Strengthening and Adapting Organisations

We’re here to help you strengthen your organisation; from challenge comes the opportunity for change.

The objective of this grant program is to support organisations and community groups to prepare for, and implement, longer-term organisational changes. This support will foster a more innovative, collaborative and resilient network of not-for-profit organisations and community groups that can better serve the needs of communities during and following the crisis.

Grant applications must seek to achieve one or more of the outcomes outlined below.

Find out more
Contact us

Outcomes focus

  1. Enhanced organisational governance and capability to be stronger and well positioned to respond to any further crisis

  2. The development of innovative business models or service delivery models that support community organisations and the not-for-profit sector achieve greater impact.

  3. Enhanced collaboration across the not-for-profit-sector towards shared goals.

The first grant round is now closed. The second grant round is planned for February 2021

We will be holding two grant rounds for the Strengthening and Adapting Organisations grant program. This means that applications will only be accepted within these set periods.

The first round of applications was open from Monday 24 August and closed at 5:00pm Monday 21 September. A second round of applications is planned for February 2021.

We encourage you to call us to discuss your idea in the lead up to the second application period. Time permitting, we will work with you to develop your proposal.

We've received lots of innovative applications in the first grant round and look forward to discussing your ideas for the next grant round.

Please read the FAQs below for more information on what can and can’t be funded under this program.

How to prepare for the next grant round

We've received some inspiring and innovative applications in the first grant round and look forward to hearing you ideas on how to strengthen your organisation.

The next grant round will open in February 2021. In the lead up, please call us to discuss your ideas.

You can also register for grant updates by clicking here.

To view the sorts of questions we'll ask in the application form, please click here. If you are interested in applying for more than one of the streams for this grant program, you'll be asked to answer all the questions for each. 

To find out what documents you'll be asked to provide during your application, please click here.

Applications received in the second round will be assessed against the below criteria, with recommendations progressed to the Lotterywest Board and then to the Minister responsible for Lotterywest for approval.

For the application to be assessed, the full application will need to be submitted before the second grant round close date. The grant round dates will be provided closer to the grant round opening.

Small and larger grants available

We are up for thinking small and thinking big!

Small grants may include support for working out how to adapt in order to be more effective and resilient, a ready to go, small scale initiative or developing bigger ideas which meet the program outcomes.

Larger grants may be for projects which support long term change and/or implementation of innovative, larger-scale approaches which meet the program outcomes.

Example projects are provided in the FAQs below.

Lotterywest Grants Webinar

Watch this webinar to find out about the current Lotterywest COVID-19 Relief Fund Strengthening and Adapting Organisations program.

Watch Video
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - Who can be supported?

Not-for-profit organisations and local government authorities.

Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What can be supported (general)?

To be eligible for Lotterywest support a grant request must be:

  • for charitable or benevolent purposes with outcomes that align with one of our COVID-19 Relief Fund streams. 
  • directly related to your organisation’s purpose. Quick tip: You can check the ‘objects’ or ‘purpose’ in your organisation’s constitution or rules
  • taking place in WA, or be of direct benefit to the WA community
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are the funding streams and expected outcomes?

There are three funding streams under this program, each with a different focus:

  1. Organisational Capability and Governance - the expected outcome of this stream is enhanced organisational governance and capability to be stronger and well positioned to respond to any further crisis.

  2. Innovative Service Models - the expected outcome of this stream is the development of innovative business models or service delivery models that support community organisations to achieve greater impact.

  3. Sector Collaboration - the expected outcome of this stream is enhanced collaboration across the not-for-profit sector towards shared goals.
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are some examples of projects under the Organisational Capability and Governance stream?

We’re looking to understand what your organisation needs to be more effective and resilient in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples projects include:

  • Development of a strategy or digital solution for an organisation unable to generate income or fundraise through its usual channels.
  • A ‘health check’ to help an organisation work out how it needs to adapt in order to be more effective and resilient.
  • The implementation of a new business model to diversify income streams by working with different sectors of the community.
  • Supporting an organisation helping young people into employment pathways to develop a social enterprise arm to achieve greater sustainability.
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are some examples of projects under the Innovative Service Models stream?

