Community Capital Works Fund

The Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI) offer grant funding through its Community Capital Works Fund (CCWF) of up to $500,000 to support capital works at facilities owned or managed by CaLD community associations or CaLD community service organisations based in WA.

The CCWF supports individual projects that involve maintenance, refurbishment, upgrades, or extensions of existing facilities that are used for community purposes such as cultural events, or linguistic, social and welfare activities.

For the 2024-2025 Community Capital Works funding round, new builds are also eligible.

Funding availability

The CCWF is a competitive funding opportunity with a total value of $3 million. One-off grants of up to $500,000 can be used to support individual projects that involve capital works for maintenance, refurbishment, upgrades, or extensions of existing facilities, or funding for new builds.

Only one application per facility/building can be submitted. The funding guidelines and application form detail information such as eligibility requirements, what can be supported, funding deadlines and how to apply. 

Timeframes for the grant application and approval process need to be considered by the organisation when planning the activity to ensure a funding outcome is received before the activity commences. Once an application is submitted, the assessment and approval process may take up to another three months.  

Before commencing an application, organisations should contact the OMI Grants Officer to confirm their eligibility and receive advice about the application requirements and timeframes for submission by emailing grants@omi.wa.gov.au

Applications

Funding round open: 5:00pm Monday 5 August 2024

Funding round closed: 4:00pm Monday 23 September 2024

Recipients notified: January 2025

Eligibility

Applicant organisations must be:

• either a CaLD community association or a community service organisation specifically established to provide services or advocacy for CaLD communities
• a not-for-profit organisation or community association incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 and be based in Western Australia.

For renovations/refurbishments the applicant organisation must:

• own the existing facility or building to be renovated and the land on which it is located; or
• hold a long-term lease on the land and building (for the purposes of this program, a long-term lease is considered at least 21 years, to be evidenced through a copy of the lease agreement and/or documentation detailing the terms and duration of the lease or demonstrating the intent to renew the lease if the existing lease is nearing the end of its term).

For new buildings the applicant organisation must own the land where the new facility will be built.

All facilities/buildings must be used for community purposes such as cultural events, or linguistic, social or welfare activities.

Auspice arrangements are not accepted for applications to the CCWF.

Applicants must contact an OMI Grants Officer to discuss their project prior to submitting an application:

Phone: 61 8 6552 1603

Email: grants@omi.wa.gov.au

Definition of culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD)

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) was introduced in 1996 to replace 'non-English speaking background' (NESB) and was intended to be a broader, more flexible and inclusive term. It is generally applied to groups and individuals who differ according to religion, language and ethnicity and whose ancestry is other than Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Anglo Saxon or Anglo Celtic.

Definition of a CaLD community association

To be classified as a culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) community association, the association must demonstrate and provide evidence that they meet the following criteria:

• the association is incorporated under the Western Australia Associations Incorporation Act 2015
• the objectives of the association (in the association's Constitution or Rules) clearly state that it is specifically established to represent and promote the interests of a CaLD community with a shared country/continent of ancestry, ethnicity, culture, language or religion
• the Management Committee or Board of the association predominantly reflects the intended CaLD community and is elected by members of that community to represent the community
• the association's membership comprises individuals or other groups representative of that CaLD community.

Definition of a CaLD community service organisation

To be classified as a culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) community service organisation, the organisation must demonstrate and provide evidence that they meet the following criteria:

• the association is incorporated under the Western Australia Associations Incorporation Act 2015, or is a not-for-profit organisation based in Western Australia
• the objectives of the organisation (in the organisation's Constitution or Rules) clearly state that it is specifically established for and its core business and focus is to either: a) provide support and deliver services and programs to CaLD communities or b) represent and advocate for the interests of CaLD communities
• the organisation has ongoing operational resourcing and employs paid staff
• the Management Committee or Board and staffing profile of the organisation reflects CaLD communities, and it has a commitment to workforce training in cultural competency
• the organisation has internal policies and procedures that demonstrate a commitment to multiculturalism and cultural diversity.

The applicant organisation’s facility/building must be:

• owned and/or managed by the applicant organisation
• situated on land owned by the applicant organisation or held on a long-term lease by the applicant organisation
• used for community purposes such as cultural events, or linguistic, social or welfare activities.

Auspice arrangements are not accepted for applications to the CCWF.