All applicants must be not-for-profit to be eligible to apply.

Individuals, Unincorporated and Incorporated Groups are eligible to apply for a maximum of $3,000 excluding GST.

Speak with your ward councillors for more information. The councillors will consider their ward balance and discuss your requirements.

DWA applications are open for submission all year round, subject to available ward funds, however no applications will be presented to Council during June.  Applications to be considered within the current financial year must be submitted no later than within the first week of May.  Applications received after that time will not be considered by Council until their first meeting of July.

The funding is replenished each financial year and only applications commencing in the current financial year will be considered for funding in that same year.

Please be aware that during the year of a General Election, applications cannot be considered from 1 July until the election’s declaration (usually around mid-December).  During such a year, ensure your application is submitted by the end of April to ensure it can be considered by Council in May.

Given that retrospective funding is not eligible, be certain of your application's outcome before making any purchases and ensure you submit your application with enough time for it to be assessed and considered.  It's best to submit your application a minimum of 4 weeks before you require the funding as this allows the Program Administrator enough time to conduct the assessment and report to Council.

After you've submitted a DWA application with all documentation, it will be assessed and then considered at the next Council meeting.  This process can take up to four weeks depending when the next Council meeting falls.

Council meetings are on the second and fourth Monday of each month. If a meeting falls on a public holiday, it's rescheduled for the next evening.

You will receive written acknowledgement from the Program Administrator following Council's consideration of your application. They will notify you of the decision and provide instructions for payment of any approved funds.

You can attend the Council meeting to listen to the consideration of your application and to learn of its outcome immediately. You may also request a Deputation, which will allow you to speak to Council about your application at the meeting and answer any questions they may have.

1. First read our guidelines. They will help you determine your eligibility and see if your request is a good fit for funding.
2. Collect the necessary documentation to upload with your application.
3. Complete the Discretionary Ward Allowance Application Form.

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If you receive funds, you must complete a Statement of Acquittal within 3 months of receipt of the funds. This must be accompanied by copies of tax receipts or paid tax invoices evidencing the complete expenditure of the approved funds and may include photos and/or feedback on the outcomes of the project

If you cannot acquit the grant within 3 months you must contact the Program Administrator to request additional time and propose a new lodgement date. You may be given an extension of time to ensure any future funding is not impacted.

Statement of acquittal for grants up to $300.

Statement of acquittal for grants more than $300.

Yes.

You are only eligible if you are a not-for-profit individual, group or organisation.  All funded activity must be not-for-profit.

Yes.

No.

If you don’t have an ABN and your application is successful, you can complete an Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Statement by Supplier form.

Yes, but the project must be carried out in the City of Charles Sturt and provide majority benefit to our community.  You may be asked for additional evidence to support your application, such as the number of local participants anticipated or examples of how your activity will support the Charles Sturt community.

You may include GST in your uploaded budget as most suppliers will quote for goods inclusive of GST.

However when considering the requested amount of funds, this should be the amount you are seeking from Council exclusive of GST.  This section relates to the organisation's GST registration status not the GST in your proposed expenses.

Schools are not eligible for capital works funding or activities that are part of the school curriculum. Outside of these areas, schools can apply for funding. Ensure your project meets our eligibility criteria.

Other Government organisations or departments are not eligible.

A project can only receive funding 2 times in any 4-year period, as the DWA program aims to create sustainable initiatives instead of building financial dependency. It's not a recurring funding source.

The DWA supports new activities that benefit the community. It works as once-off financial support for a project that can't be self-funded.

Funding is not guaranteed in following years. Sometimes we give preference to new initiatives that have never received Council funding.

Yes you can, however repeat funding for the same activity, expense or initiative is subject to the conditions above.

No. Retrospective applications or expenses are not eligible for funding.

Please make sure you follow the timeframes in our guidelines.

No. Salaries are not eligible for funding. This includes salaries that are recurrent or part of the organisation’s usual responsibility.

Check our program guidelines for examples of activities that are not eligible for funding.

Check the "Assessment Considerations" section of our guidelines for guidance.

We receive many funding requests, and we have a limited budget each year.

Unfortunately, we can't support every request.

For the best possible outcome, get your application in early and speak to the relevant ward councillor. They'll discuss your application and your project's community benefits.