Call for Applications: Arts Projects for Organisations (Australia)

Deadline: 16-Jan-2025

The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries is seeking applications to support the development and growth of a vibrant sector that promotes the participation and active engagement of Western Australian communities in high quality arts and cultural experiences.

This program supports organisations to deliver projects thatinvolve artists or creatives who maintain professional arts and creative practices.

Funding Categories

Annual Program of Activity
- Build the capacity of the State’s arts, creative and cultural sector.
- Contribute to the State’s creative economy through increased employment and development of professional artists, creatives and cultural workers.
- Support an annual program of activities for an organisation.
- Increase the stability and planning capacity of arts organisations.
- Support identified State Government priorities for the art, creative and cultural sector and/or;
- Support the development of new business models for WA art, creative and cultural organisations
Creative Development
- Support the development of high quality, diverse creative practices, including community arts practices.
- Increase professional and skills development of artists, arts workers, cultural workers.
- Support creative industry professionals at different points in the life cycle of their careers.
- Create and present high quality and diverse arts, cultural and creative experiences for the people of WA.
- Reflect the State’s identity through telling WA stories and developing creative content in WA.
- Support international initiatives that promote both the artist and the State of WA.
- Facilitate collaboration, experimentation, excellence and growth for the WA arts and cultural sectors.
Arts and Creative Business Development
- Support contemporary design, arts and creative businesses that are recognised as high quality to access new commercial markets, increase audience capacity and develop new networks.
- Raise the profile of contemporary design, arts and creative businesses through promotional and marketing activities.
- Support arts, cultural and creative businesses to strengthen and develop the economic and cultural growth of the WA creative industries.
- Support professional and skills development of contemporary designers, artists, arts and cultural workers at different points in the life cycle of their business to strengthen commercial viability.
- Develop commercial sustainability of creative businesses through support for increasing sales and business revenue.
Aboriginal Arts
- Promote or facilitate greater engagement of Aboriginal communities in the arts.
- Encourage the expression of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal culture, individuality, spirituality and empowerment through the arts.
- Encourage the involvement of Aboriginal arts expertise, skills, knowledge and resources.
- Support long term skills development goals for Aboriginal artists, arts workers and communities.
- Support Aboriginal cultural maintenance through arts-based activity.
- Deliver artistic and social outcomes for Aboriginal communities through the arts.

Funding Information

Eligible applicants can apply for funding between $5000 and $80,000.
This program may fund up to 80% of your activity costs. You must demonstrate at least 20% income, or your application will be ineligible.
Your funding request will be the difference between your expenditure minus your income in your application budget.

What can be applied for?

Eligible activities may include, but are not limited to:
- the creation, production and/or presentation of new Aboriginal art works or events
- the revival, reinterpretation, distribution or public presentation of existing works or events
- participation in skills or professional development workshops and/or residencies
- cultural maintenance activities with a clearly defined arts component. It may include bush trips, intergenerational skills transfer, recording of cultural stories for archival purposes and/or collection of traditional materials for construction of cultural products in accordance with galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) practices
- support high-calibre, respected, nationally-recognised Aboriginal artists to undertake an intensive period of creative or professional development, similar to a fellowship
- develop commercial sustainability through support for activities that develop strategies to increase sales and business revenue.

What can’t you apply for?

projects or activities that do not involve or benefit Western Australian practicing artists, creatives, or arts or cultural workers
purchase of capital equipment including instruments, equipment, software, computers, tablets (iPads) and/or uniforms
capital works such as construction or purchasing of studios, work spaces or gallery spaces
activities already funded by the department through any of our funding programs
activity relating to radio broadcasting
display, restoration or conservation of cultural and/or historical material
costs of manufacturing and/or producing prototypes
activities relating to podcasts and audiobooks that do not involve creative arts practitioners
fundraising, competitions, prizes and trophies
the work of State Government or Commonwealth Government departments
activity that will be academically assessed or any school curriculum based activity
facsimiles, genealogical works and histories of local governments, clubs, districts and organisations
activities related to an individual’s membership in a national organisation
ongoing staffing or operational costs, except for organisations applying under the Annual Program of Activity category
digital games development activities
film and television activities such as:
- the development or production of narrative shorts or features, pilots for television series, web series, mainstream animation e.g. conventional character-based narrative cartoons
- documentaries, including documentaries on the arts
- screenwriting activities or script development for film and television
- stand-alone documentation activities
- education activities, or activities where members of the public take part, where the main or only art form being used is film or digital, unless it’s in support of an artist’s work
- film festivals, unless they support works created by practicing artists.

Eligible Disciplines

circus and physical theatre
comedy
community arts and cultural development
cross-art form
dance
design
interactive arts content
literature and writing (limited to literary fiction, literary non-fiction, poetry, illustrated narrative)
multi-arts festivals
music
music theatre and opera
other performing arts
theatre
visual arts.

Who can apply?

Organisations that deliver arts projects, a program of arts activity or arts services are welcome to apply to this program however:
- organisations must either be registered under law (for example incorporated association, company limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example university, school or government statutory authority)
- individuals, partnerships, or groups applying for funding must apply through the Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups program
- individuals being auspiced by an organisation must apply through this program
- if you are considering submitting an administered/auspiced grant you must contact the department before commencing your application
- WA educational institutions (kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities) cannot apply for curriculum-based arts activity. If you are in any doubt, contact us to discuss your activity
- if you are applying on behalf of Aboriginal people you must provide evidence of significant Aboriginal involvement in the conception, development of and participation in the activity. Please contact us to discuss how to demonstrate this
- although WA residency is not a requirement to apply for a grant, if you are applying from outside WA you will need to show the benefits to WA artists, creatives, arts or cultural workers in your application
- Arts Organisation Investment Program or National Performing Arts Partnership Framework funded organisations are not eligible to apply to this program, unless you are auspicing an application for an individual group.

Ineligibility Criteria

Your application will be ineligible if you:
- are an individual or a group
- do not provide any support material
- do not adhere to budget requirements including requesting more than 80% of your project cost
- start the activity before the eligible start date
- submit an application late
- exceed application limit to the Arts Projects for Organisations and Arts Projects for Individuals programs (no more than two submissions per financial year)
- are requesting funding for an Annual Program of Activity grant and have already received one per financial year
- are requesting funding for an activity that has already had two application attempts per financial year, regardless of applicant
- have any key personnel with an overdue acquittal report
- are a staff member of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (staff of portfolio organisations may apply subject to meeting the Code of Conduct and Secondary Employment Policy)
- request funding that exceeds the funding cap of the program
- apply for activity that is delivered as part of an educational institution’s curriculum or will be academically assessed
- are a portfolio organisation of DLGSC
- are an Arts Organisation Investment Program or National Performing Arts Partnership Framework funded organisation.

For more information, visit Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.