Aboriginal Projects

Enhancing Community Development Initiatives

Lotterywest provides grants to contribute towards improvement in the quality-of-life of Western Australian Aboriginal people.

Proposals will be considered that increase the opportunities of Aboriginal people according to community identified priorities, such as those focussing on

• community leadership,
• community development and enhancement,
• emotional and social wellbeing,
• welfare and safety,
• life changing opportunities and
• community participation and empowerment.

Projects that are developed, owned, managed and driven by Aboriginal people and lead to the enhancement of life opportunities are particularly encouraged.

Lotterywest provides support to both new and existing projects and programs in urban as well as rural and remote communities.

Types of Proposals Supported

Projects must be time limited, i.e. have a beginning and end date. Shorter term projects may be supported (e.g. 3 months, 6 months, 12 months) up to a maximum of three years. The request for Lotterywest support should be linked to the project plan and timeframe.

Project support may include:

• Operating costs such as short-term wages, research, administrative costs, professional fees, travel and other expenses.
• Capital and equipment costs on a one-off basis, depending on the length of the project.

The following list provides an overview of grants that have been approved in the past.  The list is not intended to be limiting.  Organisations are encouraged to seek new and innovative ways of enhancing community development.

The types of projects that have been previously supported include:

• Young people’s leadership projects including camps, seminars and conferences.
• Back to Country, heritage and cultural connection projects.
• Breakfast clubs and other healthy lifestyle initiatives.
• Intergenerational projects linking children, young people and seniors.
• Art and music development projects.
• Community activities in woodworking, art, basket weaving, tourism, aquaculture etc.
• Mentoring projects.
• Women or men specific projects.
• Organisational planning and development.

Grants will generally not be made for:

• Ongoing services or recurrent funding.
• Replacement support for a service or project for which funding from another source has ended.
• Addressing an area of need that is the responsibility of particular government department/s.
• Projects where there are no administrative or other infrastructure in place to support the management of the project including good governance.
• Projects that are not financially viable.

Assessment Considerations

The following factors will inform our assessment of your application:

• Details of what the project is aiming to achieve and what need is being addressed.
• Who is involved in the project, including the involvement of community members and other groups and/or organisations.
• The experience of your organisation or group to manage the project and/or expertise available to assist the project.
• The project’s target group (i.e. young people, families, across ages etc).
• The project plan, its key stages, activities to be undertaken and the project timeframe.
• How the project will be managed, monitored and evaluated.
• A project budget and resource needs including contributions from other partners.
• What will happen after the grant ends.
• Where the project involves ground disturbing works, a written explanation of investigations carried out to ascertain whether the project will impact on an Aboriginal heritage site and, if so, a copy of a letter from the Minister for Indigenous Affairs granting consent under section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (assistance can be obtained from www.dia.wa.gov.au or contact Registrar of Aboriginal Sites on (08) 9235 8000)
• Where the project may form part of or contribute to a ‘commercial activity’ that the project proposal is accompanied by a Business Plan establishing the feasibility and viability of such activity.

The Document Downloads section (at the top right hand column of this page) contains specific information about this grant area and access to an Application Form. 

To read more about the experiences of grant recipients go to the Grant Stories page.