
BUILD Workshop - Effective, Inclusive and Compliant Committees
- 5.30pm - 7.30pm, Wednesday 28 October
- Mount Flora Regional Museum, Elvire Street, Watermans Bay
The City of Stirling’s Community Grants Program supports local projects that make a real difference. We offer a range of grants to help meet community needs and support initiatives that deliver strong value for our community and support our long-term vision.
The City of Stirling’s Community Grants Program supports community sustainability through a transparent, consistent, and inclusive process. We offer various grants aligned with Council priorities to meet diverse community needs, supporting projects that provide excellent value without duplicating existing services.
These guidelines give an overview of our grants process and should be read with each grant stream fact sheet for specific eligibility criteria.
The process is reviewed annually to ensure it meets Council and community expectations.
We look forward to supporting innovative community initiatives. We offer pre-lodgement advice and encourage you to contact us before applying.
Email: Grants@stirling.wa.gov.au
Contact: (08) 9205 7115

Grants from under $2,000 to over $20,000 are available to support projects that make a real difference. Choose from five grant streams:
Active and Healthy Communities
Locally-led and Creative Communities
Sustainable Communities
Vibrant Communities
Innovative and Productive Communities.
Learn more about community grants streams
Activities funded through the Community Grants Program must demonstrate that they support the City of Stirling’s overall vision and the priorities outlined in the grant streams below.
Image: Mural by James Giddy at Jackadder Reserve
Quick Response Grants are available year-round, subject to some exceptions*.
Small, Medium and Large grant rounds are typically held in July and February, however timing is reviewed annually and may change. For the 2026/2027 financial year, two rounds are planned, with the first round opening in July 2026 and the second proposed for February/March 2027 (dates to be confirmed).
Note that applications close at 5.00pm AWST on the dates shown below.
Applicants may receive up to two grants per financial year, with only one being a Quick Response Grant.
If your activity is scheduled to commence before the recommended start date listed below, please contact our Senior Grants Officers to discuss available options (grants@stirling.wa.gov.au).
Please note: All Quick Response Grants will generally be paid within 14 business days of successful grant notification. Small, Medium and Large grants will receive payment within 30 business days of the grant agreement being signed and returned with a valid invoice.
| Value | Opening date | Notifications | Activity commences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $2,000 | 1 July 2026* | 14 business days | 28 business days from the application lodgment |
| Example | Application submitted on 1 July 2026 | 20 July 2026 | From 7 August 2026 |
*Quick Response Grants temporarily close at the end of the financial year (6 - 30 June), over the Christmas period and if funds have been exhausted. For Travel Assistance - please contact the Grants Team to enquire about eligibility and support.
| Value | Round | Opening date | Closing date | Notification 40 business days from round closure | Activity commences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,001 - $5,000 | Round one | 1 July 2026 | 31 July 2026 | 25 September 2026 | From 26 October 2026 |
| Round two | February / March 2027 | February / March 2027 | Release dates to be confirmed | Release dates to be confirmed |
| Value | Round | Opening date | Closing date | Notification 40 business days from round closure | Activity commences 60 business days from round closure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,001 - $20,000 | Round one | 1 July 2026 | 31 July 2026 | 25 September 2026 | From 26 October 2026 |
| Round two | February / March 2027 | February / March 2027 | Release dates to be confirmed | Release dates to be confirmed |
| Value | Round | Opening date | Closing date | Notification 50 business days from round closure | Activity commences 80 business days from round closure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,001 + | Round one | 1 July 2026 | 31 July 2026 | 12 October 2026 | From 23 November 2026 |
| Round two | February / March 2027 | February / March 2027 | Release dates to be confirmed | Release dates to be confirmed |
The City of Stirling provides grants across five areas referred to as grant streams. Projects funded through the Community Grants Program must demonstrate that they support the City of Stirling’s overall vision and the priorities outlined below in one of the following grant streams:
Projects that:
Projects that:
Projects that encourage the community to:
Events that:
Projects that:
Within each grants stream, different grant types are available, each with their own requirements. A total funding pool of approximately $1 million dollars will be available.
