Program guidelines
The Connecting to Country program supports projects that enable Western Australian Aboriginal people and organisations to undertake on Country activities that foster the intergenerational transfer of knowledge, preservation of culture and strengthening of communities.
The program intends to:
To be successful, your application should align to one or more of these objectives.
Applications are open to Aboriginal individuals, groups or organisations in Western Australia; or those who work with Aboriginal people in community, and can demonstrate strong Aboriginal governance and leadership in their application*.
These may include:
*Where a non-Aboriginal individual or organisation is the applicant or project lead, evidence of significant Aboriginal community involvement in the project, including consultations, planning, decision-making and management is essential.
**Organisations cannot apply for funding for projects that are core business or part of regular activity, or operations. For example, a ranger organisation cannot apply for funding for cultural site management.
The program supports a wide range of activities that enable Aboriginal people across Western Australia to renew links between their Country, culture and communities.
This may include, but is not limited to:
Where possible, your activity should seek to document, preserve and archive stories or cultural knowledge for access by future generations and aim to reach wider audiences where appropriate. This may involve including activities that digitise or transcribe oral histories, or filming or exhibiting on Country projects.
This program can fund 100% of your activity costs, however demonstrating income (cash or in-kind) will strengthen your application.
Applicants can apply for funding up to $25,000 to support the proposed project or activity. This includes, for example, costs associated with travel, equipment hire, specialist services, documentation or catering.
The amount of funding sought should reflect:
The key dates calendar has application opening and closing dates, activity start dates and draft review deadline.
You are encouraged to submit your application before the submission 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).
Processing of grant payments to successful applicants will not start until the grant contract is signed and returned. Depending on the activity start date, we cannot guarantee notification and/or availability of funding before the activity begins.
You will make your application ineligible if you:
One application can be submitted per applicant for this round of funding.
Please apply using the Online Grants web portal and select Connecting to Country from the program options. Online applications are preferred; however, if you cannot access Online Grants, you can contact us to request a hardcopy form and discuss postal submission.
The key components of your application are the core application questions, financial information and support material, although you will be required to provide other relevant information with your application.
Before commencing an application, you can contact us to discuss your proposal and any assistance you may need with your application.
More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.
For your reference, the core application questions are required.
Applications will be assessed by a panel of Aboriginal people and industry experts with backgrounds in the arts, culture, heritage and community development.
All applications are assessed against the program’s objectives and the following four criteria:
Your activity must meet at least one of the objectives of the program to be successful. Assessors will consider your application against the relevant dimensions and allocate a weighted score for each of the four criteria.
Final approval of successful applications depends on available budget and approval by the Minister or delegated authority.
Relevance, timeliness, importance, cultural authenticity, originality, innovation, cultural knowledge, community designed, self-determination.
Quality may be demonstrated by, but not limited to: examples of previous projects, community and cultural support, timeliness of the work and a strong history in your area of activity. It may also be demonstrated through the knowledge, skills and expertise of the people involved in the activity, the alignment of those skills and knowledge to deliver the project, how critical the project is for cultural knowledge preservation or transfer, or community wellbeing impact.
Intergenerational impact, community and cultural impact, collaboration, preservation and documentation, legacy of project, access to community and future generations.
Reach is demonstrated by the ability of the project to facilitate intergenerational transmission of culture and knowledge to young people, support the development of youth leadership skills and promote cultural leadership and capacity building.
It also refers to the legacy of the project; how significant cultural or historical information is recorded, archived or preserved for access by current and future generations.
Realistic, achievable, considered, demonstrated research and/or consultation, evaluation.
Good planning refers to the level of consideration which has been given to practically undertaking the activity. Good planning can be demonstrated by, but not limited to; carefully considered preparation, confirmation of key personnel, a realistic timeline and achievable outcomes, documented research and/or consultation and a process of evaluation
Value, comprehensive budget.
Financial responsibility refers to the sound management of the budget. Financial responsibility can be demonstrated by but is not limited to; efficient use of resources, reasonable expenses, an accurate and comprehensive budget and that other sources of income have been considered and included where appropriate.
There are 4 components of this grant application: core application questions, Project Outputs, financial information and support material. Each plays a significant and distinct role in creating a whole picture about your activity.
Your answers to the core application questions should give assessors an overview of your activity. Each question has a 1500-character limit.
If you need more information on how to prepare your application, please read the application manual.
Respond to the following questions with reference to the assessment criteria and program objectives. In these questions consider referencing support material to be submitted with this application to help the assessors make connections.
Describe your planned activity/project. Outline your ideas, what is involved, who you will be working with and how they will contribute. Explain the cultural and community relevance or significance of the activity, both for yourself and the relevant sector of the community.
