Objectives

Funding delivered through the Regional and Remote Festivals Fund is intended to:

• increase arts and cultural activity in regional and remote WA
• provide employment opportunities for regional and remote communities
• contribute to tourism growth in regional and remote WA
• provide opportunities for regional and remote communities to participate in arts and cultural activity in their towns and communities
• enable local communities to make decisions about their arts and cultural needs.

Who can apply?

Applications are open to:

• WA groups, organisations or individual artists
• WA regional local government authorities
• WA Aboriginal communities.

Any of the above can be the primary applicant; however, it is recommended the application is prepared and submitted by the party taking the lead on the project. If successful, the primary applicant will be issued with the contract and will be responsible for receiving payment and acquitting the grant.

What can I apply for?

To be eligible for funding through this program, the arts and cultural activity must:

• be delivered by professional artists or cultural practitioners
• be part of a series of events comprising a festival
• be open to the general public
• occur in a location in remote or regional WA.

If your project does not correspond in some way to any of the above, contact a Grants Officer for advice before starting an application.

How much can I apply for?

Eligible applicants can apply for funding to support the direct costs associated with delivering the arts activity up to $50,000. The amount of funding sought should depend on:

• the scale of the arts activity
• employment opportunities for regional artists and workers
• anticipated engagement and attendance.

This program may fund up to 80% of your activity costs. You must demonstrate at least 20% income, or your application will be ineligible

When can I apply?

The key dates calendar has application opening and closing and activity start 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).

Processing of grant payments to successful applicants will not start until after the grant contract is signed and returned. Depending on the activity start date, we cannot guarantee notification and/or availability of grant funds before the activity begins.

What can’t I apply for?

• International travel
• 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 Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ culture and the arts grant programs
• activities relating to radio broadcasting
• display, restoration or conservation of cultural and/or historical material
• costs of manufacturing and/or producing prototypes
• fundraising, competitions, prizes and trophies
• the work of State or Federal 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 costs
• film and television activities such as:
  • the development or production of narrative shorts or features, pilots for television 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 artform being used is film or digital, unless it’s in support of an artist’s work.

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 and crafts.

What will make my application ineligible?

Your application will be ineligible if you:

• do not adhere to support material limits and format requirements
  
• do not adhere to budget requirements including requesting more than 80% of expenses related to the arts activity
  
• start the activity before the eligible start date
  
• submit an application late
  
• have any key personnel with an overdue acquittal
  
• are a staff member of the DLGSC (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 the DLGSC.
  

How many times can I apply?

There are no limits to the number of applications you may make to this program, however you may only have one successful application in a 12-month period.

How do I apply?

Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.

More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.

For your reference, the core application questions are required.

The key dates calendar has opening and closing dates, activity start dates and draft review deadlines.

How will my application be assessed?

Applications to this funding program are assessed by a peer assessment panel.

All applications are assessed against the four criteria:

• Quality
• Reach
• Good planning
• Financial responsibility.

More information about the dimensions and definitions, which have been developed by artists and creatives representing their sector, can be found in the application manual. You are not expected to address all dimensions and definitions, only those most relevant to your application.

Your activity must meet at least one of objectives of the category to be successful. Assessors will consider your application against the relevant dimensions and definitions and allocate a weighted score for each of the four criteria.

See the application manual for more information about how your application will be assessed.

Final approval of successful applications depends on available budget and approval by the Minister or delegated authority.

Quality

Dimensions of quality

Imagination, authenticity, originality, inquisitiveness, excellence, captivation, relevance, innovation, challenge, risk and rigour.

Weighting 15%

Quality refers to the level of artistic and cultural significance of the activity. Quality may be demonstrated by, but not limited to; examples of previous work, sector support, timeliness of the work and a strong history in your area of practice. It may also be demonstrated through the skills and experience of the people involved in the activity, and the alignment of those skills and experience to deliver the project.

Reach

Dimensions of reach

Diversity, platform, collaboration, leverage, number and growth.

Weighting 30%

Reach refers to the level of impact the activity is likely to have. Reach may be demonstrated by including information for; networking opportunities, relevant marketing and promotional strategies, number of participants and the potential increase in audience or markets.

Good planning

Dimensions of good planning

Realistic, achievable, considered, demonstrated research and/or consultation, evaluation.

Weighting 30%

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.

Financial responsibility

Dimensions of financial responsibility

Value, comprehensive budget, financial self-sufficiency.

Weighting 25%

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 and an accurate and comprehensive budget. Other sources of income have been considered and included where appropriate and the activity goes some way towards self-sufficiency.

Four components of your application

There are 4 components of this grant application: core application questions, project targets, financial information and support material. Each plays a significant and distinct role in creating a whole picture about your activity.

