Capital Grants Funding

The Capital Grants Program is an annual program opening on 1 August and closing 30 September each year.

Once submitted the City will undertake a detailed Technical Officer assessment of your project. Applicants will be advised in November each year if further information is required to support their application. Applicants will have until the 31 January each year to resubmit their application or supporting information.

Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their projects after the Council budget consideration and deliberation process in June – July each year.

Assessment Process

Sporting Club

All sporting club applications are progressed for assessment through a Committee of Council, known as the Strategic Sport and Recreation Committee (SSRC). It is the role of this Committee to assess, prioritise and rank the submissions and to make the final recommendations to Council as part of the budget deliberation process.

NOTE: Club officials will be requested to present your project and application to the SSRC in February / March of the relevant year.

Community Club and Group

Community applications will be assessed by the City’s Technical Officers and recommendations made to Council as part of the budget deliberation process. Please note the City may request subsequent meetings with community club or group officials during the assessment process.

During the assessment process the City at its discretion may seek the advice of independent experts to evaluate a club or community groups application.

How to Submit Application?

Applications can be provided to the City via email: enquiries@kalamunda.wa.gov.au or via hard copy addressed to the Leisure Planning Team.

Clubs and community groups are required to provide the following information during the application process:

• Discuss your application with the Leisure Planning Team;
• Complete and sign the application form;
• Incorporation Certificate;
• Letters of support from State Sporting Associations and other users / clubs;
• Needs assessment, business case or feasibility studies (As directed by the City);
• Copies of minutes from Club committee meeting where project and allocation of finances where approved;
• Two written quotes detailing the cost of the project;
• Last three audited financial year records of the Club;
• Summary of membership numbers from within the City of Kalamunda;
• Written evidence of commitments from other funding sources (loans, grants and donations);
• Detailed design drawings (i.e. lighting plans, building plans and elevations);
• Photographs of the facility relevant to the project; and
• Any other supporting documentation.

Priority Projects Considerations for the City:

• Align with and support relevant City reserve Master Plans and strategic plans including, but not limited to, the City’s Strategic Community Plan, State Sporting Associations (SSA), Strategic Facilities Plans and other relevant strategic directions;
• Clearly demonstrate the current and projected community need and project sustainability that provides clear direction with regard to future community benefit and utilisation;
• Will be used by multiple club or community groups;
• Meet eligibility criteria for external funding opportunities such as the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries – Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF), Sport Australia or Lotterywest funding programs;
• Increase opportunities for physical activity and social wellbeing as well as recognising the value of accessibility and inclusive participation in the community;
• Meet established best practice functionality and operational objectives, Australian Standards and ensure it is fit for purpose; and
• Can identify similar facilities within close proximity and explain how participation will be impacted at each facility.

Project Planning Considerations:

• Alignment to the relevant City reserve Master Plan.
• Are there any environmental impacts (removal of trees, clearing permits etc) required?
• Leasing requirements - will the project require a change to your current lease agreement? Eg. the project is located outside of the lease boundary.
• Does the project affect the current location or capacity of septics and leach drains?
• Does the project trigger any building upgrades such as accessibility requirements or Bush Fire Attack Level (BAL) ratings?
• Identify what external funding opportunities are available for your project?

City Project Management

• Please note all projects will be undertaken by the City as the land and asset owner. The City may consider delegating project management to the applicant, where they are able to demonstrate considerable and relevant project management experience.

The City understands and encourages sporting clubs and community groups to seek external funding sources other than local government funding to deliver their projects.

The first stage in seeking external funding support for your project is to apply through the City’s Capital Grants Program. Once applications are endorsed by Council any external funding opportunities will be coordinated between City Officers and the club or community group, to maximise opportunities to obtain external funding sources.

Clubs and community groups seeking external funding should ensure that their project is fully scoped, costed and where appropriate, any necessary approvals are sought prior to submitting their application for external funding. As land owner, it is essential that the City has been provided sufficient advance notification of the proposed project and has cited and supported the funding application. An application will not be supported should the details conflict with any Council adopted reserve Master Plan.