Tell us who is taking part and what is their role. Provide background information about your organisation and its purpose. Include whether there are any other partners involved, and how they are supporting the activity/project.
Explain the significance of undertaking this activity at this time. Why is this important? Demonstrate the relevance, timeliness, cultural significance and impact of the activity in the context of your organisation, wider Western Australian community or for your business or organisation.
Describe the stages or steps in planning, development and implementing your activity. Where are you planning to go? What do you want to do?
Consider how you will manage the delivery of confronting or sensitive information to participants in a sensitive, culturally safe manner. Including a cultural safety or mental health and wellbeing plan in your support material, and the inclusion of counsellors as key personnel (if deemed necessary) may strengthen your application.
Note: due to the nature of the Connecting to Country program, contract conditions require agreement to comply with the Working with Children Act 2004 and the Australian Councils Protocols for Working with Children in Art.
What do you hope to achieve by doing this activity? What are the direct or indirect outcomes for the participants and/or community? Direct outcomes include immediate value for community or participants, whereas indirect outcomes include legacy of the activity for future generations or wider communities. How will you preserve the outcomes for future access? Will the activity be continued in some way?
Also consider describing the methods, processes or tools you will use to measure and report your progress towards and/or achievement of the activity outcomes you have outlined in this section. How will you know whether you have achieved your proposed outcomes?
You are required to provide relevant Project Outputs information for your activity. This information will be considered as part of the assessment of your application. Project Outputs information will be used to provide further clarity on your activity for the assessor and will provide important data for the department for research, analysis and advocacy purposes.
You only need to provide information for the categories and items relevant to your activity.
If your application is successful you will be required to report against the planned targets at the contract acquittal stage.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
The financial information in your budget helps to demonstrate that all elements of your activity have been considered, thoroughly researched and costed. A good budget also provides confidence for the department that your activity will be a sound investment for the State of Western Australia.
You should indicate which expenditure items you want the department to support. List those items in the ‘Additional Notes’ section of the application form’s 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 or not you intend to include these as support material) and include all costs associated with the activity, even if they are supplied in-kind.
For each expenditure or income item you add to the budget, use the notes area alongside the item to explain how it relates to the delivery of your activity and how the cost was calculated. If relevant, include a breakdown or itemisation of costs.
Expenditure items can vary significantly from one activity to another. Any legitimate expense that is eligible can be included in the budget.
Do not duplicate costs in the budget form. For example, if you receive a quote for equipment hire do not include an additional item for ‘camera hire’. Simply outline 'equipment hire' as the expenditure item, and add a note explaining that the cost includes camera hire.
Expenses related to the management and administration of the activity e.g. Telephone/internet, insurance and stationery. Eligible expenditure items in this category may also include audit costs and accessibility costs (expenditure associated with making your activity accessible to participants or audiences with a disability).
Costs related to the planning, production and delivery of the project or activity or its deliverables, including the costs of presentation and exhibition. Eligible items may include documenting fees, audio-visual costs and venue hire.
Expenditure in this category should include salaries, fees and allowances for all key personnel, with separate components itemised in the budget notes. We support appropriate rates of pay for all people involved in your activity.
All rates should be relative to level of experience.
Please note that organisations, such as Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, predominantly provide information on minimum base rates for employees engaged on a full-time, part-time or casual basis. Rates for artists and arts workers engaged as contractors will include a loading to cover the costs of being self-employed. Full-time, part-time and casual rates do not factor in these costs and should not be used when engaging contractors.
Costs associated with transporting people, equipment or goods. Eligible items may include fares (taxi, airplane, bus etc.), tolls, land or air freight, vehicle hire and certain camping or regional costs.
This program can fund 100% of your activity costs. Please detail any income you are expecting from the project or activity, including In-Kind contributions.
May include sales, or fees.
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, State and Federal government, the Australia Council, and other government sources must be included, whether or not this support has been confirmed. If your application is to be assessed by an assessment panel, we will attempt to confirm the status of any pending funding applications directly with the funding body prior to the panel assessment. Do not include department grant funds being requested as part of this application.
If you are making a cash contribution, or someone is providing cash to the activity, 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 community space, donated or discounted goods or services, such as consultation fees or volunteers (including yourself), negotiated discounted fees and allowances. Anything given to your project at no expense to you is considered in-kind.
All in-kind expenditure 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.
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 department 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 you are registered for GST and your activity is funded, the department payment will include a 10% GST component to cover those items on which GST is payable.
If you are not registered for GST you must show your expenditure items inclusive of the GST component. For example, you have been quoted $550 including GST for lighting hire. In your expenditure budget you would show lighting hire of $550.
If you are not registered for GST and your activity is funded, the department payment will include the GST component for those items on which GST is payable.
