Philanthropy incentive program guidelines

To be eligible a Fund must fulfil the following criteria:

• Be established (and approved by the Australian Taxation Office, if necessary) after 1 July 2008 and before 30 June 2011. 

• Be endorsed as a tax concession charity, income tax exempt fund or a deductible gift recipient.
  

  -Western Australia's Department of Culture and the Arts will consider on a case by case basis the establishment of new accounts within third party ancillary funds.

• Be established with an initial level of funds of $500,000 or greater.

•  Provide a sustainable source of income to the community:
  

  -The intent of the philanthropy incentive program is to encourage the establishment of funds which provide ongoing sources of income, rather than funds which exhaust their capital in a short period of time.
  

  -Where the aim of the fund is to distribute all of its capital within less than 5 years, it may not be considered to be eligible for the program

• Provide a benefit to the Western Australian community.

  -Funds based in Western Australia (i.e. who have their principal business address in WA) will be automatically considered to benefit the Western Australian community.
  
  -Funds which are not based in Western Australia will have to provide a statement or other information which sets out how the Fund intends to benefit the Western Australian community, which will be assessed by the review panel.
  

• Be set up so that its establishment deed or constitution enables the Fund to contribute to activities which benefit the arts.

Applications will be accepted from established Funds that meet the above criteria, as well as donors looking to establish a Fund that will meet the above criteria, provided it can be shown that all criteria will be met.

Donors are encouraged to approach the WA Manager of Artsupport Australia before they set up a Fund to determine their eligibility for the program.

Arts organisations

A Fund approved under the program may select one or more arts organisations to receive the funds (Funds Recipient) which will be donated by DCA in recognition of the Fund.

The Funds recipient must:

• be a not for profit arts organisation(s); and
• be based in Western Australia.

Selection for the program

Selection for the program is based primarily on whether the Fund meets all the eligibility criteria, and in particular the amount of available funds.

The review panel will also determine the Funds which will be supported and the amounts granted on the basis of the following selection criteria:

• prioritising Funds which are considered to provide a greater ongoing source of income to the arts in Western Australia; and/or
• prioritising Funds which are considered to provide a benefit to multicultural, indigenous or regional arts in Western Australia.

A review panel made up of DCA staff and Artsupport Australia staff will assess each application and reserves the right to refuse any application in its sole discretion.

How to apply

Please contact Liesbeth Goedhart, the WA Manager of Artsupport Australia for further details and to register your interest. 

There is no closing date for the receipt of applications however the program will finish in June 2011 and applications will not be accepted after 1 June 2011. DCA also reserves the right to amend these guidelines at any time. 

Expressions of interest are welcomed from all persons who have set up a fund, trust or foundation or who are considering setting up one, regardless of whether they have identified an arts organisation who they would like to support.

Material required by DCA on application

DCA, in its own discretion, may require an eligible Fund to provide information and materials which it deems necessary to show the eligibility criteria and selection criteria are satisfied. The information and materials may include:

The constitution or establishment deed of the Fund;

• endorsements as a tax concession charity, income tax exempt fund or a deductible gift recipient;
• proof that the Fund has the adequate level of funds required. A statement from a bank or holding fund will be sufficient evidence;
• if the Fund is not based in Western Australia, then a statement or other information which sets out how the Fund intends to benefit the Western Australian community; and
• information as to the Fund’s intent or priorities as they relate to the arts in Western Australia.

Contact:

Liesbeth Goedhart
Ph:  (08) 9238 9582