Grassroots Community-Led grants

Grassroots Community-Led grants help not-for-profit organisations and local governments deliver great outcomes for communities across Western Australia. 

Our Grassroots Community-led program is where organisations and the community are in the driver’s seat. Come to us with your big (or small!) ideas to contribute towards making your community better and healthier.

Applications are open year-round, and we’ll be looking to support grants which align to our priorities.

Extra emergency relief support 

To provide additional funding and support to organisations who are helping Western Australia’s most vulnerable, we’ve increased our emergency and crisis relief support to $15 million per year for the next two years.

These grants will help community organisations and local governments to support people experiencing financial crisis to meet their basic needs. Lotterywest is committed to supporting best-practice emergency relief provision, including prioritising projects that demonstrate wrap-around services and referrals to further support, are open and accessible, non-discriminatory and best placed to service a key area of need.

Applications are open year-round, and should show how planned activities will contribute towards the priority area of ‘Inclusive thriving community’ and achieving the outcome of ‘reducing vulnerability and disadvantage’ in our Community Investment Framework. 

Apply now

Priority area alignment

We’re keen to support your ideas that contribute towards building a better and healthier WA and align to one of our Community Investment Framework priority areas.

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Get in touch

Not sure if your idea aligns?

We will work with you to explore what you’d like to achieve and how it connects to one of the priority areas. We’re here to support organisations to develop a strong application.

Timeframes

You can submit your grant application at any time – we aim to give a response within four months of receiving a complete application. 

We encourage you to discuss your ideas with one of our grant officers first, so we can help guide you to achieve the best chance of success.

Webinar

Watch our introduction to the Community Investment Framework webinar to learn more about Lotterywest’s grant-making.

Watch Video

Next steps

Make sure you’re eligible

You're an eligible organisation if you are:

  • a not-for-profit organisation (i.e. none of the profits go to owners or shareholders); or
  • a local government authority.

Smaller not-for-profits may prefer to be auspiced by an eligible organisation. Contact us for more information if you are considering this approach.

Your organisation also needs to:

  • be an Australian entity undertaking activities for the benefit of the Western Australian community;
  • not be operating on behalf of the State or Federal Government; or
  • have the authority to undertake the proposed grant activities.
Consider the timing

We aim to give a response within four months of receiving a complete application. We are unable to support retrospective or urgent costs.

We encourage you to get in touch with us early to discuss your idea.

Learn about what can be supported
  • The grant must clearly result in community benefit. This can include providing relief to people facing significant needs.
  • There must be a clear link between the activity or item to be purchased with the grant, the grant purpose and one of the outcomes in the Community Investment Framework.
  • The benefit of the grant must be realised in Western Australia.
  • Grants can be used to support income generating activities if they are clearly intended to lead to a charitable or benevolent outcome. All profits must be directed towards a charitable purpose.

Learn more about what can’t be supported here.

Check our assessment criteria

You will need to demonstrate that your proposal meets the following four assessment criteria:

  1. Link to Community Investment Framework outcomes
  2. Merit of the proposal
  3. Value for money
  4. Organisational capacity

Learn more here. 

Get your documents together

All applicants will be asked to provide the following documents – we recommend that you start getting these ready early.

  • Your organisation’s rules or constituent documents
  • List of current Directors/Board or Management Committee members
  • Budget and quotes
  • Annual report and AGM minutes
  • Bank statement
  • Any other supporting documents e.g. project plans
  • Referee details
Plan for success

Getting clear on what you’re trying to achieve, and how to do it, will give you the best chance possible of a successful grant project.

Ask yourself:

  • Why do you want a grant? (the need opportunity you are addressing)
  • What are you trying to do? (the activities you want to undertake)
  • What are you trying to achieve? (what will the outcome be?)
  • What Framework outcomes will your grant contribute to?
  • Who will benefit and how many people?
  • Which region(s) will benefit?
  • What do you need to deliver your idea? (your inputs)
  • Why is your organisation well placed/best placed to deliver this and who are you working with?

If you’re struggling to answer these questions, develop a ‘logic model’ using our simple template or give us a call and we’ll help you develop your idea before applying.

Learn more here.

Enhancing the impact of your project

Lotterywest seeks to promote an increasingly inclusive, accessible, healthy and sustainable community through measures such as acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians, environmental sustainability, health promotion and promoting access and inclusion for all Western Australians.

A Good Practice Guide is available to support all grant customers when planning initiatives (including events, programs and projects) to broaden impact beyond outcomes directly related to the grant.

Please read the Guide and consider how you can implement practices related to these issues in your planning.

You will be asked to report on what has been achieved on these issues as part of our broader reporting requirements.

Apply

Grant applications take place in the Lotterywest Portal. You will be asked to login or create a profile. You will then be able to start a new application which you can save and return to as required.

Read out tips for answering the application questions here.

Apply here.

Call us if you require any help with completing the application form online.

Share the good news

Getting the word out that you have received a Lotterywest grant lets people know that the money spent on Lotterywest games supports WA not-for-profit organisations. It’s also a great opportunity to raise your profile.

  • Call us or give us a shout out on social media with your updates and photos so we can share your news.
  • Tag @Lotterywest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use our hashtag #Lotterywest.
  • You can also order Lotterywest signage and use the Lotterywest logo to acknowledge our partnership.

Learn more here.

Reporting back and acquitting your grant

The Grant Management Tool allows you to manage and acquit (account for) your grant. You can use the tool to:

  • Request a payment and provide an update on progress
  • Request an extension of time or variation
  • Provide your final grant acquittal including outcomes reporting

Access the Grant Management Tool here.

Learn more here.

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