| Grant type | Package | Available | Outcome notification | Activity commences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick response | Up to $2,000 | Reopens 1st July 2026 | 14 business days | 28 business days from the application lodgement |
| Small grants | $2,001 - $5,000 | Two rounds per year | 40 business days from round closure | 60 business days from round closure |
| Medium grants | $5,001 - $20,000 | Two rounds per year | 40 business days from round closure | 60 business days from round closure |
| Large grants | $20,001+ | Two rounds per year | 50 business days from round closure | 80 business days from round closure |
The Community Grants Program rounds will be published on the City’s website. Please check closing dates on this page. Applications close at 5.00pm on the due date.
Applicants will not be able to receive more than two grants within the same financial year, only one of those grants can be a quick response grant.
*There will be a brief closure period for Quick Response Grants from 6 - 30 June to process payments for the end of Financial Year.
For Small, Medium and Large grant applications - we recommend applying during the early bird period (within the first two weeks of the grant round opening) to allow time for eligibility checks and feedback. Applications submitted after this will be assessed for eligibility only, with no further changes permitted.
Please note that late applications will not be accepted, once the round has closed.
The quick response grants are for small amounts up to $2,000 and will be quickly assessed. Grants are available throughout the financial year. The activity must commence at least 28 days after the application date and applicants will be notified of the outcome within 14 business days of submission.
Grants will be provided to eligible individuals, community groups and organisations for activities that fit within one of the grant streams which can be found above. Please view each grant stream fact sheet to see specific eligibility criteria.
Additionally support for organisations to become incorporated (up to the value of $1,000) or insurance costs for public liability (up to the value of $1,000) may be applied for - see FAQs for further details of eligibility.
Applications will not be accepted for projects that have already occured or will occur within the notification period listed above. Applicants will not be able to receive more than one quick response grant within a financial year.
Small grants of between $2,001 - $5,000 are available via two grant rounds per year. Grant rounds will open on 1 July and 1 February each financial year. Applications will be assessed by a Community Grants Panel and recommendations will be submitted for approval by a delegated City Officer. The activity must commence at least 60 days after the closure of the round, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within 40 business days from the round's closing date.
Grants will be provided to eligible individuals, community groups and organisations for projects that fit within one of the grant streams found above. Please view each grant stream fact sheet to see specific eligibility criteria.
Applications will not be accepted for projects that have already occurred. Once the funded project is completed, evidence of the grant terms and conditions will be required and may be subject to audit.
Medium grants between $5,001 - $20,000 are available via two grant rounds per year. Grant rounds will open on 1 July and 1 February each financial year. Applications will be assessed by a Community Grants Panel and recommendations will be submitted for approval by a delegated City Officer. The activity must commence at least 60 days after the closure of the round, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within 40 business days from the round's closing date.
Grants will be provided to eligible individuals, community groups and organisations for projects that fit within one of the grant streams found above. Please view each grant stream fact sheet to see specific eligibility criteria.
Note: Individuals and unincorporated groups must be auspiced if funding is above $5,000.
Applications will not be accepted for projects that have already occurred. Once the funded project is completed, evidence of the grant conditions will be required through an acquittal process and may be subject to audit.
Large grants over $20,001 are available via two grant rounds per year. Grant rounds will open on 1 July and 1 February each financial year. Applications will be assessed by a Community Grants Panel and recommendations will be submitted for approval to Council. The activity must commence at least 80 days after the closure of the round, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within 60 business days from the round's closing date.
Grants will be provided to eligible individuals, community groups and organisations for projects that fit within one of the grant streams found above. Please view each grant stream fact sheet to see specific eligibility criteria.
Note: Individuals and unincorporated groups must be auspiced if funding is above $5,000.
