Grant program guidelines
The Gaming Community Trust (the Trust) grant program is funded through the unclaimed winnings of casino gaming and wagering in Western Australia. The Trust is supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) in managing the grant program.
Projects must demonstrate a benefit to the community, be benevolent or charitable in nature and align to one or more of the below categories.
The 3 categories are:
The Trust has limited funding available; applications must comply with all grant guidelines and be highly competitive to be successful.
To decide which category is most suitable for you, refer to the category objectives.
The key dates calendar has opening and closing dates and project start date deadlines.
These guidelines provide essential information for your grants application.
After reading the program guidelines, you can apply using the Online Grants web portal.
Please note, the Online Grants web portal is kindly hosted by Culture and the Arts funding. Due to the nature of the Online Grants web portal, some questions may not be relevant to your application and can be answered with N/A, other or by selecting any option.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
The following individuals and organisations are welcome to apply:
Applications received from organisations registered by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission will be highly regarded
Your application will be ineligible if you:
Eligible applicants can apply for funding between $20,000 and $50,000.
Please see the DLGSC website for opening and closing dates.
You are encouraged to submit your application before the closing date to ensure you have plenty of time to allow for technical or eligibility/resubmission issues.
All times are in AWST (for Perth, Western Australia).
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application approximately 12 weeks after the closing date.
There is not a set limit on how many times an applicant can apply for a Trust grant. Applicants who have not previously been awarded a grant from the Trust may be looked upon more favourably.
Read the guidelines in their entirety before applying.
Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.
Applications to this funding program are assessed by the Trust.
All applications are assessed against 4 criteria:
Each has a subset of dimensions and weightings which can be found below.
Your project must meet at least one of objectives of the category to be successful. The assessment will consider your application against the relevant dimensions and definitions and allocate a weighted score for each of the 4 criteria.
Final approval of successful applications depends on available budget, review by the Trust and approval by the Minister for Racing and Gaming.
The grant application should clearly relate to one or more of the grant categories and result in a clear community benefit within WA and should not relate to something that should be funded by another government agency or grant program.
The need for the proposal and/or the opportunity being addressed should be well evidenced. The proposal should clearly state how the proposed outcomes will meet the identified community need/benefit. The proposed approach should be well planned, achievable and measurable.
The proposal should be cost effective and include a clear and realistic budget with accurate costs.
The proposal needs to demonstrate that the applicant has the skills, experience, management arrangements, relationships, capacity and mandate to deliver the proposal successfully and that the activities of the proposal are appropriate in the context of the objectives and purposes.
There are 3 components of a grant application: core application questions, financial information and support material. Each plays a significant and distinct role in creating a whole picture about your project.
Your answers to the core application questions should give the Trust an overview of your project. Each question has a 1500-character limit.
You can extract a copy of your draft application in Online Grants at any stage to share with others for their feedback.
Describe your planned project. Outline your ideas, what is involved, who you will be working with and how they will contribute. Explain the significance of the project for the relevant sector of the community.
Explain the strategic significance of undertaking this project at this time. Demonstrate the relevance, timeliness and impact of the project on the WA community.
List the direct outcomes you hope to achieve from your project.
Describe in detail the stages or steps in planning, developing and implementing your project. Include as many specific details as possible that are essential to the success of your project.
Provide a timeline outlining what will happen at each stage of your project. The timeline should begin and finish with the project start and end dates you entered at the beginning of your application.
Outline the methods, processes or tools you will use to measure and report your progress towards, and/or achievement of the project outcomes you outlined in question 3. Consider how you will know whether you achieved your proposed outcomes.
The financial information in your budget helps to demonstrate that all elements of your project have been considered, thoroughly researched and costed. A good budget also provides confidence for the Trust that your project will be a sound investment for the Western Australian community.
You should indicate which expenditure items you want the Trust to support and list those items in the additional notes section of the application budget page.
If you are registered for GST, you should not include GST in the budget figures. All amounts should be in Australian dollars.
Your funding request is the difference between your expenditure minus your income. To ensure this amount is calculated accurately, seek quotes for all expenditure items (whether you intend to include these as support material) and include all costs associated with the project, even if they are supplied in-kind.
Many activities will include in-kind contributions in the form of offering something for free or at a discount. More information on in-kind expenditure and income as well as an example of how to demonstrate your in-kind support follows this section.
