Program guidelines
The Regional Performing Arts grant program provides funding to support the development of new performing arts work and touring of existing performing arts work in regional Western Australia.
The 2 categories are:
The key dates calendar has opening and closing dates, activity start dates and draft review deadlines.
Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.
More information about how to apply can be found in the application manual.
To be successful, your application must align with 2 or more of the below objectives.
Funding for the development and presentation of performing arts work in regional WA that:
Funding for the development of new performing art works, which are relevant and responsive to regional audiences and communities, that will be premiered in regional venues.
Eligible applicants can apply for funding to support the direct regional costs associated with the development and presentation of new performance-based work that:
The new work must be regionally relevant, with the presentation taking place at a regional venue, location or festival event.
The new work may already be in early development at the time of applying; however, this category cannot provide funds for the remount of an existing work or for costs already incurred.
In addition, projects that involve collaborations with, or between, any of the following parties will be highly regarded:
Funding for the touring of WA produced performing arts shows to regional and remote communities in Western Australia.
To be eligible for funding through this program, the planned activity must:
We recommend that the application is prepared and submitted by the party that will take the lead coordinating the activity.
If successful, this primary applicant will be issued with the contract and responsible for receiving payment and acquitting the grant.
WA based artists, producers and arts organisations working in partnership with WA regional venues, or vice versa, provided they meet the following criteria:
Western Australian performing arts groups, organisations or individual artists.
Please note, successful Playing WA Multiyear applicants are not eligible to apply for Playing WA for the duration of the grant funding period.
You can request up to 80% of your total project cost. You must demonstrate at least 20% income from other sources (this can include in-kind income) or your application will be ineligible.
Eligible applicants can apply for up to $150,000 to support the direct regional costs associated with the development and presentation of new performance-based work in regional WA. The amount requested should be based on:
Eligible applicants can apply for up to $150,000 to support the direct regional costs associated with delivering the regional WA tour e.g. travel, accommodation and salaries, as well as costs of delivering community participation activities as part of the tour.
The amount requested should be based on:
The key dates calendar has application opening, 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).
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 activity start date, we cannot guarantee notification and/or availability of grant funds before the activity begins.
Your application will be ineligible and will not go through to assessment if you:
Applications to this program must be completed within 24 months of the eligible start date.
Applications to this program do not count towards the general DLGSC culture and the arts grants two-application limit (which applies to the Arts Projects for Organisations and Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups programs).
You may only have one successful application within a 24-month period.
There are no limits to the number of applications you may make to this category (but if you are in receipt of Playing WA Multiyear you cannot apply).
More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.
There are 4 components of a grant application:
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.
You can extract a copy of your draft application in Online Grants at any stage to share with others for their feedback.
Please ensure your activity meets the most current COVID-19 health guidelines.
Provide an overview of your planned activity. Your overview should identify the artform/s, type of activity, when and where it is taking place, and who is involved.
For development of new work, provide a summary of the new work and key elements involved in its development.
For touring, describe the show that will be toured, including details such as the featured performing artform/s, themes, performers and when and where it was previously staged.
You must include evidence of activity-readiness in your support material. For development activities, you must provide evidence of a venue partnership agreement and creative materials that serve as an example or basis for the new work. For touring activities, you must provide evidence of tour-readiness such as past reviews, videos, marketing and promotional materials or press coverage.
For development, describe why the themes of the new work are relevant in the context of regional Western Australia and how the work will attract a broader audience.
For touring, provide an overview of when and where the tour will take place and how you identified regional demand for the project. Include information on how regional and remote host communities were given the opportunity to review the show before they agreed to host it.
Who are the key creatives and collaborators and what are their roles? For touring, who will undertake and manage the tour? For development, outline how key personnel will contribute to the development/delivery of the project. Also describe the potential collaborations and partnerships.
Describe any paid work that will be undertaken by regional people in the development and presentation of the work. This can include work undertaken by technical crew, production staff, creatives, and any other regional people whose employment directly relates to the project.
Also describe any opportunities that will be provided to regional people for professional skills development. This can include the delivery of artistic or technical development workshops, work experience placements/internships, and any activity in which there is knowledge exchange with local organisations and practitioners.
Provide a summary of the key milestones in your project planning and delivery.
For touring, provide a summary of your touring plan.
When applying within the Playing WA category, you must include a completed Itinerary and Touring Party Workbook and Performing Arts Touring Agreement with your support material. These forms can be downloaded from the program guidelines.