If the City is requested to contribute funding toward the project, then an application is to be submitted through the Capital Grants process.

Should the external funding application be successful prior to applying through the City’s Capital Grants process, this will not necessarily commit Council to funding the project.

Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF)

For sporting related projects, the primary external funding source is the State Government administered CSRFF program. The programs aim is to increase physical activity through the provision of quality community infrastructure. For further information and eligibility criteria please visit: https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/funding/sport-and-recreation-funding/community-sporting-and-recreation-facilities-fund

Lotterywest

For community related projects, the primary external funding source is the State Government administered Lotterywest Grants Program. For further information and eligibility criteria please visit: https://www.lotterywest.wa.gov.au/lotterywest/covid-19/covid-19-grants

Read more information about external funding opportunities here

As part of the application and assessment process for sporting groups, applicants will be invited to present their project to the Strategic Sport and Recreation Committee (SSRC). As a general guideline, presentations are suggested to go for no longer than ten minutes.

Applicants are encouraged to use a variety of presentation methods such as Powerpoint, handouts, short videos (1-2 minutes) or verbally.

When developing presentation content, applicants should look to consider delivering content that includes the real story behind the project, that hasn’t been captured in the application form. This may include the emotive stories for undertaking the project– eg.

• Why there is a need for the project?
• What challenges do the club face and why this project will overcome them?
• How many people the project will provide for?
• How the project activates the community and helps increase physical activity?
• How the project will serve the club into the future?

Applicants should avoid repeating information provided in the application form, as the SSRC are already briefed on the project.

Following your presentation there will be a 5-minute Q&A period, applicants will be provided with the SSRC’s questions prior to the presentation, to allow you to develop informed responses.

City Officers can provide further guidance on your presentation, if required.

Please refer to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries dimensions guidelines for sport specific dimensions and requirements.

The level of forward panning to substantiate the need and feasibility for a project must be based on key considerations including but not limited to:

• Size, scope and financial viability of the project.
• Adequacy and availability of existing provision of facilities.
• Existing and proposed usage/participation trends.
• State and local strategic plans/direction/policies.

The extent and detail of such forward planning will be dependent on the size, complexity and sensitivity of the proposed project. It is acknowledged that minor or incidental sport, recreation and other community infrastructure projects, will not warrant such a thorough forward planning process.

Projects exceeding $500,000 in total project cost, or as identified by the City, are considered large scale projects and will require a needs/feasibility study or business case to be undertaken as the first step in the project application process.

Clubs or community groups can apply to the City for financial assistance to undertake such studies on their behalf. Please contact the Leisure Planning Team to discuss your project and the application process for needs and feasibility studies or business cases.

Large Scale Projects

In general, large scale projects are derived through the relevant City Reserve Master Plans and / or business cases. These projects will be implemented by the City as significant external funding sources are obtained or City funding allows. Examples of such projects would be; a new clubroom facility, major floodlighting project, extensions to ovals.

Large scale projects submitted by a Club/Group that are either not aligned to a relevant reserve Master Plan, or are proposed at an increased service level to what is normally provided by the City, require a higher level of project justification in the form of a detailed Business Case, to demonstrate the need for the project, and importantly how the project will be funded both in terms of initial capital costs and any ongoing lifecycle costs (Operating/Renewal). The Business Case will also form an important component in support of any external funding application.

Large scale projects are often undertaken across multiple financial years, to ensure appropriate planning is undertaken and funding is secured prior to the projects being implemented.

Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is a comprehensive information gathering process to examine why a project is required or whether the perceived need can be satisfied in some other way. The needs assessment will provide clear direction regarding the most appropriate scope, scale, components and the timing of the proposed project. This can then be tested through a feasibility study.

Feasibility Study

A feasibility study will examine the viability of a project so that any decision can be factual demonstrated. Your decision may be to implement, amend, refine or abandon the proposal. It should thoroughly test the practicability of management options; project components; location options, technical design options, social, economic and environmental sustainability, funding models and cost analysis.

Please refer to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries guidelines regarding undertaking a thorough needs assessment and feasibility study of your project.

Read more about the future planning and development of the City’s community facilities and parks here.