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Supporting the Most Vulnerable

Applications are now closed for prevention and early intervention grants.

Applications for crisis and emergency relief grants remain open to 5.00pm, Wednesday 30 June 2021.

From July 2021, Lotterywest will return to grant making under its Community Investment Framework. The Framework sets out five key priority areas and desired outcomes to benefit the WA community.

We will be looking to support eligible organisations that demonstrate how their grant contributes towards achieving one, or multiple outcomes in their community.

Please register here to stay up to date with information about our grant making for 2021-22 as it evolves.

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We’re here to help organisations assist people currently in crisis, enable people to recover and to avoid entrenched disadvantage

The supporting the Most Vulnerable grant program has two streams:

Crisis and Emergency Relief (applications are open)

The objective of this stream is to help organisations providing support to people experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, to meet their immediate basic needs.

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

Organisations which provide support to people experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have support to help them to meet their immediate basic needs.
Those most vulnerable in the community who are already experiencing hardship, that is exacerbated as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, have support to meet their immediate basic needs to avoid becoming further entrenched in disadvantage.

Prevention and Early Intervention (applications are now closed)

The objective of this stream is to support prevention and early intervention programs that address the longer-term impacts and support social and economic recovery from the pandemic.

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

Secondary and longer-term impacts resulting from the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are minimised through prevention and early intervention initiatives that are complementary to and reduce demand for government-funded intervention and welfare services.
Knowledge is shared to strengthen the community services sector to better respond to potential second or third waves of COVID-19

Greater priority is placed on grants which respond to the program outcomes and target the following groups:

People experiencing (or at risk of) homelessness
People experiencing family and domestic violence
People experiencing (or at risk of) mental health issues
Newly unemployed (including temporary visa holders)

Apply for a crisis and emergency relief grant now

Applications for the Crisis and Emergency Relief steam will close at 5:00pm, Wednesday 30 June 2021. We encourage you to talk to our team to discuss your idea before submitting an application.

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

To view the questions in advance, click here. Please note that this is an example form only.

Or click here to start your application. Please note that applications are through an online form rather than the Lotterywest grant portal.

Applications will be assessed monthly and approvals for this program may take a few months or longer should further work be required.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we review and assess a high volume of applications.

Please check with us if you have a time critical request.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - Who can be supported?

Not-for-profit organisations and local government authorities.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - What can be supported?

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

The following can be supported through this funding program:

Crisis and Emergency Relief

Costs related to increased demand for emergency relief (ER) services as a result of COVID-19 and/or to support recovery through time-limited interventions such as:

food, blankets, homelessness support, transport, essential pharmaceuticals and essential personal items such as clothing
utility payments where they cannot be covered by existing hardship schemes
coordination and collaboration costs to deliver ER services
costs related to connecting people to other relevant services to avoid entrenched disadvantage and to overcome barriers to accessing new opportunities

Prevention and Early Intervention (applications are now closed)

Project costs and resources related to:

Time-limited prevention and early intervention initiatives and innovations to minimise the secondary impacts of COVID-19 and/or support recovery related to socio-economic disadvantage, family and domestic violence (FDV), mental health and homelessness
Time-limited initiatives that work to help protect and prepare vulnerable parts of the WA community from a potential second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Initiatives that are complementary to other government funded interventions and welfare services.
Infrastructure to help achieve program outcomes.

For more general information about what Lotterywest can and can't support, please visit the What can be supported page.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - What won't be supported?

Initiatives that are the core responsibilities of other government departments
Initiatives fully funded by others, or where there is partial funding and the remainder is more appropriately met by another funder
Ongoing costs for emergency relief services unrelated to the impacts of COVID‑19 or recovery
Costs unrelated to prevention and early intervention initiatives such as acute service delivery
Contingency costs

Supporting the most vulnerable - What are some example projects which may be funded?

This program could involve support for things such as:

An outreach service to people that are newly homeless, or at risk of homelessness to link them with housing options to minimise the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
An initiative to help a number of emergency relief service providers collaborate and share information to quickly identify people newly experiencing financial hardship or hardship exacerbated by COVID-19.
Collaborative initiatives to provide a range of time limited support for vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 over and above existing service provision.
An early intervention program to support women and children experiencing an increase in family and domestic violence to access financial planning information and support.
A time-limited program to provide support to people at risk of developing mental health issues as a result of prolonged social isolation or the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - Who are our priority groups?

People experiencing (or at risk of) homelessness
People experiencing family and domestic violence
People experiencing (or at risk of) mental health issues
Newly unemployed (including temporary visa holders)

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - What are the expected outcomes for this grant program?

Crisis and Emergency Relief

Organisations supporting people experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have support to help them to meet their immediate basic needs.
Those most vulnerable in the community who are already experiencing hardship, that is exacerbated as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, have support to meet their immediate basic needs to avoid becoming further entrenched in disadvantage.

Prevention and Early Intervention (applications are now closed)

Secondary and longer-term impacts resulting from the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are minimised through prevention and early intervention initiatives that are complementary to and reduce demand for government-funded intervention and welfare services.
Knowledge is shared to strengthen the community services sector to better respond to potential second or third waves of COVID-19.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - How much can I apply for and how can I apply?

We are now only accepting applications for Crisis and Emergency Relief grants.

We accept applications from $3,000 upwards and you can submit an application through our website at any time. An Expression of Interest form doesn't need to be submitted first for this program.

The limit for unincorporated groups or organisations not GST registered is a combined total of up to $15,000 for each financial year.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - What are the indicators of change for this grant program?

Crisis and Emergency Relief

Volume of emergency relief provided (for example; food supplies, clothing, shelter)
Nature and type of coordination undertaken to support identified needs
Number of people reporting their immediate basic needs are met and they are connected to other relevant services from programs supported by Lotterywest

Prevention and Early Intervention (applications are now closed)

The extent of changes to socio-economic disadvantage, mental health, homelessness and family and domestic violence (using program specific measures)
Nature and type of initiatives to support identified needs
Number of people reporting positive outcomes from programs supported by Lotterywest grants

Supporting the Most Vulnerable - Crisis and Emergency Relief assessment criteria

1. Community need: your application should demonstrate what the needs of the community are, and how the support through a Crisis and Emergency Relief grant will help your organisation to address this need.