Describe how you will encourage participation or involvement from members of the regional community/ies and how you will attract regional audiences to the show.
You must include a marketing plan and community engagement plan in your support material.
You are required to provide relevant project outputs. An output is a specific measurable thing that is generated by your project. This information will be considered as part of your application and provide further clarity about your project for the assessor. The outputs also provide important data for the department for research, analysis and advocacy purposes.
You only need to provide outputs for the categories and items relevant to your project.
If your application is successful, you will be required to report against your planned project outputs in your acquittal report.
Refer to the application manual for an explanation of the project output questions.
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 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 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 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 activity and how the cost was calculated.
Expenditure items can vary significantly from one activity to another. Any legitimate expense that is eligible may 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.
Expenses related to the management and administration of the activity. For example, 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).
Costs associated with marketing to your target audience. For example, information, promotion and audience engagement activities, advertising, graphic design, merchandise photography, videography, public relations and production of marketing collateral.
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.
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:
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.
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.
This program does not fund 100% of your activity costs so you must demonstrate at least 20% income, which may include in-kind support, or your application will be ineligible.
May include ticket sales, product sales, performance fees, royalties, artwork and/or merchandise sales. For performances, this amount should factor in the number of performances, average ticket price and projected venue capacity.
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, Commonwealth 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.
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 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 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. You are encouraged to discuss your tax implications with your tax agent or the ATO prior to applying for a grant.
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 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 your activity is funded, the department payment will include the GST component for those items on which GST is payable.
Support material is essential to allow assessors to fully gauge the value of your activity and your readiness to undertake the activity. The support material you choose should provide further information and evidence to support the project outlined in 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 how your project will meet the objectives of the program. See How will my application be assessed.
For this program, the following items are mandatory must be included within the limits noted above.
For this program, there are 3 downloadable forms which must be included with the application. These forms are not counted as part of the support material limits:
Download and complete the Excel spreadsheet. You need to provide a regional breakdown of where the requested Playing WA funding will be spent. If your application is successful, you will be required to report against your planned regional allocation of funding in your acquittal report.
Download and complete the Playing WA Performing Arts Touring Agreement form below. One copy is required for each regional host venue or presenter.
Download and complete the excel workbook which details the itinerary and touring party requirements for the tour.
Further details regarding the support material items can be found below.
Please note:
Maximum 20 A4 pages of text, in PDF or Word format. Preferably in a single document (maximum file size 5 MB. All text must be legible at 100%). Note: weblinks are not accepted.
Examples of material you may wish to include:
*Can include multiple screenshots of emails and quotes. We suggest taking a screenshot of the essential information and pasting up to 4 per A4 page so they are still legible when viewed at 100%.
Maximum 10 images in one PDF or Word document or up to 10 image files (maximum file size 5 MB with one line of text caption permitted for each image) .
Note: weblinks are not accepted.
Examples of material :
Maximum 4 links to audio and video content not exceeding 12 minutes combined listening or viewing time.
Audio and/or video files must be uploaded to file streaming sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Bandcamp or SoundCloud that do not require a log-in to access. Do not use Spotify.
You can find instructions on how to use these sites at the following links:
Examples of material:
Applicants to this program can request a draft review when the application is complete. Check the key dates calendar for the draft review deadline.
The department has limited capacity to review draft applications and may not be able to respond to all requests. First time and regionally based applicants will be given priority when requesting draft reviews.
Only one request for review can be submitted per application. You are strongly encouraged to make the request for a draft rev ew 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.
Applications to this funding program are assessed by peer assessment panel(s). A high volume of applications may require multiple peer panels for assessment.
All applications are assessed against 4 criteria:
Each has a subset of dimensions and weightings which can be found below.
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.
The peer assessors will be provided with the pitching results from the previous 2 years of CircuitWest's WA Showcase for consideration as part of their assessment.
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.
Weighting 20%
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.
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.
Weighting 25%
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 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.
If you are successful, you will be required to complete 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, 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 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. As a rough guide please refer to the Support Material formats and limits as listed above for your acquittal report support materials. Refer back to your activity outcomes for guidance in selecting suitable material.
If possible, please provide your support material in one PDF document (for text and images). Audio and video material to be supplied separately as applicable.
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.
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.
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 project officer:Telephone 61 8 6552 7400Toll Free (Country WA callers only) 1800 634 541Email grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
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 project officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au