Support materials are crucial to a successful application and are essential for assessors to fully gauge the value of your activity. Failure to submit the required support material with your application will render your application ineligible.
It is highly recommended you pay close attention to the support material you choose to make sure it offers the best support for your application.
You must strictly adhere to the formats and limits or your application will be ineligible. Formats that are NOT eligible are: .pages, .zip, .excel, MP3s and .eml (however screenshots of emails are ok).
As an online grants portal user, you can choose to upload your support materials with your online application.
If you are submitting audio and/or video files you must upload them to file streaming sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Bandcamp or SoundCloud that do not require a log-in to access.
Do not use Dropbox or Google Drive for any support material.
You can find instructions on how to use these sites at the following links:
More information about how to submit your materials can be found in the application manual.
The support material you provide can strengthen your application by adding context and establishing an identity for the proposed project.
This information should show how the project fulfills the assessment criteria of quality, reach, good planning and financial responsibility.
Referencing your support material in the core questions answers will assist the assessors navigate the project complexities.
There are three units of mandatory support material (Units 1 to 3) which must be submitted as part of your application.
You must include evidence that the Aboriginal organisations and people involved in the project are supportive of the way it is being undertaken. This evidence can also show why the project is needed at this time and what it will mean for the people involved.
This evidence can be in the form of videos, audio, letters or emails of support from:
This support material could also include relevant background information about the community.
*All audio and video must be submitted as web links online. If your video or audio files are longer than 6 minutes in total, you must specify the exact ‘minute markers’ the assessor should start and finish viewing. Links to text or images online are not accepted.
Please keep to the page limits and formats. Support material more than the recommended amounts will not be considered.
You are encouraged to include support material that provides evidence of activity planning and any relevant background information. By including this kind of material you can demonstrate how your project fulfils the assessment criteria of quality, reach and good planning.
This material can show the valuable skills and services of key people involved in the project. It can also explain relationships with partners identified in this project show how the activity will inspire leadership and empower action towards design and delivery of projects for community.
You could provide material such as:
*If you submit a map, please do not include any culturally sensitive information on it.
Select up to 2 of the following:
*All audio and video must be submitted as weblinks online. If your video or audio files are longer than 6 minutes in total, you must specify the exact ‘minute markers’ the assessor should start and finish viewing. Links to text or images online are not accepted.
Including quotes for major expenditure demonstrates the assessment criteria of financial responsibility and good planning. By including quotes you can show the assessors that the information about expenses in your budget is realistic and reasonable. It is recommended that you include screenshots of costed items or quotes that support allocations of the funding, such as:
Applicants to Connecting to Country can request a draft review when the application is complete. Check the key dates calendar for the draft review deadline.
You are strongly encouraged to make the request for a draft review well before the deadline to give staff enough time to provide feedback as well as time for you to update your application on receipt of the review.
Contact onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au if you require assistance requesting a draft review in Online Grants.
When you have completed all sections, click Submit as Final. A system-generated email confirming the successful submission of your application will be sent to your registered email address within 15 minutes of submission.
This email confirmation is evidence that you have submitted your application by the due date and time. Email onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au immediately if you do not receive it.
In your email, quote your application name and time of submission and a DLGSC officer will investigate the status of your application.
Following panel assessment, applications recommended for funding will be submitted to the delegated authority for consideration.
Successful applicants will be notified in April 2023.
If you’re successful you will be required to fill in an acquittal report when your activity has finished. An acquittal report details your activity and how you spent the grant. The acquittal report will be available for you to access in Online Grants once a copy of your signed funding agreement has been received.
Your acquittal report must be submitted within 90 days of the activity completion date as specified in the funding agreement.
You will need to attach relevant documents, images and videos that substantiate the delivery of the activity and that may demonstrate the impact and outcomes achieved.
The report will also include your activity 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 activity profit/loss will be automatically updated and displayed at the top of the Financial Information page.
The funding acquittal report also includes the option to provide feedback to help us to continually review and improve the service we provide.
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 assistance using Online Grants or to report any related technical issues, contact the Online Grants Support Team: onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
For enquiries relating to this funding program, including advice or assistance with your application, contact a Grants Officer:
The department is committed to supporting applicants with disability. Information can be provided in alternative formats (large print, electronic or Braille) upon request.
If you require special assistance in preparing your application, please call 61 8 6552 7400 or toll free for regional WA callers on 1800 634 541 .
Family, friends, mentors and/or carers can attend meetings with you.
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through one of the following:
For interpreting assistance in languages other than English, telephone the Translation and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 and ask for a connection to 6552 7400 or 1800 634 541.
Toll Free (Country WA callers only): 1800 634 541
Email the Grants Officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au