Gaming Community Trust

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:

  1. First Nations Promotion
  2. Disability Inclusion
  3. Gambling Harm Reduction

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.

Funding categories

First Nations Promotion

Objectives

  • Promote or facilitate greater engagement of First Nations communities.
  • Support long term skills development goals for First Nations people and communities.
  • Support First Nations cultural maintenance.
  • Deliver economic and social outcomes for First Nations communities.

Disability Inclusion

Objectives

  • Promote or facilitate greater involvement and inclusivity of people with disabilities in the community.
  • Improve access to education and employment opportunities.
  • Address specific issues faced by people with disabilities.

Gambling Harm Reduction

Objectives

  • Reduce instances of harm caused by gambling.
  • Provide assistance to people suffering from the negative effects of gambling.
  • Facilitate research into gambling.

To be successful, your application should align to one or more of these objectives.

Who can apply

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

Who can’t apply?

  • private/for-profit organisations, including sole traders
  • local, state and federal governments.  

What can’t I apply for?

  • ongoing staffing/administrative costs of an organisation
  • multi-year/recurring programs
  • core business or regular activities/operations of an organisation.

What will make my application ineligible?

Your application will be ineligible if you:

  • are not an eligible applicant
  • do not provide any support material
  • do not adhere to support material limits and format requirements
  • start the project before the eligible start date
  • apply late
  • have an overdue acquittal report
  • request funding outside of the funding brackets of the program
  • have not answered all the core application questions.

How much can I apply for?

Eligible applicants can apply for funding between $20,000 and $50,000.

When can I apply?

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.

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

How many times can I apply?

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.

Your project must be completed within 12 months of receiving the funds.

How do I apply?

Read the guidelines in their entirety before applying.

Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.

For your reference, the core application questions are mandatory.

How will my application be assessed?

Applications to this funding program are assessed by the Trust.

All applications are assessed against 4 criteria:

  1. link to grant categories
  2. merit of proposal
  3. value for money
  4. organisational capacity.

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.

Dimensions of links to grant categories

  • Connection of the proposed grant outcomes with one or more categories.
  • Need of the Trust to fund the project in the context of responsibilities of other government agencies or grant programs.
  • Benefit to the Western Australian community.

Weighting 25%

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.

Merit of proposal

Dimensions of merit of proposal

  • Development of the proposal has been informed by an appropriate understanding of community needs/opportunities.
  • Creates benefits within Western Australia for a sufficient section of the community.
  • Clear link between inputs, activities and outputs of the proposal and the outcome it is seeking to achieve.
  • Will achieve the intended outputs and outcomes within the proposed timeframe.

Weighting 35%

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.

Value for money

Dimensions of value for money

  • Represents sound and realistic value in achieving the identified outcomes.
  • The budget is appropriately detailed for the size of the grant request with all proposed income and expenditure clearly identified.
  • In-kind and/or cash contributions from the applicant and any proposal partners are appropriate and the status of these contributions are evident.

Weighting 20%

The proposal should be cost effective and include a clear and realistic budget with accurate costs.

Organisation capacity

Dimensions of organisational capacity

  • Has the experience and/or will engage the appropriate expertise to support the successful delivery of the project.
  • Satisfactory record of grants management and acquittal with the Trust and/or other funders, or other experience to demonstrate their capability to manage a grant.
  • Sufficient financial viability to achieve the grant outcomes.

Weighting 20%

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.

3 components of your application

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.

Core application questions

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.

1. What is the project you are seeking funding for?

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.

2. Why do you need to undertake this project and why do you need to do it now?

Explain the strategic significance of undertaking this project at this time. Demonstrate the relevance, timeliness and impact of the project on the WA community.

3. What outcomes will be achieved?

List the direct outcomes you hope to achieve from your project.

4. How do you plan to undertake the 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.

5. What is the timeline for the 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.

6. How will you evaluate the project?

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.

Financial information

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

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.

Eligible expenditure items

Administration

Expenses related to the management and administration of the project.

Marketing and promotion

Costs associated with marketing to your target audience.

Preparation, development and delivery

Costs related to the remount, production and delivery of the project or its deliverables.

Travel and freight

Costs associated with transporting people, equipment or goods.

Eligible income Items

Earned income

May include ticket sales, product sales, and/or merchandise sales.

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.

Other federal, state and local government funding

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.

Other income

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.

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 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.

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 Trust 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 your project is funded, the Trust 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 your project is funded, the Trust 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 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.

Acceptable formats and limits

  • maximum 10 images in one of the following formats:
    • 1 PDF document containing up to 10 images (maximum file size 5 MB with one line of text permitted for each image); or
    • 10 image files (maximum file-size 5 MB per image).
  • 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 Trust will be unable to review this document.

Note: weblinks to images online are not accepted.

What should I provide?

As an example, support materials can include one or more of the following items within acceptable formats and limits:

  • project management plans
  • letters of support / community petitions
  • quotes supporting budget costs
  • extracts from organisation’s Annual Report
  • photos of the current state of the resource
  • extended answers for core questions
  • evidence of previous grant acquittal
  • research case studies.  

Acquittal report

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 funding acquittal report also includes the option to provide feedback to help us to continually review and improve the service we provide.

Freedom of information

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. 

Assistance for applicants

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.

Contact us

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 4963
Toll Free (Country WA callers only) 1800 634 541
Email gamingcommunitytrust@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Page reviewed 14 June 2024
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