Applications will not be accepted for projects that have already occurred. Once the funded project is completed, evidence of the grant conditions will be required through an acquittal process and may be subject to audit.
Value in-kind components of grant packages will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for the following:
These services will form part of the total grant package. Please discuss value in-kind contributions from the City of Stirling with the Grants Officer before submitting your application and these will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
We provide a variety of grants to different entities which are listed below:
Not all grant streams/types are available to all entities so please check below and the specific grant stream fact sheet before you apply.
Applications from schools and other educational institutions must be in accordance with the eligibility for the grant stream they are applying for and satisfy the following additional criteria:
| Individuals/groups with no ABN | Small business with ABN | Registered schools | Not-for-profit organisations and incorporate associations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active and Healthy Communities | ||||
| Innovative and Productive Communities | ||||
| Locally-Led and Creative Communities | ||||
| Sustainable Communities | ||||
| Vibrant Communities |
Eligible with conditions (e.g. only under quick response category)
Eligible
To be eligible for a grant in the City’s Community Grants Program applicants must:
The City of Stirling does not provide grants for activities that:
Once you have confirmed that you and your project are eligible within the City’s Community Grants Program, you need to submit your application online using a program called SmartyGrants.
SmartyGrants lets you complete sections of your application in stages, save your progress and return to it later so you don’t need to complete it all at once. Your application will be stored online, so there’s no need to save it to your computer.
SmartyGrants is user friendly, but please keep the following in mind:
We highly recommend contacting the City for pre-lodgement support prior to submitting your application. Please contact the City’s Grants Officer.
Please visit this page to check opening and closing dates of each grant round. Applications close at 5pm on the due date. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.
We assess eligible applications using the criteria listed below and grants are awarded based on merit.
| % of score | Criteria (what do you need to tell us) | Measure (how we will assess it) |
|---|---|---|
| 40% |
|
|
| 30% |
|
|
| 30% |
|
|
Please note, these are example questions only. Further information is available in the specific grant stream fact sheets and within the Community Grant Program applications forms at www.stirling.wa.gov.au/grants
The assessment process involves several stages, which is why it takes some time before you are notified of the outcome of your application.
All decisions regarding grant outcomes are final. We will notify you in writing of the outcome of your application. Please refer to the above to see when you will receive notification of the outcome of your application.
Approval of a grant does not imply that the City has given any other approval. Applicants should note that many projects (including events and projects) that require approvals or permits from the City of Stirling or any other State Government agencies will need to be obtained separately, or the City may revoke the grant.
If your application is not successful, the decision does not necessarily reflect the worthiness or community benefit of the proposal. The City’s Community Grants Program is a very competitive process and the number of applications may exceed the funds available.
Once contracts are finalised, payments are processed with a standard period of a 30-day turnaround time from the invoice date.
Successful applicants must enter into a written grant agreement as supplied by the City of Stirling before any funds are provided. You must not commence your project until the funding agreement has been signed by both parties.
The agreement will outline:
If the project does not proceed or does not meet the Terms and Conditions within the grant agreement, the grant must be returned partially or in full.
