mentee you will need to be reliable, display empathy and respect their confidentiality.
Are you willing to hold your mentee accountable for their commitments, in order to help them stay on track and achieve their goals?
Consider your personal goals and why you want to be a mentor. Are you looking to share your skills and experience? Build your leadership skills?
Think about the type of support you can offer and your own strangths and weaknesses.

Letter of Support

Applicants will need to supply a letter of support for their application. This does not need to be extensive. Please confirm the name of the mentee, their project, agreed upon contact hours, and the agreed upon fee in writing.
If you have reached the capacity of mentees or would like to be removed from further contact, please contact our team immediately and we will stop recommending you to other potential applicants.

Mentor Fee

The $2,500 in funding contributes to the wages of both mentor and mentee on an Adelaide Fringe project. It is up to you and the mentee to come to an agreement regarding this breakdown.
Our recommended minimum rate is $80 per hour, in line with the relevant Live Performance Award and NAVA rates of compensation, with a rate of $40-$50 per hour for the mentee.
Any in-kind mentorship on top of this is up to your discretion.

Successful Applicants

Agreeing to a mentorship does not guarantee funding for the mentee.
Fringe Fund applications close 1 August 2025. Applicants will be notified of their application outcome by mid-September.
Mentorship should not commence prior to this in the case your mentee is unsuccessful in their funding application.
If your mentee is not successful, you are under no obligation to continue the mentorship agreement. Any in-kind mentorship is at your discretion.

Suggested Timeline

It’s up to you and your mentee to come to an agreement about what is the best timeline for your mentorship, but here’s a suggested format: