Creative WA Internships

Guidelines

This program supports the Creative WA vision to grow and sustain thriving culture, arts and creative industries in Western Australia by providing internship opportunities for organisations and arts workers.

Creative WA aims to strengthen the creative, cultural and arts sector, share stories and celebrate place, and increase access and participation for all Western Australians.

The Creative WA Internships program supports individuals to undertake skills development and forge career pathways via internships with organisations.

Creative WA Internships are available for applications from organisations once per financial year. The key dates calendar has opening and closing dates.

Applicants are encouraged to speak with a project officer prior to commencing their grant application by calling 61 8 6552 7400 or emailing grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au 

Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.

More information about how to apply can be found in the application manual.

Funding program

Creative WA Internships

Internships of $70,000 are available for an organisation to employ a young person or recent graduate.

Up to 3 Creative WA Internships will be offered each year.

Objectives

  • create career pathways for young people and recent graduates
  • build strong WA arts, cultural and creative organisations
  • increase professional and skills development for individuals
  • grow participation and employment in the arts
  • establish WA as a premier creative hub, fostering an environment that encourages artists and creative arts workers to remain and thrive. 

Who can apply?

Organisations, including Department of Cultural Industries, Tourism and Sport (CITS) Arts Organisation Investment Program (AOIP) recipients, are welcome to apply, however the organisation must:

  • be based in Western Australia
  • offer an arts related internship that provides a significant career opportunity
  • submit their selection process for approval with support material
  • submit an outline of the intern’s role or job description with support material
  • demonstrate organisational capacity to support the internship.

Note: universities, cultural statutory authorities, National Performing Arts Partnership Framework organisations and local government and WA Government departments are ineligible to apply.

How long should the internship be?

  • internships must be between 10 and 12 months of duration in a single block of employment
  • interns must be employed a minimum of 3 days per week to a maximum of 5 days per week.

    What can be applied for?

    • a total of $70,000
    • a minimum of $50,000 in wages (including tax) to be paid to the intern, plus superannuation and any oncosts
    • a maximum of $10,000 in organisational administrative and management fees
    • up to $3000 for computer and software/licences/subscriptions for use by the intern.

    Which artform most closely describes your organisation?

    This list is required for reporting purposes; please select the most appropriate.

    • circus and physical theatre
    • comedy
    • community arts and cultural development
    • cross-art form
    • dance
    • design 
    • interactive arts content
    • literature and writing 
    • multi-arts festivals
    • music
    • music theatre and opera
    • other performing arts
    • theatre
    • visual arts.

    What can’t I apply for?

    • activities already funded by CITS grant programs
    • activity relating to radio broadcasting
    • the work of WA Government or Australian Government departments
    • an activity that will be academically assessed
    • ongoing staffing costs.

    What will make my application ineligible?

    You will make your application ineligible if you:

    • are an individual
    • do not provide the mandatory support material
    • do not adhere to the budget requirements of providing at least 10% income towards your internship costs
    • start the activity before the eligible start date
    • do not adhere to budget requirements
    • have any key personnel with an overdue acquittal report
    • request funding that exceeds the funding cap of the program
    • apply for activity that is delivered as part of an educational institution’s curriculum or will be academically assessed
    • apply to employ an intern that is a current WA Government employee
    • are a National Performing Arts Partnership Framework (NPAPF) or cultural statutory authority (CSA) organisation, local government, WA Government department or university.

    When can I apply?

    The key dates calendar has application opening, draft review, application closing and activity start dates.

    You are encouraged to submit your application before the closing date to ensure you have plenty of time to allow for technical or eligibility/resubmission issues. All times are in AWST (for Perth, Western Australia).

    When do I get notified?

    Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application approximately 12 weeks after the funding round closing date.

    Processing of grant payments to successful applicants will not start until after the grant contract is signed and returned.

    How many times I apply?

    You can apply once per financial year, per ABN (where relevant).

    Individuals may only be awarded one Creative WA Internship from any organisation.

    Your activity should be completed within 18 months of receiving the funds.

    How can I apply?

    Please apply using the Online Grants web portal.

    More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.

    How will my application be assessed?

    Applications to this funding program are assessed by CITS, with the assistance of relevant industry experts, who will make recommendations to the Minister for Creative Industries.

    All applications are assessed against 4 criteria:

    1. Quality
    2. Reach
    3. Good planning
    4. Financial responsibility.

    Each has a subset of dimensions and weightings which can be found below.