If you receive a grant from the City of Stirling, you’ll be required to acknowledge the City’s support. The level of recognition required depends on the type of grant you receive. These details can be found in the table below:
| Recognition | Quick response grants | Small grants | Medium grants | Large grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Value | Up to $2,000 | $2,001 - $5,000 | $5,001 - $20,000 | $20,001+ |
| City of Stirling verbal acknowledgement in relevant project funded interviews, speeches, announcements or presentations | ||||
| City of Stirling acknowledgement on all digital media including relevant social media posts, e-newsletter articles and project website or website pages. | ||||
| City of Stirling grant logo on all marketing and promotional collateral and materials for the projects (flyers, brochures, posters etc) in accordance with the City's guidelines | ||||
| Photographs of the project provided to the City as evidence of the project completion and City acknowledgement | ||||
| City of Stirling signage is to be displayed. Signage is to be collected and returned by the grant recipient. If the grant recipient creates project signage, the City logo should be used upon approval. | ||||
| You are encouraged to send a formal invitation to the Mayor and Elected Members with one-month notice required - please speak to your support officer for more information | ||||
City of Stirling activation/engagement opportunity at the project (i.e. City of Stirling marquee and employees attendance to promote the City) | ||||
| City of Stirling promotional opportunity (i.e. media, advertising or publication opportunity) as agreed - this may include quotes from the Mayor on behalf of the City | ||||
| Display the City’s logo on equipment or uniform purchase for the project (i.e, organisation polo shirts) | ||||
| Acknowledgement of the grant in the organisation’s Annual Reports, newsletters etc. | ||||
| Negotiated presenting rights for the project (i.e. ‘Presented by the City of Stirling’) | ||||
| Attendee/participant survey implementation, promotion and report (i.e. Culture Counts survey in collaboration with the City of Stirling) |
Once you have completed your activity you will be required to submit a report to the City of Stirling to acquit the grant via SmartyGrants.
Acquittal reports provide feedback to the City on the success of the approved project and provide evidence on how the grant funds were spent. Acquittals will differ, dependent on the type of grant funding you received but may include:
You may be asked to provide further documentation and evidence of expenses upon the support officer reviewing the acquittal.
If the grant is valued at more than $20,001, we may request you provide audited financial statements on acquitting the project.
Acquittal reports for quick response grants must be submitted no later than one month after the activity has been completed.
All other grants require final reports to be submitted no later than six weeks after the agreed completion date of the project unless otherwise agreed in your funding agreement.
As part of the Community Grants Program accountability process, we reserve the right to audit any and all grant recipients for compliance with the grant conditions and expenditure of grant monies received.
Here are some frequently asked questions in relation to the Community Grants Program.
We provide a variety of grants to different entities:
Not all grant streams/types are available to all entities, so please check below and the specific grant stream information before you apply.
Applications from schools and other educational institutions must be in accordance with the eligibility for the grant stream they are applying for and satisfy the following additional criteria:
There are different types of grants including quick grants of up to $2,000 and large grants over $20,000.
Please don't under or overestimate your request. It’s important to request the amount that will support your initiative, has a strong case to support it, meets relevant assessment considerations and demonstrates value for money.
Once you have confirmed that you and your project is eligible within the City’s Community Grants Program, you need to submit your application through SmartyGrants.
SmartyGrants lets you complete sections of your application in stages, save your progress and return to it later so you don’t need to complete it all at once. Your application will be stored online, so there’s no need to save it to your computer.
Upon closure of each grant round, the notification times vary depending on grant type. This can range from 14 business days to 80 business days from round closure.
To be eligible for a grant in the City’s Community Grants Program applicants must:
Grants are provided across five areas referred to as grant streams. Projects funded through the Community Grants Program must demonstrate that they support the City of Stirling’s overall vision and the priorities outlined on the community grants streams page.
The City’s Community Grants Program is a very competitive process. Applicants cannot receive more than two grants per financial year. Of the two grants, only one of these can be a quick grant (under $2,000).
The City of Stirling does not provide grants for projects that:
Recurrent operational expenses are the ongoing, everyday costs involved in running an organisation. These typically include:
These are considered “business as usual” (BAU) costs and are expected to be your group’s own operating budget. The City’s funding program does not cover the day-to-day running costs of an organisation. Instead, grants are designed to support clearly defined, one-off events, projects or pilot initiatives with a specific start and end point and deliver measurable outcomes and clear community benefit. Applications that seek funding for ongoing operational activity without a project-based structure may be considered ineligible.
The primary goal of a community grant is to deliver meaningful benefits for the community.
You must provide evidence demonstrating that any catering or food‑related expenses are essential and directly support the delivery of the funded project outcomes.
Catering costs will be assessed on a case‑by‑case basis and where deemed essential, up to a maximum of 10% of the total grant funds requested may be allocated to catering.