For each expenditure or income item you add to the budget, use the notes area alongside the item to explain how that item relates to the delivery of your project and how the cost was calculated.
Expenditure items can vary significantly from one project to another. Any legitimate expense that is eligible can be included in the budget.
Make sure you check the list for ineligible items.
Expenses related to the management and administration of the project.
Costs associated with marketing to your target audience.
Costs related to the remount, production and delivery of the project or its deliverables.
Costs associated with transporting people, equipment or goods.
May include ticket sales, product sales, and/or merchandise sales.
List any income received through sponsorship from corporate bodies or businesses. Income received through government sponsorship should be included in the relevant government income category.
May include contributions from fundraising, crowdfunding, donations, gifts and bequests.
All grants and sponsorship being sought from local government, State Government, Australian government and other government sources must be included, whether this support has been confirmed. Do not include Trust grant funds being requested as part of this application.
If you are making a cash contribution, or someone is providing cash to the project, list this item as a cash contribution or similar. Include any other income source that does not fit within any of the above categories and provide enough detail to identify the income source.
Some expenses may be offered to you for free or at a discount. This might be borrowed equipment, the use of a rehearsal space, donated or discounted goods or services, volunteers (including you), negotiated discounted fees and allowances. Anything given to your project at no expense to you is considered in-kind.
All in-kind items must be included as a budget item under the in-kind expenditure category. The corresponding recognition of in-kind income is created automatically in your online application, and you do not need to enter any in-kind income budget items. The total in-kind expenditure must always equal the total in-kind income.
If, for example, you are hiring a venue, which would normally charge $2000, and you have successfully negotiated an $800 (40%) discount, you would include venue hire fee as a budget item under the expenditure category of $1200 and $800 under the in-kind expenditure category.
This section of the budget provides an opportunity for you to detail any additional information you feel may help to clarify items within your budget. For example, for fees and salaries you can indicate in this section how you calculated your amount.
You should use this section to indicate which expenditure items you want the Trust to support.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) considers any grant payment to be taxable income for the purposes of your annual income tax return. If you receive a grant you are encouraged to discuss your tax implications with your tax agent or the ATO.
If you are registered for GST you must show your expenditure items exclusive of the GST component. For example, you have been quoted $550 including GST for lighting hire. In your expenditure budget you would only show lighting hire of $500. If your project is funded, the Trust payment will include a 10% GST component to cover those items on which GST is payable.
Support materials are crucial to a successful application and are essential for the Trust to fully gauge the value of your project. It is highly recommended you pay close attention to the support material you choose and make sure it offers the best support for your application. It should help demonstrate the four assessment criteria as well as the objectives of the category you are applying to.
Note: weblinks to images online are not accepted.
As an example, support materials can include one or more of the following items within acceptable formats and limits:
If you are successful, you will be required to fill in an acquittal report when your project has finished. An acquittal report details your project and how you spent the grant. The acquittal report will be available for you to access in Online Grants, via the edit/view report button or reports tab on the home page, once a copy of your signed funding agreement has been received.
Your acquittal report must be submitted within 90 days of the project completion date as specified in the funding agreement. You will need to attach relevant documents and images that substantiate the delivery of the project and that may demonstrate the impact and outcomes achieved. As a rough guide please refer to the Support Material formats and limits as listed above for your acquittal report support materials. Refer to your project outcomes for guidance in selecting suitable material.
If possible, please provide your support material in one PDF document (for text and images).
The report will also include your project budget and you will be required to enter all the actual figures against each budget item and add any additional items not in the original budget. Variations between budget and actual figures are acceptable; however, you must provide an explanation for large variations in the notes for that item. As you enter actual figures, the project profit/loss will be automatically updated and displayed at the top of the Financial Information page.
The Trust will adhere to the provisions of the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act (1992) in relation to requests for information originating from DLGSC and the Trust.
Information not originating from DLGSC or the Trust, but provided to the Trust, will not be released without prior consultation with or permission by the relevant organisation.
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.
All applications are considered on their own merits and against the assessment criteria and program objectives.
For enquiries, comments or complaints relating to this funding program, including advice or assistance with your application, contact the Gaming Community Trust Secretariat:
Telephone 61 8 6551 4963Toll Free (Country WA callers only) 1800 634 541Email gamingcommunitytrust@dlgsc.wa.gov.au