Regional Arts WA

Funding Resources

Regional Arts WA has been managing devolved funding on behalf of the State and Federal Governments since 1996 and has a wealth of knowledge and experience for both regional communities and arts practitioners alike.

If you’re looking to apply for one of Regional Arts WA’s funding programs, head over to the funding page to see a full list of available grants and programs.

If you’re looking for information on additional funding and support outside of Regional Arts WA check out our Support Links.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you mean when you say funding for artists or organisations in “regional WA”?

Regional WA is made up of the 9 regions outside Perth; Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Midwest, Goldfields-Esperance, Wheatbelt, Peel, South West and Great Southern.

You can consult the Australian Government Department of Health Modified Monash Model to see which areas of WA are considered regional or remote, although some programs and grants may use different definitions of “regional impact”.

I’d like to apply for one of your grants, what should I do?

You can find all of our funding programs here. Before making a funding application please ensure that you have read the guidelines for the grant and spoken with a member of the team at Regional Arts WA. You can call us on 9200 6200 or 1800 811 883 regional freecall. You can also email info@regionalartswa.org.au.

I am working with young people aged under 18, is there anything I need to know?

Where a program involves children or vulnerable persons Regional Arts WA requires that applicants provide all necessary police and other background checks. In Western Australia legislation requires that people who carry out child-related work must have a current Working with Children Check. If your project happens outside of Western Australia you will need to comply with the legislation in that jurisdiction.

Visit www.regionalarts.com.au to access the resources kit for Working with Children and Vulnerable persons.

If you are an organisation engaging with children or young people, please refer to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

I am working with First Nations cultural material, is there anything I need to know?

In your application you must show how you will acknowledge First Nations cultural and intellectual property if you say that you will be using First Nations cultural material or working with First Nations communities. You will also need to show how you have consulted with community and gained permission to proceed.

Please refer to the Australia Council’s First Nations Protocols guide for the art form areas and the Arts Law Centre of Australia resources for respecting and protecting Indigenous intellectual property, Artists in the Black www.aitb.com.au.

What is the role of an auspice organisation and do I need one?

Regional Arts WA requires grant applicants who are individuals without an ABN, are an unincorporated community group or are under 18 years of age to be auspiced by a legally constituted organisation.

The auspice body is responsible for accepting the grant monies on behalf of the grant recipient, paying the grant monies to the grant recipient and ensuring that the funds are acquitted once the project is completed.

Examples of what an auspice organisation may do to keep track of grantee spending during the project are:

accept the grant monies on the grantees behalf
pay grant monies to the auspicee in accordance with the conditions of the grant
make sure that the grant money is spent as per your funding agreement
support you by keeping financial records on spending your grant money
provide a financial report for all the money you spend on your project

At the end of your project, you have to complete an acquittal. The acquittal consists of the financial report and an artistic report for your project.

The auspice organisation is not responsible for the artistic direction or the artistic quality of the project.

It is recommended that grant recipients enter into a written agreement with their nominated auspice body highlighting respective rights and responsibilities. The Arts Law Centre of Australia offer a sample auspice agreement for purchase from their website. As every auspicing relationship will be different and there may be additional issues that need to be included in your version of the Auspice Agreement. If this is the case please seek further assistance from the Arts Law Centre.

Not for profit Law also have a useful guide to assist those being auspiced (and potential auspicors) with understanding the ins-and-outs of auspicing: https://www.nfplaw.org.au/auspicing.

Where can I go for advice on writing grant applications?

We hosted a webinar to provide grant writing advice which you can see the archive of here. You can also find a 7-step guide on submitting your application to Regional Arts WA here, and advice for filling out your application can be found in the Resource and Application Guide.

The Project Fund page also has links to general advice to applicants from all previous rounds.

If you have any arts funding application questions you are also welcome to call us on 9200 6200 or 1800 811 883 (regional freecall) or email us at info@regionalartswa.org.au.

Where can I find the right logos and acknowledgements to use for my funded project?

Logos and acknowledgements for each funding program can be found on the web page for that specific funding program – you can find all of the funding pages here.

If you’re just looking for the Regional Arts WA logo click here.

I need to take photos for a grant acquittal, how do I get permission from people to take their photo?

All photos taken for Regional Arts WA acquittals must be accompanied by photo permission forms for all the people pictured.

You can find our talent release forms (to be signed by those having their photo taken) and image use permission forms (to be signed by the photographer) on our forms and templates page here.

Photos are extremely helpful in promoting the arts, so it’s important that you include captions with your pictures which include the name of the photographer, the names of those pictured and some context about the what, where, when and why of the image.

If you’d like to read more about the law regarding taking and distributing photos ArtsLaw has information sheets on street photographer’s rights and putting photos online.

Where else can I look for funding/support for my regional arts organisation/project?

For a list of other state and federal grant providers, or organisations who can provide other support for regional artists and artsworkers see our Support Links at the top of this page.

What is considered "in-kind support"?

In-kind support/contributions are when an individual, organisation or group support your project by providing something you require for your project at no cost (e.g. venue hire, volunteer hours, donations of materials).

This has a value or cost that can be shown in the sections marked for “in-kind” on your budget.

Can Regional Arts WA be my auspicing organisation?

Regional Arts WA is committed to supporting regional arts and artists and will consider auspicing an unincorporated group or individual if the proposed project meets the Auspicing Criteria, and Regional Arts WA is in a position to commit sufficient resources in order to meet its obligations as the auspicing body.

It is most important that those seeking to be auspiced understand the nature of the relationship they are entering into with Regional Arts WA. That is, by becoming the auspicing body for any project, Regional Arts WA takes on primary responsibility for all aspects of the project including project and financial management, human resource and OHS responsibilities, reporting and grant acquittal.

To assist in offsetting the additional administration burden on Regional Arts WA, a minimum administration fee of 10% of the project cost will be charged by Regional Arts WA and incorporated in the project budget.

If you are interested in being Auspiced, please call or email the office and we can discuss.

I have a question that hasn’t been answered on this page, what do I do?

Check out our General FAQs, Presenting Resources, Governance Resources and Publications and Research pages for more info.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can send us an email at info@regionalartswa.org.au.

Also of interest

2017 WA Regional Arts Summit Recap

General FAQs

Presenting Resources

Publications and Research