    More information about the dimensions and definitions, which have been developed by artists and creatives representing their sector, can be found in the application manual. You are not expected to address all dimensions and definitions, only those most relevant to your application.

    Assessors will consider your application against the relevant dimensions and definitions and allocate a weighted score for each of the four criteria.

    See the application manual for more information about how your application will be assessed. Final approval of successful applications depends on available budget and approval by the Minister or delegated authority.

    Quality

    Dimensions of quality

    Imagination, authenticity, originality, inquisitiveness, excellence, captivation, relevance, innovation, challenge, risk and rigour.

    Weighting 30%

    Quality refers to the level of artistic and cultural significance of the activity. Quality may be demonstrated by, but not limited to; previous activities undertaken by the organisation, sector support, timeliness of the internship for the organisation and quality of the proposed opportunity for the intern. It may also be demonstrated through the skills and experience of the people involved in the activity, and the alignment of those skills and experience to deliver the project.

    Reach

    Dimensions of reach

    Diversity, platform, collaboration, leverage, number and growth.

    Weighting 30% 

    Reach refers to the level of impact the activity is likely to have. Reach may be demonstrated by including information for; relevance of the role to the wider arts sector, networking opportunities, skills growth, diversity of location/applicant/activity, potential career pathways growth, potential increase in audience or markets, and any relevant marketing and promotional strategies.

    Good planning

    Dimensions of good planning

    Realistic, achievable, considered, demonstrated research and/or consultation, evaluation.

    Weighting 20% 

    Good planning refers to the level of consideration which has been given to practically undertaking the internship and explaining how it will work. Good planning can be demonstrated by, but not limited to; carefully considered preparation, confirmation of key personnel, a realistic timeline and achievable outcomes, documented research and/or consultation, and a process of evaluation.

    Financial responsibility

    Dimensions of financial responsibility

    Value, comprehensive and realistic budget, financial self-sufficiency.

    Weighting 20%

    Financial responsibility refers to the sound management of the budget. Financial responsibility can be demonstrated by but is not limited to; efficient use of resources, reasonable expenses and an accurate and comprehensive budget. Other sources of income have been considered and included where appropriate and the activity goes some way towards self-sufficiency.

    4 components of your application

    There are 4 components of a grant application:

    1. core application questions
    2. project outputs
    3. financial information
    4. support material.

    Each plays a significant and distinct role in creating a whole picture about your activity.

    Core application questions 

    Your answers to the core application questions should give assessors an overview of your activity. Each question has a 1500-character limit, including spaces. If you need more information on how to prepare your application, please read the application manual.

    You can extract a copy of your draft application in Online Grants at any stage to share with others for their feedback.

    1. Provide a summary of the proposed internship

    Describe your organisation and explain the role and position of the intern. Describe the skills and professional development opportunities that will be offered. Explain who will be managing the intern and their role. 

    2. How will this internship benefit your organisation and the intern?

    Explain the importance of offering this internship for your organisation and the broader WA arts and cultural sector. Demonstrate the timeliness for your organisation and the anticipated impacts this internship may have.

    3. How do you plan to undertake the internship?

    Describe in detail your plans for the internship. Include any expected milestone dates. 

    If your activity engages with Aboriginal content or community, clear evidence of Aboriginal agency and consultation must be provided in your support material.

    4. How will you meet one or more of the fellowship program objectives?

    Explain how the proposed internship will meet at least one of the funding program objectives.

    5. How will you know your fellowship has been successful?

    Outline the methods, processes or tools you will use to measure, document and report your progress towards the achieving your goals for the fellowship you propose. This will also be important for your acquittal report if your application is successful.

    Project outputs

    You are required to provide relevant project outputs. An output is a specific measurable thing that is generated by your project. This information will be considered as part of your application and provide further clarity about your project for the assessor. The outputs also provide important data for the department for research, analysis and advocacy purposes.

    You only need to provide outputs for the categories and items relevant to your project. 

    If your application is successful, you will be required to report against your planned project outputs in your acquittal report. 

    Refer to the application manual for an explanation of the project output questions.

    Please contact us if you have any questions. 

    Financial information

    The financial information in your budget helps to demonstrate that all elements of your activity have been considered, thoroughly researched and costed. A good budget also provides confidence for the CITS that your activity will be a sound investment for the State of Western Australia.

    You should indicate which expenditure items you want the CITS to support. List those items in the ‘Additional Notes’ section of the application budget page.

    Your budget should not contain any costs that fall before your provided activity start date. 

    If you are registered for GST you should not include GST in the budget figures. All amounts should be in Australian dollars.