This may include costs such as:
We encourage you to partner with other local groups and businesses. Many community projects receive in-kind catering from local grocery stores, suppliers, local community organisations, bakeries and butchers. These partnerships not only reduce project costs but also strengthen local connections and visibility.
One that shows that you’ve thought everything through and demonstrates that you know what you are doing – please consider the following questions:
There will be lots of other groups competing for these grants so it’s important that you know:
The most common mistakes are:
Top tips:
The City is committed to ensuring the assessment process is fair and equitable, which means all applications are assessed on their current merit, community benefit and alignment with grant objectives. Recurring annual funding is not guaranteed. We strongly encourage applicants to seek additional funding from other sources. Having multiple funding partners can also strengthen your application and demonstrate wider community support. Applicants delivering annual or recurring events are encouraged to demonstrate how their activities will become financially sustainable over time and to seek additional sources of funding.
It’s important to know that you can’t talk to Elected Members about your application to try and influence the process. This is called canvassing and is prohibited.
Elected Members and City Officers cannot act as references as this could be an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
The City has the right to reclassify any grant application into another grant stream if it deemed appropriate.
The City may withdraw support from an applicant if they are deemed non-compliant with any Council policy or any written agreement entered into.
The City will only discuss applications with the applicant. The City must comply with the Local Government Act 1995 (WA), State Records Act 2000 (WA) and other relevant legislation and regulations. An assessment of your application will form part of the decision recommendation report which may be subject to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Successful applicants will be listed on the City’s website. Please make it known to the Grants Team if information provided in your application is commercially sensitive.
The grant process is a very competitive process and funds are awarded based on merit, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll be funded every time.
After you submit your application, the first thing our officers do is check that you’re eligible. This means that you meet our requirements and that all of your documents are in order. If that’s all okay, then your application will be assessed by a panel of officers.
Quick response grants are assessed when they are submitted, and we should get back to you on the outcome within 14 business days.
All other grant applications are scored and then ranked against the other applications submitted during that grant round.
Recommendations for funding are then presented for approval by a delegated city officer if they are under $20,000 and to Council if they are over $20,001.
All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome.
Successful applicants will receive a letter of offer and a grant agreement to sign before any funding can be paid.
Successful applicants will receive a letter of offer and a grant agreement to sign before any funding can be paid.
Grant agreements include the terms and conditions for the project in which the City will make the grant available - this includes:
It is important that you read this contract and understand the terms and conditions included.
All successful applicants must sign and enter into this agreement before any funds can be distributed.
Once all required documentation has been signed and received by the City, the grant funds will be transferred via EFT to the nominated bank account.
This depends on what grant you are applying and successful for. Please refer to specific information on each grant stream on the Community Grants Program page.
We will notify you in writing of the outcome of your application.
Approval of a grant does not imply that the City has given any other approval. Applicants should note that many projects (including events and projects) that require approvals or permits from the City of Stirling or any other State Government agencies will need to be obtained separately, or the City may revoke the grant.
If your application is not successful, the decision does not necessarily reflect the worthiness or community benefit of the proposal. The City’s Community Grants Program is a very competitive process and the number of applications may exceed the funds available. All applicants are encouraged to arrange a phone or face-to-face meeting with the Senior Grants Officer to discuss feedback from the assessment panel on their application.
Once contracts are finalised, payments are processed with a standard period of a 30-day turnaround time from the invoice date.
Your group may need to supply an ABN as part of your application. An ABN refers to an Australian Business Number issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). If your organisation has an ABN, it must be included in your application.
The holder of the ABN is either:
It’s a good idea for any incorporated group to register for an ABN. You can read more at the ATO website.
If your organisation doesn’t have an ABN, you’re requested to complete a Statement by Supplier Form and lodge it together with your application. The form is available on the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) website.
If you don’t have an ABN and don’t supply this form, we are obliged to take 46.5% of the grant allocated and send this to the ATO.
