Applying for Grants

Applicants are required to provide an Australian Business Number (ABN) to be eligible for funding.

Under the Pay As You Go (PAYG) system, 48.5% of any payment to a business must be withheld, unless:

• Applicants provide the Department of Culture and the Arts with an Australian Business Number (ABN); or

• Applicants establish that, for the purposes of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), they are not engaged in an enterprise; or

• Applicants provide proof from the ATO that they were unsuccessful in applying for an ABN.

Your application is acceptance of the Panel assessment process and the conditions of the relevant grants program. 

Complaints will only be considered where there is an alleged breach of the assessment process as outlined in the Department’s Arts Grants assessment guidelines. If you believe that proper assessment process has not been followed for your grant application please discuss your concerns with the relevant Project Officer who will raise these with the appropriate Department staff.

If you consider that your complaint has not been adequately addressed following discussions with the Project Officer, please put your complaint in writing and address it to the Executive Director. You will receive acknowledgement of your letter and a response will be provided within 15 working days from the time the Department received your complaint.

Support is also available from several other organisations who provide funding, advice, residencies, advocacy and assistance programs for artists and communities.

Individuals or Groups
Individuals and groups of individual artists who join together informally to undertake projects may apply.  Groups must be auspiced by an individual or organisation. Groups and individual applicants must be Western Australian residents.

Organisations
The Department invites applications from organisations including small businesses, Local Government authorities and legally constituted, not-for-profit organisations. Benefits to Western Australian artists and the Western Australian community must be identified where the applicant is from outside Western Australia.

National Membership Organisations
Applications will not be accepted from individuals related to activity stemming from their membership of a national organisation. Instead, organisations and managing bodies may apply for funds to support the participation by Western Australian members in any significant national activity. Individuals in need of assistance should contact their national organisation.

Organisations already in recurrent receipt of funding from the Department
The following organisations are eligible to apply for additional funding for international projects through the Distribution category.  They are also eligible to apply to the Contemporary Music Grants Program, which has its own separate handbook.

These organisations may be a partner in an application to other categories but they cannot be the applicant.

Organisations in receipt of

• Triennial or Multi-year funding via the Department
• Recurrent funding through the Department or any of its portfolio organisations

Perth International Arts Festival: Special Conditions
Applications for projects which are to be included as part of the Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) may apply for up to $20,000 and must ensure they:

• demonstrate a confirmed financial commitment from PIAF, (in-kind support is not sufficient); and
• include a formal letter of invitation from PIAF

Young People and the Arts Program grants are for project by, with or for people aged 26 years or younger.  The Young People and the Arts International Scholarship is for people aged 29 years or younger.  All other Grants Programs do not have an age limit.

Visit the contacts page to find the contact details for all Project Officers.

Before you submit your application, run through the checklist at the front of the application form to make sure you’ve remembered everything.

Applications, along with all support materials, must be submitted on the relevant closing date. For hand deliveries, our office closes at 5pm sharp.  Postal applications must be postmarked on the due date.  Please check with your local post office to ensure your application will be postmarked on the correct date or contact your project officer if you have any concerns.

Whilst most projects run for less than 12 months, you can take as long as you need to successfully complete it.  Funding supported through the Department of Culture and the Arts’ panels is generally for projects within a limited time frame, but this can vary, depending on the project. You can apply for different stages of a project rather than all stages at once. The Department of Culture and the Arts can also support funding for an annual program of events, but formal permission must be sought from The Department, and the applicant must have a track record of previous support.  It is best to seek the advice of the relevant project officer on any issues relating to the nature of your project.

In each funding round, you can submit one application only to each Panel.

In each funding round, you can apply to more than one Panel if you apply for different projects or for a very different component of a program of activities.

You can submit a maximum of three applications in any 12-month period (excluding applications to the Contemporary Music Panel).

Some applications are auspiced by another organisation on behalf of the applicant. In that instance, the auspicing body can submit more than one application if it is for more than one applicant. However, they can only submit one application per applicant.

All applications are peer-assessed by members of the arts sector, with the exception of applications to Artflight and the Emerging Curators Program. Applications to these are assessed by internal Panel.

Peer panellists are practicing artists, arts workers, arts managers or individuals with relevant knowledge and experience, and are appointed by the Minister for Culture and the Arts for three years. Panellists are selected for each assessment round on the basis that they are free from conflict of interest pertaining to the applications and have the relevant expertise to thoroughly assess the applications.

All panellists are required to observe a code of conduct of impartiality and confidentiality and undertake thorough assessment of each application. Assessment meetings are supervised by Department staff to ensure adherence to the code of conduct for peer assessment, however Department staff members are not involved in decision making.

The assessing Panel considers each application and how well it meets the relevant selection criteria and priorities. With limited funding available, the Panel is often unable to support all applications that competitively address the selection criteria.  

Following the Panel assessment meeting, you will receive a letter of notification summarising the reasons why your application has been successful or unsuccessful, notification may take up to 3 months. You are also encouraged to seek further Panel feedback from the relevant Project Officer.

Applications that include collaboration with others must appropriately consult with all relevant parties. It is your responsibility to ensure you do this thoroughly and in a manner suitable to those with whom you are collaborating.

In particular, those working with Indigenous people and communities must refer to the Australia Council’s Visual Arts Cultures, Principles and Protocols Handbook available in the Department’s library (which can be contacted by contacting the Department’s Librarian, Katherine Browne-Cooper.)