    This program does not fund 100% of your activity costs so you must demonstrate at least 10% income, which may include in-kind support, or your application will be ineligible.

    Your funding request is the difference between your expenditure minus your income. To ensure this amount is calculated accurately, seek quotes for all expenditure items (whether or not you intend to include these as support material) and include all costs associated with the activity, even if they are supplied in-kind.

    Many activities will include in-kind contributions in the form of offering something for free or at a discount. More information on in-kind expenditure and income as well as an example of how to demonstrate your in-kind support follows this section.

    For each expenditure or income item you add to the budget, use the notes area alongside the item to explain how that item relates to the delivery of your activity and how the cost was calculated.

    Expenditure

    Expenditure items can vary significantly from one activity to another. Any legitimate expense that is eligible may be included in the budget.

    Make sure you check the list for ineligible items.

    Eligible expenditure items

    Administration

    Expenses related to the management and administration of the activity. For example staffing costs, telephone/internet, insurance and stationery. Up to $3000 for capital equipment for use by the intern, including laptop, software, licences, subscriptions and uniform.

    Marketing, promotion and distribution

    Costs associated with marketing to your target audience. For example information, promotion and audience engagement activities, advertising, graphic design, merchandise photography, videography, public relations and production of marketing collateral.

    Preparation, development, production and exhibition/presentation

    Costs related to the remount, production and delivery of the activity or its deliverables, including the costs of presentation and exhibition. Eligible items may include venue hire, lighting hire, set construction, manufacturing costs, recording fees, rehearsal space hire, props and audio-visual costs.

    Salaries, fees and living allowances

    Expenditure in this category should include salaries, fees and allowances for all key personnel, with separate components itemised in the budget notes.

    We support appropriate rates of pay for all people involved in your activity. Refer to the following websites for information on industry standard payment rates:

    If these standards do not apply to your activity then you must outline how reasonable rates have been calculated. For long-term activities, it may be appropriate to pay artists a rate based on a yearly salary for a similar kind of work. If this is the case, you need to clearly explain the rationale for the pay rate in your budget notes.

    All rates should be relative to level of experience.

    Please note that organisations, such as Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, predominantly provide information on minimum base rates for employees engaged on a full-time, part-time or casual basis. Rates for artists and arts workers engaged as contractors will include a loading to cover the costs of being self-employed. Full-time, part-time and casual rates do not factor in these costs and should not be used when engaging contractors.

    Travel and freight

    Costs associated with transporting people, equipment or goods. Eligible items may include fares (taxi, airplane, bus etc.), tolls, land or air freight, and vehicle hire.

    Income

    This program does not fund 100% of your activity costs so you must demonstrate at least 10% income, which may include in-kind support, or your application will be ineligible.

    Eligible income Items

    Earned income

    May include any income generated by the employment of the intern.

    Corporate sponsorship

    List any income received through sponsorship from corporate bodies or businesses. Income received through government sponsorship should be included in the relevant government income category. 

    Philanthropic donations

    May include contributions from fundraising, crowdfunding, donations, gifts and bequests.

    Creative Australia, other Australian Government, other WA Government, local government

    All grants and sponsorship being sought from local government, WA Government departments, Australian government, the Creative Australia, and other government sources must be included, whether or not this support has been confirmed. If your application is to be assessed by a peer assessment panel, we will attempt to confirm the status of any pending funding applications directly with the funding body prior to the panel assessment.

    Do not include Creative WA Internships funds being requested as part of this application.

    Please provide contingency plans for all unconfirmed funding amounts in your budget notes.

    Other income

    If you are making a cash contribution, or someone is providing cash to the activity, list this item as a cash contribution or similar. Include any other income source that does not fit within any of the above categories and provide enough detail to identify the income source.

    In-kind expenditure and income

    Some expenses may be offered to you for free or at a discount. This might be borrowed equipment, the use of a rehearsal space, donated or discounted goods or services, volunteers (including you), negotiated discounted fees and allowances. Anything given to your project at no expense to you is considered in-kind. 

    All in-kind items must be included as a budget item under the in-kind expenditure category. The corresponding recognition of in-kind income is created automatically in your online application, and you do not need to enter any in-kind income budget items. The total in-kind expenditure must always equal the total in-kind income. 

    If, for example, you are hiring a venue, which would normally charge $2000, and you have successfully negotiated an $800 (40%) discount, you would include venue hire fee as a budget item under the expenditure category of $1200 and $800 under the in-kind expenditure category. The $800 in-kind will automatically be added to your in-kind income category.

