Community Grants Program

The program provides financial assistance through grants to a range of eligible applicants for projects, programs, events or activities that benefit the City of Melville community. It is a broad program that aligns with the City’s Council Plan for the future key outcome areas: Healthy, Safe and Inclusive; Clean and Green; Sustainable and Connected Development; and Vibrant and Prosperous. The activities or projects are primarily community-led and non-commercial.

Quick response grants - $200 to $1000 

• Open for applications: Monday, 5 October through to Monday, 30 November 2026.
• For activities to be completed by Friday, 31 December 2027.
• These grants support small-scale community initiatives or individual needs that deliver community benefit and are being delivered or required in a shorter time frame.
• Applications in this stream will be assessed as they come in, based on eligibility, alignment with the assessment criteria and funds available.
• The City aims to notify you within three weeks of receiving your application.

Competitive grants - $1000 to $10,000

• Round 1 opens from Monday, 5 October to Sunday, 1 November, for activities delivered in the 2027 calendar year.
• These grants support projects, events or initiatives that deliver broader community benefit, contribute to strategic outcomes and demonstrate meaningful community impact.
• All applications in this stream will be assessed against each other based on the eligibility, alignment with the assessment criteria and funds available.
• The City aims to notify you within two months of the round closing date. Separate event or other City approvals may take up to three months.

See the eligibility information in the guidelines for further information.

Non-incorporated applicants may apply for up to $1,000 in their own name. If a non-incorporated group/individual wants to apply for more than $1,000, they must have an eligible incorporated organisation auspice the application.

If your grant application is successful, the auspicing organisation will be responsible for: signing the grant agreement, all legal and financial responsibility of the grant on your organisations behalf, receiving and distribution grant funds and ensuring all grant activities are completed and submitting an acquittal report.

The auspice organisation you choose must be a not-for-profit, have an ABN and be based in Western Australia.

See the guidelines and auspicing FAQs below for further information about auspicing.

Yes, however they must be based in the City of Melville or at a minimum deliver the project in the City. The activity must be inclusive and be low-cost or free for participants, and they must demonstrate the need for the funds and the community benefit.

Yes, both private and public schools and Parents & Friends (P&F’s) and Parents and Citizens (P&C’s) may apply where the project provides broad community benefit and is outside of Department of Education/Governing body responsibilities. Additional conditions apply where the project is delivered on school grounds, including: 

1. Identify a community need and benefit for the project.
2. If the initiative is delivered on school grounds, it must be inclusive and open to the whole community (outside of school hours).  
3. Applications will only be considered for projects falling outside of the Department of Education/School Governing body responsibilities.  
4. Ongoing upkeep and maintenance must be managed by the school. 

If you are registered for GST, GST may be paid in addition to the approved grant amount. If you are not registered for GST, the GST inclusive amount will be paid. 

We are initially going out with one round for the Competitive Grants and 8 weeks for the Quick Response Grants. Dependent on the quality of applications, the budget may be fully expended. If the budget is not fully expended we may open additional dates/round in 2027. 

Ideally, applicants should submit a single application. However, the City will consider one application in the Quick Response stream and one application in the Competitive Round stream, provided they are for different projects or initiatives.

Yes, if a second competitive round is offered. We encourage you to seek feedback before reapplying so you can check whether the project is eligible and aligns with the grant guidelines

Yes, we encourage you to call and discuss your idea with us after reading through the guidelines. You can call our customer service team on 9364 0666. Our Grants team will be doing call backs and have time for face to face appointments from Monday, 5 October, Monday through Thursday.

These programs are no longer running. The Community Grants Program has been developed out of the City’s previous grants program review.

The Community Grants Program has a limited annual budget and is expected to be highly sought after. 

The City may reduce funding amounts, offer part funding, close a stream early or decline eligible applications if available funds have been allocated. 

Yes, you can. Contact the Bookings Officer team to submit an event application, receive event advice and get a quote to include in your budget.  

Applicants holding events in City of Melville owned facilities and/or parks and reserves may be required to complete and submit an Events Application. Events on private land may require Health Approval. For more information contact the City’s Bookings Officer on 9364 0611 or email [email protected] Please ensure you complete the Event Booking or Parks Booking form and allow enough time prior to the activity to request funding. 

Fees will not be automatically waivered. 

Yes, adequate public liability insurance is required for any project that involves hosting an event or delivering an activity that engages members of the public. $20 million is generally the accepted level. 

If the activity only involves the purchase of items with no public-facing events or activities, a lower level of public liability insurance may be required. $10 million is generally the accepted level. 

Not-for-profit organisations may include the cost of public liability insurance in their budget and grant request. 

If you are not incorporated and are being auspiced, the auspicing organisation must have the public liability insurance to cover the activity. 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine 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. 

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. Alternatively, you can search for a different insurance provider suitable for your project. 

Other insurances may be required depending on the project. Including: 

• Products Liability  
• Professional Indemnity  
• Workers Compensation 
• Volunteer Workers Insurance 

You must submit a budget with your application. You should provide quotes or other evidence of costs for major expenditure items wherever practical. If quotes are not available, explain how the budget estimate was determined. The City may request additional evidence before approving funding. 

You must submit a budget in your acquittal. You will need to provide receipts or other evidence of costs for grant expenditure items. 

No, the City does not fund any activity that has already commenced or been paid for. You should seek quotes and not commit to any expenditure until a decision has been made and the funding agreement has been signed by both parties. 

Auspicing allows an eligible incorporated organisation to apply for grant funding on behalf of a community group that is not incorporated. Through this arrangement, the incorporated organisation agrees to take responsibility for managing the grant and meeting all funding requirements, enabling unincorporated groups to access funding they would not otherwise be eligible for.

If your group is not incorporated, you will need to partner with an incorporated organisation to act as your auspice.

The auspice organisation is responsible for:

• Entering into the grant agreement with the City
• Receiving and administering the grant funds
• Overseeing the delivery of the funded project, activity or event
• Completing all required reporting, acquittals and evaluation requirements

While your group will continue to be recognised as the recipient of the grant and the organisation delivering the project, the auspice organisation is accountable for the legal, financial and reporting obligations associated with the funding.

Choosing the right auspice organisation is an important part of your grant application. Before entering into an auspice arrangement, make sure the organisation:

• Is an incorporated not-for-profit organisation based in Western Australia
• Has a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
• Meets all eligibility requirements of the grant program
• Holds appropriate public liability insurance for the proposed project, activity or event

It's important to understand that the auspice organisation takes on legal and financial responsibility for the grant. This includes overseeing project delivery, managing the grant funds, and completing all required reporting and acquittal obligations.

All grant payments will be made directly to the auspice organisation, rather than the applicant group.

If you are applying through an auspice arrangement, you will need to include:

• The auspice organisation's contact details
• Their ABN
• A copy of their most recent financial report
• Evidence of the agreement between your group and the auspice organisation

You may also wish to provide a letter confirming the auspice arrangement. A sample auspice confirmation letter is available to help guide you through this process.