Using Grants

If your application is successful, you will receive two copies of the contract detailing the conditions and requirements that apply to the grant.

One copy should be signed and returned to indicate your acceptance of the conditions. The second copy should be retained for your records.

The completed contract, invoice and electronic funds transfer (EFT) authorisation form  must be returned to the Department in order for the grant payment to proceed.

Please Note:  All grant payments are now processed through the State Government’s Office of Shared Services (OSS). If you have questions about the progress of your payment, please contact OSS directly on 1300 345 677.

An acquittal is a truthful record of the project and how the grant money has been spent. The acquittal is necessary for audit purposes, it provides useful statistical information for the Department, and contributes to the knowledge the Department has about the arts sector in general.

You should not plan to start the activities for which you seek funding before the nominated start date. Further, you must not begin public promotion of your activity prior to this start date. Applicants intending to undertake marketing and promotion of their project should ensure they apply with adequate lead-time.

If your project will be included in a company season or subscription brochure that will be publicly released before funding is secured, you must notify the Department in advance. The Department will require a written statement outlining the rationale for early promotion and an explanation of how the project will go ahead if the application for funding is unsuccessful.

Grant money must be spent on the activity you have been funded to do such as artists wages, materials, the hire of equipment, venue hire etc under the terms of your funding contract with the Department of Culture and the Arts. This could include a number of artistic activities, but not equipment, capital works (with the exception of the CCAFF Fund, for info on this visit the CCAFF page) or activity linked to academic assessment.

The Department will not accept any changes to your application, including support material, following the application closing date, with the following exceptions:

• You may submit a confirmation of fact relevant to essential eligibility or selection criteria that has already been referred to in your application (e.g. confirmation of an invitation to participate in an exhibition, festival, conference or trade fair);  
• You must notify the Department (via the relevant Project Officer) if aspects of the proposed activity have changed due to circumstances beyond your control (e.g. the withdrawal of key personnel or cancellation of a previously confirmed showing). 

The Department supports appropriate rates of pay for artists, as well as culture and arts workers, involved in any Department of Culture and the Arts grant application.  

Please refer to the following organisations for information on industry standard payment rates:

• National Association for the Visual Arts www.visualarts.net.au
• Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance www.alliance.org.au
• The Australian Society of Authors www.asauthors.org.au
• The Australian Writers’ Guild www.awg.com.au
• Museums Australia www.museumsaustralia.org.au

Please note: DCA is not responsbile for the content of external internet sites.