    Additional notes

    This section of the budget provides an opportunity for you to detail any additional information you feel may help to clarify items within your budget.

    You should also use this section to indicate which expenditure items you want the department to support.

    Taxation

    The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) considers any grant payment to be taxable income for the purposes of your annual income tax return. You are encouraged to discuss your tax implications with your tax agent or the ATO prior to applying for a grant.

    Registered for Goods and Services Tax

    If you are registered for GST you must show your expenditure items exclusive of the GST component. For example, you have been quoted $550 including GST for lighting hire. In your expenditure budget you would only show lighting hire of $500. If your activity is funded, the department payment will include a 10% GST component to cover those items on which GST is payable.

    Not registered for Goods and Services Tax

    If you are not registered for GST you must show your expenditure items inclusive of the GST component. For example, you have been quoted $550 including GST for lighting hire. In your expenditure budget you would show lighting hire of $550.

    If your activity is funded, the department payment will include the GST component for those items on which GST is payable.

    Mandatory support material

    Support materials are crucial to a successful application and are essential for assessors to fully gauge the value of your activity. It is highly recommended you pay close attention to the support material you choose and make sure it offers the best support for your application. Your choice of support material should help to demonstrate the 4 assessment criteria that your application will be scored against: quality, reach, good planning and financial responsibility, as well as meeting the objectives of the category you are applying to.

    This funding program requires mandatory support material, and you will make your application ineligible if you do not provide it.

    You must provide support material for each of the following items:

    • selection process for the internship — if you already have a person selected, please provide an explanation as to why and how they were selected
    • job description for the intern
    • background information on your organisation and biographies for any key personnel
    • an organisational chart representing the role and position of the intern.

     

    Support material summary

    • text — maximum 20 A4 pages 
    • images — maximum 10
    • audio/video — maximum 12 minutes.

    Please note:

    • The support material formats and limits are requested to ensure equality between applications in competitive programs.
    • If you exceed the support material limits, the assessor will only watch, listen or read up to the specified limit.
    • Files and links in ineligible formats will be deactivated and not viewed by the assessor.
    • Formats that will not be viewed include: .pages, .zip, .excel, MP3s (or similar) and .eml (however screenshots of emails converted to PDF are okay).
    • Links to support material using file sharing services such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive will not be viewed.
    • Weblinks to text and image information online will not be viewed. Weblinks can only be used for audio and video support material. Please see below for further information.
    • Where possible, please only upload one document or file per support material type.
    • Items of support material cannot exceed 5 MB file size.
    • As an Online Grants portal user, you must upload your support materials with your online application.

    Types of accepted support material you may provide

    Text

    Maximum 20 A4 pages of text, in PDF or Word format. Preferably in one single document. (maximum file size 5 MB. All text must be legible at 100%). Note: weblinks are not accepted.

    Examples of material:

    • Selection process for the internship (mandatory)
    • Job description for the intern (mandatory)
    • Organisation background information (mandatory)
    • Organisational chart representing the role and position of the intern (mandatory)
    • CVs, biographies or profiles for key creative or artistic personnel
    • participant confirmation*
    • quotes for major expenditure items/confirmation of fees*
    • letters of peer/industry support (external to your activity)
    • reviews, media reports or articles on your previous work
    • evidence of confirmed events, activities or appointments*
    • confirmation of consultation and/or support from the target community/participants, such as Aboriginal communities or young people
    • evidence of significant Aboriginal involvement, participation and decision making (where required)
    • marketing, promotional or activity plan/s
    • safety and contingency plan (for example COVID-19 contingency plan).

    *Can include multiple screenshots of emails and quotes. We suggest taking a screenshot of the essential information and pasting up to 4 per A4 page so they are still legible when viewed at 100%.

    Images

    • Maximum 10 images in one PDF or Word document or up to 10 image files (maximum file size 5 MB with one line of text caption permitted for each image)

    Note: weblinks for images are not accepted.

    Examples of material:

    • images of previous work or activities.

    Audio and video

    Maximum 4 links to audio and video content not exceeding 12 minutes combined listening or viewing time.

    Audio and/or video files must be uploaded to file streaming sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Bandcamp or SoundCloud that do not require a log-in to access. Do not use Spotify.

    You can find instructions on how to use these sites at the following links:

    Examples of material:

    • examples of previous work or activities
    • interviews, recordings, or presentations that support your activity
    • a recorded explanation of your proposed project
    • testimonials of support for the project.