We’re looking to understand how you can deliver services, or operate different business models, in a new and innovative way to deliver better outcomes to the community during or after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Example projects include:

  • Scaling up an IT based service innovation that enabled an organisation to reach more people during COVID-19.
  • Support for a community organisation to transition or expand its programs to online platforms to improve customer access to services.
  • Trialling a new ‘co-design’ approach to delivering a service in a regional area in order to respond to a new need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Applying the lessons learned from international best practice in engaging CALD communities in the arts through a new innovative program
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are some examples of projects under the Sector Collaboration stream?

We’re looking to understand how you can work with other organisations (either within or outside of your sector) to:

  • Share knowledge and solutions; and/or
  • Support improved governance and capability.

This collaboration needs to support better outcomes for the community in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

This may include collaborative projects such as:

  • Development and implementation of a collective data and outcomes management system across a number of organisations working with vulnerable people to improve analysis of changing needs and inform service responses.
  • Support for community groups working in the same area to develop a collective approach to recruiting and involving volunteers to offer a wider range of opportunities, and achieve a greater impact in the community
  • Implementation of a merger of organisations supporting the same client group in different locations, to ensure long term sustainability and improve access to the range of services available for clients.
  • Implementation of a sector or cross sector project to address gaps, barriers and opportunities for collaboration during the response to COVID-19.
  • An online event to enable a network of community organisations across the State to share the resources, tools, and methods used to pivot services during the pandemic.
  • An initial scoping project or implementation of a well-developed plan for a group of organisations to address the technological, systems and operational barriers to integrated service provision which were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Preparatory work to scope a project which would enable not-for-profits to share, buy or sell under-utilised resources, expertise and spare capacity e.g. buildings, vehicles, equipment, specialist staff skills, back office services.
  • Support for a regional collective of Traditional Owners, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal Ranger groups to develop and implement an innovative framework to deliver cultural land management initiatives.
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What won't be supported?
  • Projects which don’t align with program outcomes
  • Initiatives fully funded by others or which are the responsibility of a government agency
  • Contingency costs
  • Retrospective costs (unless by exception)
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are the indicators of change for this grant stream?
  • Improvements to organisational governance, resilience and risk strategies
  • Increased use of innovative technologies and/or business models
  • Development of new service models
  • Improved preparedness for responding to crisis and opportunities to be more effective
  • Better understanding of the organisation's capabilities and areas for development
  • Greater collaboration within and across the sectors
  • Broad benefits extending beyond the organisation
  • improved delivery of/access to activities and/or services
Strengthening and Adapting Organisations - What are the assessment considerations for this grant program?

The following specific assessment considerations relate to each grant stream :

  • Stream 1 – Organisational Capacity and Governance: Your proposal should respond to an emerging organisational issue due to, or exacerbated by, the impact of COVID-19. It should result in your organisation being better positioned for any further crisis.
  • Stream 2 – Innovative Service Models: Your proposal should respond to opportunities to innovate and better serve the needs of the community during and following the COVID-19 crisis. It should be possible for learnings to be shared with others.
  • Stream 3 – Sector Collaboration: The proposal should respond to opportunities to collaborate and better serve the needs of the community during and following the COVID-19 crisis. It should be clear who will benefit from the collaboration and how, with the right people/organisations involved. The collaboration should contribute to the sector’s longer-term effectiveness, resilience and sustainability, with learnings able to be shared more broadly.

In addition to the above, the following general assessment considerations are relevant across all Strengthening and Adapting Organisations grant streams:

  1. Value for money: Your proposal should include a clear, realistic budget with accurate costs supported by quotes. Collaboration in delivery and/or funding of the project is encouraged.
  2. Organisational capacity: Your proposal will need to demonstrate that your organisation has the skills, experience, governance arrangements, relationships and capacity to successfully deliver the proposal, and that your organisation is likely to be better positioned to respond to any further crisis as a result.
  3. Merit of proposal: Your proposal should address one or more of the program outcomes with sound planning (including consultation if appropriate) and realistic outcomes that are achievable in the current context and that can be measured and evaluated.