Community Grants Program

Quick response grants

Small grants

Medium grants

Large grant

* Large grant notification to change to 55 business days from round closing (this will need to revert back to 50 business days for the next financial year).

* All Community Grants will be closed from Friday 13 December 2024 until Saturday 1 February 2025.

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:

Active and Healthy Communities

Projects that:

• Promote active and healthy lifestyle choices
• Facilitate access to recreation and leisure opportunities
• Increase access to health services and support.

Locally-led and Creative Communities

Projects that:

• Facilitate social connections and access to services locally
• Build strong relationships with our multicultural and diverse community
• Support the City’s cultural sector to create vibrancy in local areas
• Improve the liveability and identity of local areas.

Sustainable Communities

Projects that encourage the community to:

• Transition to net zero emissions
• Conserve and protect water resources
• Connect with nature and improve biodiversity in the City
• Reduce waste generation and divert waste from landfill.

Vibrant Communities

Events that:

• Increase participation in community life
• Increase visitor and economic activity in local areas
• Encourage and support tourism growth.

Innovative and Productive Communities

Projects that:

• Attract and promote investment and partnership opportunities
• Support innovation and entrepreneurship in local business
• Activate local centres to increase visitor and economic activity.

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.

The Community Grants Program rounds will be published on the City’s website. Please check closing dates on this page. Applications close at 3.00pm 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 over Christmas and the End of Financial Year. Please check our website for closure dates.

Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

Quick response grants

The quick response grants are for small amounts up to $2,000 and will be quickly assessed. Grants are provided throughout the financial year, with an anticipated notification time of 14 business days from receipt of application.

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.

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

Small grants of between $2,001 - $5,000 are available during three rounds per year. Applications will be assessed by a Community Grants Panel and recommendations will be submitted for approval by a delegated City Officer. Applicants will be notified within 30 business days of the 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 

Medium grants between $5,001 - $20,000 are available via two grant rounds. 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. Applicants will be notified within 30 business days of the 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 conditions will be required through an acquittal process and may be subject to audit.

Large grants

Large grants over $20,001 are available via two grant rounds. 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. Applicants will be notified within 50 business days of approval.

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 conditions will be required through an acquittal process and may be subject to audit.

Large grant notification to change to 55 business days from round closing (this will need to revert back to 50 business days for the next financial year).

Value in-kind

Value in-kind components of grant packages will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for the following:

• Venue hire of City-managed facilities (venue bond charges and any other costs associated with the event/project will still apply)
• Promotion (provided by the City via existing marketing and communication channels, depending on the grant type)
• Waste management
• Development Application fees
• Other City services as deemed appropriate.

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.

Who can apply?

We provide a variety of grants to different entities which are listed below:

• Not-for-profit community groups
• Incorporated associations
• Applicants through an auspice arrangement
• Small businesses with matched funding
• Registered schools with matched funding
• Individuals
• Community groups.

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, P&Cs, P&Fs 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:

1. There is an identified community need for the project or activity
2. The project or activity provides benefit to and is accessible to the wider City of Stirling community (clearly outside the Education Department’s area of responsibility)
3. There is a financial or in-kind contribution of at least 50% or more to the project (not applicable for quick response grants).

	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 

What could be funded?

To be eligible for a grant in the City’s Community Grants Program applicants must:

• Be based within the City of Stirling and/or provide the project within the boundaries of the municipality
• Demonstrate that the program, event or project benefits the City of Stirling community
• Demonstrate that the program, event or project aligns with one or more of the City’s Sustainable Stirling 2022 – 2032 objectives
• Hold an adequate public liability insurance policy
• Disclose if the activity has received funding outside of the grants program, including funding applied for but not yet confirmed
• Demonstrate they have the resources and experience to deliver the activity
• Be able to appropriately acknowledge the City of Stirling’s support
• Have complied with all terms and conditions, including project delivery and acquittal reports, for any previous grants
• Have no overdue debts to the City.

What won't be funded?

The City of Stirling does not provide grants for activities that:

• Support recurrent operational costs including, but not limited to wages, salaries, or administrative overheads – an exemption applies to community group insurance
• Are outside of the City of Stirling local government area
• Are commercial, have the potential to make significant profit or be self-sustaining
• Faith-based activities of religious organisations, this includes worship activities of a religious entity or group such as preaching, delivery of sermons, prayer services and rituals
• Duplicate existing services already delivered by the City
• Are for fundraising activities - fundraising should not be the main reason for the event, there should be clear cultural benefit for the community, as outlined in the outcome areas
• Have received another City of Stirling grant for the same activity in the same financial year
• Are the funding responsibility of other levels of government
• Capital works* 

* Capital expenditure refers to the purchase of long term physical or fixed assets that are expected to provide benefits beyond the funded project period. Examples include major changes to buildings, furniture, technology or equipment costs of more than $5,000.

How do I apply?

Once you have confirmed that you and your project is 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.

Important notes on using the SmartyGrants online form

SmartyGrants is user friendly, but please keep the following in mind:

• It is helpful to read the SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants before you start the application form
• Allow plenty of time to complete your online application, so that if you run into difficulties, you can receive support from a City of Stirling Grants Officer before the closing date
• As part of completing the form, you need to upload supporting documents - files must not be greater than 25mb however are best kept under 5mb each
• If you aren’t familiar with uploading files, please see if someone in your group knows how, or contact our Grants Officer
• Please ensure the supporting documents you upload are the appropriate documents required for your application
• To avoid losing your work, remember to regularly save your progress in SmartyGrants every 10-15 minutes, as the form logs you out after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Support for applicants

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 3pm on the due date. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

How will my application be assessed?

We assess eligible applications using the criteria listed below and grants are awarded based on merit.

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

Stages of the assessment process

The assessment process involves several stages, which is why it takes some time before you are notified of the outcome of your application.

1. The Community Grants Team conduct eligibility checks based on the Community Grants Policy and Guidelines. Applications that meet the eligibility criteria progress to the next stage.
2. Eligible applications are then assessed by a Grant Assessment Panel who will come up with a list of applicants recommended to receive a grant.
3. Applications recommended for grants under $20,000 will be approved by a delegated City Officer.
4. Applications recommended for grants of more than $20,001 are presented to Council for approval.
5. All applicants, successful or unsuccessful will be notified in writing.

Outcome

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.

Unsuccessful applications

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.

Payments

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:

• A description of the project for which the grant is being provided
• Amount of the grant being provided
• Value-in-kind services being provided
• Schedule of payment for grant
• Timeline of the project
• Project objectives and outcomes
• Approved budget
• Recognition and acknowledgement requirements
• Acquittal report requirements including the date the report is due
• Other grant conditions.

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, relevant data, images or videos and any lessons learnt. You may need to provide detailed financial reports. 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 eight 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 audit any and all grant recipients for compliance with the grant conditions and expenditure of grant monies received.