For information about taxation, contact the ATO on 13 28 66 between 8am and 6pm Monday-Friday, or visit the ATO website.
If you want to talk to a Tax Officer and require an interpreter, you can call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 12 14 50.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment and have access to appropriate TTY or modem equipment, you can phone 13 36 77.
If you have access to TTY or modem equipment, you can phone the Speech to Speech Relay Service on 1300 555 727.
Public liability insurance (PLI) protects you if someone is injured or property is damaged as a result of your project, event or activity. Grant recipients are responsible for any loss, liability or expense arising from activities funded by the grant. Some venues or activities may also require you to have PLI in place before your project can proceed.
If you already hold PLI, check with your insurer to confirm whether your proposed activity is covered.
The City is not responsible for determining the level or appropriateness of insurance cover. Applicants are responsible for seeking advice from their insurance provider and ensuring they have the necessary cover to meet all venue and activity requirements.
Insurance needs will vary depending on the scale and nature of the project. Smaller, localised neighbourhood activations may not require insurance, while larger community events do. To help protect your event or project, the City strongly recommends that Grant recipients hold a public liability insurance (PLI) policy with a minimum cover of $20 million. Grant recipients are responsible for any loss, liability, or expense arising from activities funded by the grant.
Funding for up to $1,000 for public liability insurance may be available for individuals or unincorporated groups delivering a one-off project, where insurance is essential and not something that you would normally have. You can include PLI costs in your application only if all the following apply:
If these conditions aren’t met, public liability insurance costs cannot be funded.
*Please do not purchase a new policy for your project before your grant has been approved, unless you already hold insurance and need a specific extension or short‑term policy as outlined in the FAQs above. Please speak to a member of the Grants team first to discuss your situation.
The following entity types are expected to already have public liability insurance as part of their normal operating costs, and therefore cannot request grant funding for this expense:
Grant funding is intended to bring community‑led projects to life. It isn’t intended to cover every day operational or compliance costs. For many organisations, public liability insurance is something they already need to have in place as part of their normal risk management and governance responsibilities.
Public Liability Insurance (PLI) is important, but it doesn’t cover everything. Depending on your project, you may need additional insurance when required, such as volunteers’ insurance to cover volunteers in the event of an injury claim, or building and contents insurance, to cover damage to a property in your organisation’s control (if you’re hiring a space).
Depending on your project, you may need to think about a few different types of insurance to make sure your group, your volunteers and the public are protected.
Some common types include:
Having the right insurance in place helps ensure everyone involved in your project is protected. Insurance needs can vary depending on the type of activity you’re planning, so it’s always a good idea to speak with your insurance provider to confirm what cover you need.
The City of Stirling has taken out its own very specific Public Liability Insurance (PLI) policy, which covers specific activities and locations. The Community Grant Program funds community-led events and activities and therefore is outside the scope of City’s PLI.
There are many variables when calculating PLI, such as the type of activities being run, how many activities take place, and where. Each group is unique and needs to have its own PLI.
Not-for-profit organisations may choose to access one off cover from Local Community Insurance Services and individual artists may choose to access insurance from Artsource.
To support new and emerging community groups, you can apply for a Quick Response Grant even if you don’t yet have Public Liability Insurance (PLI). However, if your application is successful, you must provide proof of PLI before signing your grant agreement. Funds can only be released once your insurance is in place.
Yes - we can provide funding of up to $1,000 to help unincorporated community groups become incorporated.
Community groups form for many reasons: social, sporting, creative or neighbourhood based. Incorporating your group creates a simple and affordable way to become a legal entity.
For example, if an unincorporated group needs to rent a venue or arrange insurance, an individual member would normally need to sign under their own name, which can place them at personal financial risk. Once incorporated the group can enter agreements under the organisation’s name instead, sharing and reducing the risk for everyone involved.
Your community group may decide not to incorporate, particularly if you only handle small amounts of money and rarely need to enter into legal agreements.