Core application questions

Your answers to the core application questions should give assessors a concise 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.

You can extract a copy of your draft application in Online Grants at any stage to share with others for their feedback.

Respond to the following questions with reference to the assessment criteria and program objectives:

1. What is the festival that the arts/cultural activity is part of?

Describe the festival, including information about the anticipated attendees. If the festival has been delivered previously you are encouraged to use any key data or information available to help describe it. Outline the key components of the festival and any areas of focus. Include the anticipated ratio of local attendees and visitors as well as information about any groups targeted by the festival.

2. What is the arts/cultural activity that is the subject of this application?

Describe your planned arts/cultural activity. Explain the creative, artistic or cultural relevance or significance of the activity, both for yourself and the relevant sector of the community.

3. Who will deliver the arts and cultural activity?

Describe the people involved in the project and how they will contribute. Highlight the role of key creatives and collaborators, explaining how they will use their expertise and experience to deliver the arts/cultural activity.

4. What regional employment and professional development opportunities will be created through the activity?

Describe any paid work that will be undertaken by regional people to deliver the activity. This can include work undertaken by technical crew, production staff, creatives, and any other regional people whose employment directly relates to the activity. Also describe any opportunities that will be provided to regional people for professional skills development. This can include the delivery of artistic or business development workshops, work experience placements/internships, and any activity in which there is knowledge exchange with local organisations and practitioners.

5. How will you plan, manage and deliver the activity?

Describe the process and timeline of delivering the activity as part of the festival.

6. How will you engage the community and encourage wider audiences to attend the festival?

Describe how you will encourage participation or involvement from members of the community and how you will promote the festival more broadly.

Project targets

You are required to provide relevant project target information for your activity. This information will be considered as part of the assessment of your application.  Project target 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 project targets at the acquittal stage.  

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Financial information

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 DLGSC that your activity will be a sound investment for the State of Western Australia.

You should indicate which expenditure items you want the DLGSC 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.

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 can be found below.

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.

Expenditure

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 advertising which includes design, do not add an additional item for design. Simply use ‘advertising’ as the expenditure item, and add a note explaining that the cost includes design.

Make sure you check the list for ineligible items.

Eligible expenditure items

Administration

Expenses related to the management and administration of the activity e.g. Telephone/internet, insurance, postage 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).

Marketing, promotion and distribution

Costs associated with marketing to your target audience e.g. information, promotion and audience engagement activities, advertising, graphic design, merchandise photography, videography, public relations and production of marketing collateral.

Preparation, development, production and exhibition/presentation

Costs related to the remount, production and delivery of the activity or its deliverables, including the costs of presentation and exhibition. Eligible items may include venue hire, lighting hire, set construction, manufacturing costs, recording fees, rehearsal space hire, props and audio-visual costs.

Salaries, fees and living allowances

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. Refer to the following websites for information on industry standard payment rates:

• National Association for the Visual Arts
• Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
• Australian Society of Authors
• Australian Writers' Guild
• Museums Australia

If these standards do not apply to your activity then you must outline how reasonable rates have been calculated. For long-term activities, it may be appropriate to pay artists a rate based on a yearly salary for a similar kind of work. If this is the case, you need to clearly explain the rationale for the pay rate in your budget notes. 

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.

Travel and freight

Costs associated with transporting people, equipment or goods. Eligible items may include fares (taxi, airplane, bus etc.), tolls, land or air freight, and vehicle hire.

Income

This program does not fund 100% of your activity costs. You must demonstrate at least 20% income or your application will be ineligible.  

Eligible income Items

Earned income

May include ticket sales, product sales, performance fees and merchandise sales. For performances, this amount should factor in the number of performances, average ticket price and projected venue capacity.

Corporate sponsorship

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. 

Philanthropic donations

May include contributions from fundraising, crowdfunding, donations, gifts and bequests.

Australia Council, other Federal Government, other State Government, local government

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 a peer 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.

Other income

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. 

In-kind expenditure and income

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 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.

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.

Additional notes

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.

Taxation

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.

Registered for Goods and Services Tax

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.

Not registered for Goods and Services Tax

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 material

Support materials are crucial to a successful application and are essential for assessors to fully gauge the value of your activity.

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. Your choice of support material should help to demonstrate the four assessment criteria: Quality, Reach, Good planning and Financial responsibility as well as the objectives of the program you are applying to.

You can select up to four out of the five units of support material from the list below. You must also include the mandatory support material Unit 6 – Evidence of risk assessment and planning.

Within each unit there are acceptable formats and limits. You must strictly adhere to these formats and limits or your application will be ineligible. Formats that are not eligible are: pages, .zip, excel, MP3s and .eml (screenshots of emails are accepted).

The Supplier Creation Form (if required) does not count towards your support material limits, however, if required, it must be submitted with your support materials.

