Important information for culture and the arts grant applicants.
Each grant program has a program guide, make sure you read through it, it has all the essential information you’ll need like eligibility, what we fund (and what we don’t), how much you can apply for and what support material you can and can’t include.
Start as early as possible to give yourself enough time to create a compelling and detailed application. Having plenty of time will also help you avoid making mistakes.
Make sure you and all key personnel have no outstanding acquittals.
Letters of support included with your application should be current and clearly show knowledge of your activity, not just that you can deliver it. Give yourself plenty of lead time to talk with peers so they will be able to get their letters to you before the deadline.
This is important for demonstrating you have confirmation of your activity and the people participating in it. It can be letters, emails or quotes from communities, key personnel, events, venues, and suppliers. This is particularly important for community-based activities and those including Aboriginal communities.
Each of the 4 components plays a significant and distinct role in creating a whole picture about your activity and together they provide evidence of the assessment criteria:
These are listed in your program guide with notes to help you.
Make sure you read your program guide for more detailed information.
Make sure you read your program guide for detailed information regarding formats and limits.
To apply for a DLGSC culture and the arts grant you should submit your application through the Online Grants portal. If, for accessibility reasons, you are unable to apply online please contact us outlining the circumstances that prevent you from doing so and we will assist you.
The Online Grants portal is optimised for use with recent versions of Google Chrome, Edge, or Safari in combination with Windows or Mac OSX.
Throughout the online grant application form you will find help text to guide you through the questions and the process of applying online.
To make sure your work is being saved, please use the Save buttons instead of the browser forward and back buttons. Please note that the Online Grants portal times out after 20 minutes of inactivity, save your work regularly.
To be eligible, work in the moving image must be part of an artistic practice which is outside the film and television industries. For the purposes of the department's grant programs, work in the moving image includes film, video, animation, projection art, time-based media art and other emerging digital forms.
You cannot apply for:
Further information and resources on film, video and other moving image forms may be available from the following organisations and websites:
You will find information about support material, formats and limits in your program guide. You must submit your support materials by uploading them to your application.
You can extract a copy of your draft application in Online Grants at any stage to share with others for their feedback.
Contact onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au if you require assistance extracting a copy of your draft application in Online Grants.
Show your application to a colleague or friend. If it doesn’t make sense to them, or they are not particularly excited about the project, then your application probably needs more work.
Proof-read thoroughly and fix typos and bad grammar.
Check and check again! Make sure absolutely everything you need for your application is included because once you submit your application there is no opportunity to add or amend anything.
Check the draft review request deadline on the Key Dates Calendar to see if the program you are applying to has the option to request a draft review. You can request a draft review any time before the draft review request deadline. Only one request for review can be submitted per application.
You can continue to edit your application while waiting for your draft review feedback. However, please be aware that depending on the volume of draft review requests, staff may not be able to provide feedback. In the unlikely event that this might happen, it is up to you to ensure that you submit your application before the submission deadline.
You are strongly encouraged to make your draft review request well before that review deadline to give staff sufficient time to provide quality feedback as well as you time to update your application. You will be unable to request a review after the deadline has been passed.
Contact onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au if you require assistance requesting a draft review in Online Grants.
Before you submit your application, you will need to read and confirm that you understand the terms and conditions outlined in the following sections:
A Grants Officer can provide clarification if required.
I have read and am familiar with the information relevant to this application as published on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website.
All statements in this application are true to the best of my knowledge.
In the event that your grant application is successful, do you give the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries permission to pass your primary phone number and/or email address on to the media?
If your activity directly involves children, or if you and/or key personnel in the activity will be responsible for, or supervising children, you must confirm your understanding and compliance with current legislative requirements related to working with children. Refer to the Working with Children Check website for more information.
The Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004 makes it compulsory for many people in child-related work to apply for a Working with Children Check. The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries reserves the right to require any applicant to provide relevant clearances as a pre-condition of funding.
A person is in child-related work if their usual duties or work involve, or are likely to involve:
To complete your application, you will need to read both and select one of the following Statements:
This activity is likely to involve personnel working with people under the age of 18. I am/the organisation is aware of the special responsibilities associated with working with children and am aware of the Working with Children Act 2004, and will take the necessary steps to ensure that, where required, all relevant personnel have a current Working with Children Assessment Notice or are able to obtain one.
The organisation and/or the activity DOES NOT involve working with young people aged under 18.
Through its privacy policy the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries is committed to safeguarding any personal information it may hold at any time in respect to an individual. For the purposes of this policy, “personal information” is information about individuals or which may identify an individual. The privacy policy can be found on our website.
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ terms and conditions includes the following information for applicants:
Full listings of grant recipients will be published on our website and in our Annual Report. We may also publicise recipients in our newsletters and publications. You will be required to acknowledge the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in all your publicity if your application is successful. Failure to do so may affect your grant payment.
According to the Freedom of Information Act (1992), any information held by us, including your application is accessible by you. While the information you present to us is treated as confidential, staff and external peer assessors may see it. The information you supply may also be made available to those assessing any other grant applications you make.
