Selection Criteria for the Arts Grants Program

The following general funding criteria apply to all Arts Grants in the Arts Development, Indigenous Arts and Young People and the Arts programs only.

Selection Criteria

All Arts Grants applications will be assessed against each of the following criteria. Your application must

• demonstrate artistic merit
• demonstrate financial responsibility and management competence, including accurate costing
• include well-defined objectives and outcomes, demonstrating research, process and planning
• include relevant, quality support material

In preparing your application, please demonstrate strengths in any or all of the following areas.  These will inform assessment of your application by the panel:

• Encourages excellence in arts practice
• Develops the skills and abilities of Western Australian artists
• Includes appropriate professional fees for artists
• Supports the creation, presentation and promotion of work by regionally based artists and communities
• Increases access by regional audiences to a diversity of arts experiences
• Supports multicultural arts development, including the creation, presentation and promotion of work by artists and communities from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds as well as the inclusion of CALD audiences more widely
•  Encourages financial self sufficiency for the artist or arts organisation
• Encourages cultural vibrancy in Western Australia through arts activities developed and implemented by, with and/or for communities
• Demonstrates community or arts sector need and support for the project
• Demonstrates direct and lasting benefits to the people of Western Australia
• Reflects and develops the unique nature of Western Australia.

While your application need not meet all of the above, each grant category has its own unique assessment priorities.  Your application must address these.  If you need clarification please contact a Project Officer.

Eligibility

Please check the specific eligibility requirements for your category.

In addition, the following applications are ineligible:

• Projects that require total cost to be covered by the Department. Budgets must include in-kind or cash income from other sources. This may be a self contribution, sales, sponsorship or other funding
• Applications in film, television and radio. Please see Other Funding Sources. The Department recognises that video and new technologies offer artists tools for making, presenting, distributing or marketing work in a variety of art forms. The broader context of the intended activity and the applicant’s existing practice may inform eligibility. Please contact a Project Officer to discuss eligibility before preparing your application
• Activities where key creative and administrative personnel (as listed in Question 3 of the application form) have outstanding acquittals from previous funding from the Department
• Applications from an individual who is not an Australian citizen or does not have Australian permanent resident status
• Applications from an individual who has not resided in Western Australia for at least 12 months prior to making the application
• Where the applicant has no Australian Business Number (ABN) or no proof that the applicant is not subject to Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding tax, in accordance with Australian Taxation Office requirements
• Where the applicant has submitted more than three applications to the Department in any 12-month period with the exception of Contemporary Music Grant Program applications and auspice organisations
• Applications received or postmarked after the deadline 
• Submissions via email or fax
• Where the activity starts before the stated commencement date
• Where the application seeks funding on a retrospective basis
• The restoration or conservation of cultural material (please contact Museums Australia for funding opportunities)
• The purchase of capital equipment, including instruments, equipment, computers, software or uniforms
• Capital works, such as the establishment of artists’ studios and gallery spaces (please see Other Funding Sources)
• Fundraising, competitions, prizes and trophies. Projects where there are significant strategic benefits to Western Australian artists may be eligible, however the Department will not contribute to expenditure toward prizes 
• The work of other State or Federal Government departments
• The work of other portfolio organisations (including organisations directly funded by the portfolio organisations) as well as staff of those portfolio organisations
• Activities that are curriculum linked or used for academic assessment. Childcare centres, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities must demonstrate how the proposal adds to, or differs from, the curriculum-based arts activity already being offered.  Access to the activity must not be restricted to the students of the institution (with the exception of the Young People and the Arts International Scholarship)
• Facsimiles, genealogical works and histories of Local Governments, clubs, districts or organisations.

Support Material

This must be submitted with your application on or before the due date. 

Support materials must be concise and relevant to your activity.  The panel will not view excess support material so please note the limits. Please submit copies and extracts, not originals. Materials should be labelled and unbound.  Folders and wrappings will not enhance your application.

Additional support material may also be required – please see your particular category.

Required support material

1. One page per person biographical outlines or CVs of artists and/or company/organisation profiles. Where a large group of artists is involved, please also include a one-page summary of participating artists
2. Letters or emails confirming participation of key parties involved in the project including venue/s, other collaborators, funding agencies etc
3. A record of meetings, attendees and consultation you have made if your project includes Indigenous people or content (please refer to information on communication, consultation and consent)
4. Quotes for services (e.g. airfares) to be funded by the Department.
5. Samples of your work, illustrating work produced in the last 3 years. The amount should be limited to one* of the following as relevant to the proposed activity.

• Up to five minutes of video material on VHS or DVD. Please identify the segment to be viewed. (When viewing videos or DVDs, the Panel understands that it is not a substitute for live performance)
• Up to five minutes of audio material on CD
• Up to ten pages of the proposed text in draft form, which must include a synopsis or summary introduction as appropriate 
• Up to five pages or equivalent of a website or interactive work (please present on CDROM or DVD and include a planned navigation path for assessment)
• Up to 10 images for individual artists**
• Up to 20 images for Fellowships or group exhibitions.

* Hybrid or multi artform applications may consider including support material that demonstrates each art form represented in the project.

** Slides are not accepted by DCA. Formats may include EPS, TIFF or JPEG formats at a minimum 72dpi with each image being identified with a title, date, medium, artist and dimensions. All CD-ROMs and DVDs must be playable on a standard PC.

Writing applicants must also include

1. up to two extracts of published or unpublished, typed manuscripts (each extract should be no more than five pages, in addition to the proposed text)
2. a letter of interest from a publisher.

Visual Arts and Crafts applicants must also include

1. a curatorial synopsis for group exhibitions (if applicable).

Other Support Materials

General support materials may also be included. These must be presented as A4 unbound additions to your application.

• A concise business plan, up to three pages in length
• A concise marketing strategy, up to three pages in length
•  Letters, faxes or emails of support from individuals (no more than three)
• Letters, faxes or emails of support from organisations  (no more than three)
• Notes about your budget, up to three pages in length
• Up to one page rationale for the selection of artists where this selection is to take place after receipt of funding
• Reviews, testimonials or audience feedback, up to three pages in length

Performing Arts applicants may also consider including the following:

• A copy of the play to be performed in the application.