    Draft reviews

    Draft reviews are not available for this funding program.

    Acquittal report

    If your application is successful you will be required to fill in an acquittal report when your activity has finished. An acquittal report details your activity and how you spent the grant. The acquittal report will be available for you to access in Online Grants, via the Edit/View Report button or Reports tab on the Home page, once a copy of your signed funding agreement has been received.

    Your acquittal report must be submitted within 90 days of the activity completion date as specified in your funding agreement.

    You will need to answer the following questions:

    1. Describe the internship

    Explain what you did and who with. Also outline if there were any changes from your original application.

    What were the benefits of the internship?

    Explain the impact of the internship for your organisation and any outcomes for the intern. You might also share here any highlights your organisation experienced as a result.

    Did you meet the objectives set out in your original application?

    Considering the objectives you outlined in your original application, explain how you addressed them. Share whether you experienced any unexpected outcomes or challenges.

    Using the measures of success you outlined in your application, how successful was the internship?

    Explain how you progressed towards your goals and share how you documented the internship. As part of this you should evaluate your experience. For example, would you do anything differently in the future?

    Acquittal report budget: The acquittal report will also include your activity budget and you will be required to enter all the actual figures against each budget item and add any additional items not in the original budget. Variations between budget and actual figures are acceptable; however, you must provide an explanation for large variations in the Notes for that item. As you enter actual figures, the activity profit/loss will be automatically updated and displayed at the top of the Financial Information page.

    Acquittal Report Project Outputs: You will be expected to enter your actual figures against those you estimated in the Project Outputs section. Use the Notes section to explain any large differences or new output categories.

    Acquittal Report Support Material: You must upload relevant documents, images and/or videos that substantiate the delivery of the activity and that may demonstrate the impact and outcomes achieved. 

    Consider including receipts for your major expenditure items, any reviews or feedback from attendees or stakeholders, examples of your work, photographs or video documenting the process or presentation, evidence of box office or sales where relevant, examples of any promotional material produced, and any evaluation related documents. 

    As a suggested guide please refer to these formats and limits for your acquittal report support materials:

    • up to 10 images (JPEGs, PNGs or PDF document — no larger than 5 MB)
    • up to 20 pages of text (Word or PDF documents only. Can include images)
    • up to 12 minutes of audio/video (must be uploaded to file streaming sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Bandcamp or SoundCloud that do not require a log-in to access)

    Do not use zipped files, or file sharing services such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive to submit your support materials, or any streaming services that require a log-in to access, such as Spotify. 

    You may use links to websites as acquittal report support material where relevant, for example if you were funded to create or update your website. 

    Refer back to your application’s activity outcomes for guidance in selecting suitable material.

    If possible, please provide your support material in one PDF document for text and one document for images. Please note there is a 5 MB size limit for documents. Audio and video material must be supplied as separate URL links directly in the Online Grants portal.

    The funding acquittal report also includes the option to provide feedback to help us to continually review and improve the service we provide.

     

    Assistance for applicants

    More information on how to apply can be found in the application manual.

    Project Officers are available via telephone and email to answer queries about applications and suitability of activities to specific programs.

    If you need extra assistance due to disability, language barriers or any other factor that may disadvantage you in completing your application, please contact us.

    The advice provided by Project Officers does not guarantee the success of your application.

    Due to the high number of applications received, each funding round is highly competitive.

    All applications are considered on their own merits and against the assessment criteria and program objectives.

    Contact us

    Online Grants portal technical support

    For assistance using Online Grants or to report any related technical issues, contact the Online Grants Support Team: onlinegrantsupportca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

    Project Officers

    For enquiries relating to this funding program, including advice or assistance with your application, contact a Projects Officer: 

    Telephone 61 8 6552 7400
    Toll Free (Country WA callers only) 1800 634 541
    Email grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au 

    Assistance for people with disability

    The department is committed to supporting applicants with disability. Information can be provided in alternative formats (large print, electronic or Braille) upon request.

    If you require special assistance in preparing your application, please call 61 8 6552 7400 or toll free for regional WA callers on 1800 634 541 .

    Family, friends, mentors and/or carers can attend meetings with you.

    If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through one of the following:

    Interpreting assistance

    For interpreting assistance in languages other than English, telephone the Translation and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 and ask for a connection to 6552 7400 or 1800 634 541.

    Regional applicants

    Toll Free (Country WA callers only): 1800 634 541 

    Email the Project Officers: grantsprogramsca@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

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    Page reviewed 02 July 2025