However, it’s important to note that many grants are not available to unincorporated groups. In these cases, we often recommend finding an auspice organisation to support your project.
For more information on becoming incorporated, please visit The Funding Centre website
Auspicing is an arrangement where an incorporated and eligible organisation partners with and supports an unincorporated community group by submitting a grant application on their behalf, taking on the legal and financial responsibility for the grant, which allows groups that are otherwise ineligible (for example, those that are not incorporated) to access funding opportunities.
If you are an unincorporated group, then an incorporated group is needed to auspice (support) your grant application.
The auspice organisation will:
Your group/organisation will still be recognised as the ‘grant recipient’, but the auspice organisation carries the formal responsibilities.
No - even if the activity benefits the community, businesses and for-profit entities are not eligible to be auspiced. Auspicing exists specifically to support informal community groups - not commercial ventures.
Match funding means you must contribute an equal amount of cash to the amount you request from the City.
Small businesses must match fund the request in grant funding with cash – not in-kind support.
Registered schools applying for small, medium and large grants must also match fund but their match funding can include value-in-kind/cash or both.
Example 1: Match funding with no other income
Example 2: Match funding with other income
If you’re unsure how match funding applies to your project, please contact the Grants Team for support by emailing grants@stirling.wa.gov.au.au.
An in-kind contribution is a contribution of any goods or services to your activity that will not cost money. In-kind contributions are important, to identify the true value of your project and demonstrates community connectiveness when volunteer opportunities are given.
Some examples of in-kind support that you might contribute to your activity could include:
There is a separate section in the application form specifically for your Value in Kind contribution. These contributions are considered as part of the assessment.
Important note: please do not include your Value in Kind contribution in your project’s total costs or expenditure.
The calculation of your in-kind contribution is based on your best estimates. As a guide:
Important note about paid staff: if paid employees (including yourself) are contributing time to the project, this must be recorded as value in kind, not as an expense. Salaries and wages are considered business as usual operational costs and cannot be funded through grant funding.
The City’s ‘In-kind support’ refers to situations where we provide the value of our resources, goods or services, at no or reduced cost to eligible applicants, instead of providing cash funding.
The City of Stirling offers several types of in-kind support, assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on your project and its needs.
Types of available in-kind support available:
Applicants are encouraged to discuss any potential in-kind support with a City of Stirling grants officer before submitting an application.
If you are requesting any Value in Kind (VIK) from the City such as venue or reserve hire you must include the full cost of this support in your project expenditure. This means that if you are not awarded Value in Kind, you will need to pay for these costs yourself. If Value in Kind is awarded, this will form part of your total grant request.
Your grant assessment is based on the combined value of:
For example – if an applicant requests $4,000 in grant cash funding and $3,000 for City Value in Kind support (e.g. venue hire), then the total grant request is $7,000 ($4,000 + $3,000). This means the application must be submitted under a Medium Grant category, as it exceeds the Small Grant limit. If the grant is approved in full, the applicant would either receive $4,000 in grant funding cash plus $3,000 VIK, or a total amount of $7,000 cash to cover all expenses including venue hire.
Due to the grant process and rounds of funding available, we can not accept an application outside of this process.
The City’s Grants team is here to help you through every stage of your application process. We can help by:
We will also hold information sessions at the start of each grant round in various locations throughout the City of Stirling.
Please note that we can’t write your application for you or develop your project budget. It is important that we remain impartial so that we can give every applicant the same level of support.
You may also find some useful information such as assistance with writing grant applications on the Funding Centre Website.
Grants Team Contact Details
Email: Grants@stirling.wa.gov.au Contact: 92057115
Sometimes projects don’t go exactly as planned. If anything changes from what you originally proposed and was agreed to, please let us know straight away. It is important not to wait until your acquittal report is due.