By submitting your application, you waive any right to raise any type of proceedings against the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries because of, or in contemplation of, any disclosure of the contents of your application in response to an information request made under the Freedom of Information Act (1992).
Data held in our system may be used for the following purposes: statistical reporting, application assessment, media enquiries, accounting purposes and for contacting you. The details of your grant will be public information, however, your personal details will only be accessible by our staff, appointed auditors and individuals or organisations who may help us assess or monitor grants.
When you have completed all sections, click Submit as Final. It is very important you are completely satisfied your application is completed before you click Submit as Final. Once submitted your application cannot be accessed to make changes or add support material.
A system-generated email confirming the successful submission of your application will be sent to your registered email address within 15 minutes of submission. This email confirmation is evidence that you have submitted your application by the due date and time, and it is your responsibility to contact us immediately if you do not receive it.
If you do not receive confirmation, email the Online Grants Support quoting your application name and time of submission, and a staff member will investigate the status of your application. Claims relating to application submission errors after this time will not be investigated.
The department does not accept applications submitted by email.
All applications are assessed against the four criteria:
The weighted scoring method is a decision-making support tool that allows equal evaluation for each application against the assessment criteria as well as an objective comparison to be made between applications.
To help you address the four criteria in your application there is a subset of assessment measures and definitions (see the table below). Not all the assessment measures will apply to every activity. Assessors will consider how well your application addresses the four criteria, as well as the objectives of the program you are applying to.
You must score highly on all four criteria to be successful. However, not all applications that score highly will be successful in receiving funding. Final approval of successful applications depends on available budget and approval by the Minister or delegated authority.
Applicants will be notified in writing the outcome of their application once the assessment process has been finalised. Successful applicants will receive a contract, which needs to be signed and returned before grant funds are paid.
Successful recipients of a Culture and the Arts grant will be required to submit progress reports and/or a funding acquittal report as per the details specified in the funding agreement. The relevant report will be available for you to access in Online Grants once a copy of your signed funding agreement has been received. Ensure you check your funding agreement to confirm your reporting requirements and deadlines.
Images of your activity provide a simple and straightforward means of showing your activity was delivered as described in your original application.
When you submit an acquittal (Applicant Report) with images, the best images may be used on our website and in promotional materials. This is a valuable opportunity for publicity. If you would like your images to be considered they must be high quality, have information so we can appropriately credit them and an image permission form for us to use them.
To ensure you capture the best possible images for documentation and promotion make sure you:
Typical image credits may include the following information:
<name of pictured performers/artists (L-R)>, in <title of performance> by <artist/producer/company> at <venue/event/festival>, <place/town/city>; <year>. Photo by <photographer name>
<name of artwork>, by <artist name>, at <exhibition and/or event>; <place/town/city/>; <year>. Photo by <photographer name>
<name of people pictured if known or significant>, at <exhibition/event/festival>; < place/town/city>, <year>. Photo by <photographer name>
<description of subject/persons pictured>, <description of activity being undertaken>; <name of project/performance/event etc> by <artist name if relevant>; <place/town/city >; <year>. Photo by <photographer name>
Grants Officers are available via telephone and email to answer queries about applications and suitability of activities to specific programs.
If you need extra assistance due to disability, language barriers or any other factor that may disadvantage you in completing your application, please contact us.
The advice provided by Grants Officers does not guarantee the success of your application.
Due to the high number of applications received, each funding round is highly competitive.
For help to use the portal or for technical issues, email the Online Grants Support Team: onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
For help relating to the grant programs, including advice or assistance with your application, email the Grants Officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
To assist us in directing you to a relevant member of the team, please specify which program or category your enquiry relates to in the subject line of your email.
The department is committed to supporting applicants with disability. Information can be provided in alternative formats (large print, electronic or Braille) upon request.
If you require special assistance in preparing your application, please call 61 8 6552 7400 or toll free for regional WA callers on 1800 634 541.
Family, friends, mentors and/or carers can attend meetings with you.
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through one of the following:
For interpreting assistance in languages other than English, telephone the Translation and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 and ask for a connection to 6552 7400 or 1800 634 541.
Toll free (country WA callers only) 1800 634 541.
Email the Grants Officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
When you submit an application, your application is subject to a competitive assessment process. Your application is assessed against the assessment criteria and all applicants are notified of the outcome of their application as soon as possible following the conclusion of the assessment process.
Whether or not your application was successful, you can contact a Grants Officer to request feedback on your application. This feedback can be valuable in planning and preparing your future applications.
If you would like to receive feedback you must email in writing with a request for feedback to be provided.
It is a condition of submitting an application that you acknowledge acceptance of the DLGSC’s assessment process and requirements as outlined for each grant program.
Appeals will only be considered where there is an alleged breach of the assessment process. If you believe that the proper assessment process has not been followed for your grant application, please discuss your concerns with a Grants Officer in the first instance.
If, following discussion with a Grants Officer, you consider your concerns have not been adequately addressed; you can lodge a complaint with the department, in writing, by following the instructions outlined in the feedback section of the department's website.