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 for any support material. 

You can find instructions on how to use these sites at the following links:

• YouTube
• Vimeo 
• Soundcloud 
• Bandcamp 

More information about how to submit your materials can be found in the application manual.

Online submission of support materials is preferred however we do accept posted materials.  If you need to submit by post, please contact us to discuss your options.

Units of support material

(Select up to four units from Units 1 to 5. Unit 6 is mandatory.)

Unit 1 audio

6 minutes of audio (combined total length of all audio submitted for assessment).

Examples of material

• Examples of previous work or activities.
• Other audio (for example interviews, recordings, presentations) that supports your activity.

Acceptable formats and limits online

• Maximum 3 links.
• Maximum 6 minutes total listening time (all files).

If your audio files are longer than 6 minutes in total, you must specify the exact minute markers the assessor should start and finish listening.

Unit 2 video

6 minutes of video (combined total length of all video submitted for assessment).

Examples of material

• Examples of previous work or activities.
• Other video (for example interviews, recordings, presentations) that supports your activity.

Acceptable formats and limits online

• Maximum 3 links
• Maximum 6 minutes total viewing time (all files)

If your video files are longer than 6 minutes in total, you must specify the exact minute markers the assessor should start and finish viewing.

Unit 3 images

10 images (combined total of all images submitted).

Examples of material

• Examples of previous work or activities.

Acceptable formats and limits

• Online submission: maximum 10 images in one of the following formats:
  • One PDF document containing up to 10 images (maximum file size 5 MB); or
  • 10 image files (maximum file size 5 MB per image).

Note: links to images online are not accepted.

Unit 4 text

10 pages of text (combined total number of all text pages in documents submitted for assessment).

Examples of material

• Applicant CV up to 2 pages.
• Short biographies/profiles for key creative or artistic personnel*.
• Participant confirmation*.
• Quotes for major expenditure items/confirmation of fees*.
• Business, brand, group or organisation profile.
• Letters of peer/industry support*.
• Reviews, media reports or articles on your previous work.
• Evidence of confirmed events, activities or appointments*.
• Confirmation of consultation and/or support from the target community/participants such as Aboriginal communities or young people.
• Evidence of significant Aboriginal involvement, participation and decision making (where relevant).
• Marketing and/or promotional plan.
• Synopsis of proposed text/script (1 page).
• Curatorial statement (1 page).
• Director’s notes (1 page).
• Invitations to present, perform, exhibit or showcase*.

*Can include emails as screenshots, converted to PDF or printed. For quotes, you can take a screen shot or snip of the essential information and we would suggest up to 5 per A4 page.

Acceptable formats and limits

• Online submission: maximum 10 A4 pages of text in PDF or Word only (maximum file size 5 MB per document).

All text must be legible at 100%. If text is not legible the assessors will be unable to review this document.

Note: links to this information online are not accepted.

Unit 5 document

10-page activity-specific document.

Examples of material

If relevant to your activity you may use Unit 5 to include document/s such as:

• Festival program
• Activity plan
• Marketing plan
• Synopsis of proposed performance
• Publishing samples

Acceptable formats and limits

• Online submission: a single Word or PDF document only, containing a maximum of 10 A4 pages (maximum file size 5 MB).

Note: links to this information online are not accepted.

Unit 6 Evidence of risk assessment and planning - Mandatory

This support material unit is mandatory.

Evidence of any risks identified in your project as a result of COVID-19 and how you plan to mitigate these risks. You may also wish to provide information on alternative plans should your proposed project or activity be impacted. 

For example, consider including a risk management statement or plan if your project includes activities which could be impacted by key personnel illness, replacement of key personnel, or postponement of activity. 

Acceptable formats and limits

Up to 5 A4 pages in a Word or PDF document only (maximum file size 5MB).

Draft review

Applicants to Regional and Remote Festivals Fund 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 your request for a draft review well before the deadline to give the department 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.

Acquittal report

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.

Assistance for applicants

More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.

Project 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 project 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.

Contact us

Online Grants portal technical support

For assistance using Online Grants or to report any related technical issues, contact the Online Grants Support Team: onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Project officers

For enquiries relating to this funding program, including advice or assistance with your application, contact a project officer:
Telephone 61 8 6552 7400
Toll Free (Country WA callers only) 1800 634 541
Email grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Assistance for people with disability

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:

• National Relay Service (NRS) then ask for 1800 634 541 
• Internet Relay Calls
• Captioned Relay Calls
• TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 1800 634 541
• Speak and Listen users phone 1800 555 727 ask for 1800 634 541.

Interpreting assistance

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.

Regional applicants

Toll Free (Country WA callers only): 1800 634 541.

Email the project officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au