You must contact your Support Officer and request a Variation Request Form via your Smarty Grants account if you need to make any significant changes, including:
Once submitted, your variation request will be evaluated against the original grant objectives and conditions by the assessment panel/officer. The panel/officer may request additional information or clarification if necessary. The variation request is reviewed and if approved you will be notified of the outcome within 14 business days. If the variation is not approved, you will be notified of the outcome and will need to continue to honour the original grant agreement.
If you can’t deliver what is agreed in the grant agreement you may be required to return a portion of these funds.
We would prefer that you contact us early, before your project is completed and request a variation. This alters the expectation of your grant agreement and may include an extension to your timeframes or an alteration to your outcomes.
Please let us know as soon as possible if the details of your organisation change as this may affect your grant agreement.
All decisions regarding grant outcomes are final. You can apply for a grant again if you are unsuccessful, or you can ask for feedback or assistance from the City by emailing grants@stirling.wa.gov.au.
After you complete your activity, you must submit an acquittal report through SmartyGrants. This report shows how you used the grant funds and helps the City understand the outcomes of your project.
An acquittal is broken down into three sections and will ask you the following:
Acquittal submission timeframes from end of activity date are as follows:
As part of the Community Grants Program accountability process, we reserve the right to audit any and all grant recipients for compliance with the grant conditions and expenditure of grant monies received.
An Income and Expenditure Statement (also known as a Profit and Loss Statement), is a simple summary of all the money that has come in and all the money that has been spent on your project or organisation. It shows:
This statement helps provide a clear picture of how project funds were used and is a standard part of your acquittal requirements.
You can find an example as this type of report on the Our Community website.
Consider how you can reduce the environmental impact of the project and ensure sustainable use of resources.
Some suggestions include:
The City supports accessible events that can be enjoyed by the whole community.
If you’re organising an event, you’ll need to consider:
Learn more about the City's access and inclusion initiatives on the Access and Inclusion Initiatives page.
The City is Stirling is located within Mooro Nyoongar Boodja – Mooro people’s land, which is part of the greater Wadjak Nyoongar area. The City of Stirling encourages recipients of funding to make an Acknowledgement of Country where appropriate. An Acknowledgement of Country recognises and acknowledges the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land. It also recognises the unique connection between the Nyoongar people and Country, their valued contribution to local community and cultural life, and their relationship with the City of Stirling.
It can be a verbal announcement at the commencement of the activity or placed on your activity program or website. You may also wish to involve the services of an elder to conduct a Welcome to Country. This initiative supports the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
Examples of Acknowledgement of Country:
An evaluation process should be demonstrated which details how you will assess if the project met its intended aims.
Things to evaluate include:
Things to consider when writing up a survey
An initiative of Lotterywest and Healthway
The Western Austalian Community Impact Hub (the Impact Hub) is a free online tool to support WA not-for-profits and local governments to maximise the positive social impact from their funded projects and initiatives.
A central source of data, knowledge and insight, it houses a suite of simple, practical tools to support improved project design, impact planning and outcomes-based funded community projects.
The Community Impact Planner contains three tools that can help you plan your project and present it to others. The planner will help you understand your vision, plan your impact and report on the outcomes of your project. You can complete all three tools, or just select and export the one you need.
For more information, please visit the West Australian Community Impact Hub.
All applicants for the City of Stirling Community Grants Program will need adequate public liability insurance.
We understand that Public Liability Insurance (PLI) may cost a significant amount, however the risks of not having PLI could cost your group much more.
Your community group/organisation will most likely interact with the public as part of running your activities or events. While it’s unlikely anything will go wrong, mishaps can occur, and a member of the public could be injured or property could be damaged.
PLI protects your group/organisation against the liability to pay damages for a bodily injury, death, or for property damage that occurs as a result of an activity you run.
It also covers the legal costs you would face if you had to defend a claim for bodily injury or property damage.
Because of the enormous potential costs your group could face if something went wrong and you didn’t have PLI, we only fund groups who manage the risk by having PLI.
Not-for-profit organisations may choose to access one off cover from Local Community Insurance Services and individual artists may choose to access insurance from Artsource.