Eligibility requirements for the Arts Grants Program

The following general eligibility requirements apply to all Grants in  the Arts Development, Indigenous Arts and Young People and the Arts Programs only.

Please check the specific eligibility requirements for your Program and Category as well as the essential information for all applicants for details about who can apply. Applications will be ineligible if they:

• Request total costs to be covered by the Department. Budgets must include in-kind or cash income from other sources. This may be in the form of self-contribution, sales, sponsorship or other funding
• Request funds for film, television or radio projects. Please see Other Funding Sources. The Department recognises that video and new technologies offer artists tools for making, presenting, distributing and marketing work in a variety of artforms. The broader context of the intended activity and the applicant’s existing practice may inform eligibility. Please contact the appropriate Project Officer to discuss eligibility before preparing your application
• Include activities where key creative and administrative personnel (as listed in Question 3 of the application form) have overdue acquittals from previous funding from the Department
• Are received or postmarked after the deadline or are submitted via email or fax
• Request funds for an activity starting before the grants stated commencement date (see closing dates)
• Seek funding on a retrospective basis
• Request funds for restoration or conservation of cultural material (please contact Museums Australia for funding opportunities)
• Request funds for the purchase of capital equipment, including instruments, equipment, computers, software or uniforms
• Request funds for capital works (eg. establishment of artists’ studios and gallery spaces). Please see Other Funding Sources.
• Request funds for 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 towards expenditure on prizes
• Request funds for the work of other State or Federal Government departments or the work of other portfolio agencies of the Department (including organisations directly funded by portfolio agencies)
• Request funds for activities that are curriculum development based 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)
• Request funds for facsimiles, genealogical works and histories of local governments, clubs, districts or organisations.

Applicants must:

• Be an Australian citizen or have Australian permanent resident status
• Reside in Western Australia for at least 12 months prior to making the application
• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or proof that the applicant is not subject to Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding tax in accordance with Australian Taxation Office requirements
• Not have submitted more than three applications to the Department in any 12-month period with the exception of the Contemporary Music Grant Program, some special initiatives and auspicing organisations. Please contact your Project Officer for details.
• Not be a DCA staff member. Staff of other DCA portfolio organisations may be eligible to apply for funding from the Arts Grants Program. The applicant needs to include a covering letter from the CEO or Executive Director that states the employee’s role and employment details in the Portfolio Organisation that satisfactorily explains how any conflict of interest will be managed. For further information refer to the Department of Culture and the Arts Code of Conduct and discuss your application with the relevant Project Officer prior to preparing the application.