If you are planning an event, activation, or public arts and culture project in the City of Perth local government area, the Local Activation Grants program could fund a meaningful share of the cost. Grants range from small support of a few thousand dollars right up to $20,000 for larger activations, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the 2026-27 program year. This guide walks through exactly how the program works, who qualifies, what it funds, and how to put together a strong application.
What Are the City of Perth Local Activation Grants?
The Local Activation Grant is a City of Perth program designed to bring more life, visitors, and vibrancy into the City of Perth local government area. Rather than funding one narrow category of project, the program supports a wide range of activities with a genuine public outcome, from cultural events and live music to markets, food and beverage events, and neighbourhood business activations.
The program runs on a financial year cycle, with activities to be delivered and completed between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis rather than in a single fixed round, with the overall program closing on 31 March 2027 or earlier if funding is exhausted first.
This structure matters for planning purposes. Because applications are assessed individually as they come in, rather than compared against every other application in a single closing round, applicants have some flexibility in choosing their timing, provided they apply with enough lead time before their event.
How Much Funding Is Available
The Local Activation Grant is structured across four funding tiers, with the amount available scaling alongside the expected size and reach of the activity.
Tier 1 offers funding of up to $5,000, and requires the applicant to demonstrate a minimum expected attendance of 200 people.
Tier 2 offers funding between $5,001 and $10,000, requiring a minimum expected attendance of 800 people.
Tier 3 offers funding between $10,001 and $15,000, requiring a minimum expected attendance of 1,500 people.
Tier 4 offers funding between $15,001 and $20,000, requiring a minimum expected attendance of 3,000 people.
In other words, the larger the funding request, the larger the audience or participation numbers your project needs to realistically demonstrate. Applicants should be honest and realistic when estimating expected attendance, since this figure is directly tied to the funding tier being sought, and overstating it can undermine the credibility of an application during assessment.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility is reasonably broad, but there are some clear boundaries worth understanding before you begin.
To apply, you need to be either a legally constituted entity, such as an incorporated association, company, or business, or an individual holding a valid Australian Business Number. Your organisation or business must be located within the City of Perth local government area. You also need to be able to demonstrate that you are financially viable independent of the grant funding itself, meaning the City wants to see that your project is not entirely dependent on this one funding source to proceed.
Applicants should also allow enough lead time when applying. The City requires applications to be lodged at least eight weeks before the event or activity start date, and applicants should generally allow up to eight weeks to be notified of a decision. This means anyone planning an event should start their grant application process well in advance, ideally as soon as a project concept and rough budget are in place.
Who Is Not Eligible
A number of applicant types and situations are specifically excluded from this program. Government departments and political parties cannot apply. Individuals or organisations that support violence, intolerance, or discrimination are ineligible, in line with the City’s community values requirements. City of Perth employees or elected members, and their immediate family members, cannot apply. Organisations with outstanding debts to the City, or an existing legal conflict with the City, are excluded. Applicants who have previously received a grant but not properly acquitted it, meaning they have not provided the required reporting on how the funds were used, will also not be considered until that is resolved.
What the Grant Can Be Used For
The Local Activation Grant is intentionally broad in terms of the kinds of projects it can support, provided they deliver a genuine public outcome within the City of Perth area. Based on the official program guidelines, eligible activities include cultural events, sporting events, live music festivals, markets, food and beverage events, arts and culture activities with a public outcome, and neighbourhood business activation projects.
The common thread across all eligible activities is that they need to be open, public facing projects that bring people into City of Perth spaces and support local vibrancy, rather than private or purely commercial activities with limited public benefit.
What the Grant Cannot Be Used For
Just as important as knowing what is eligible is understanding what is explicitly excluded. The program does not fund virtual events, since the focus is on physical activation of City of Perth spaces. Business conferences and awards ceremonies are excluded, as these are considered industry or internal events rather than genuine public activations. Permanent installations are not eligible, since the program is designed around activity and events rather than fixed infrastructure. Recurrent or ongoing programming is excluded, meaning the grant is intended for discrete projects or events rather than funding an organisation’s regular, ongoing operations. Private or invite-only events are not eligible, since the program requires genuine public access. Finally, projects that are already part of a City-sponsored major festival are excluded, to avoid duplicating funding that is already committed elsewhere.
If your project falls into any of these excluded categories, it is worth reviewing other City of Perth sponsorship and grant programs, or broader Western Australian funding options, since a number of other programs exist for different types of activity.
How Applications Are Assessed
Applications are not assessed on a first come, first served basis alone. The City evaluates each application against five weighted outcomes, and understanding these can significantly strengthen how you frame your application.
Visitation looks at how effectively your project attracts visitors to the area and increases the amount of time they spend there. Vibrancy considers how well your project activates public spaces with genuinely engaging experiences. Sustainability examines whether your project integrates environmental action and responsible practices. Community engagement assesses how your project addresses diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, ensuring the broadest possible community can participate or benefit. Economic growth looks at how your project involves and supports local businesses in the area.
Beyond these five outcomes, assessors also consider your organisation’s capacity to actually deliver the project, whether your budget is realistic and well thought through, and whether your event activates a quieter period in the City’s calendar or adds something genuinely unique to what is already on offer.
Key Dates and Deadlines
Because this program runs on a rolling application basis rather than one fixed closing date, the most important dates to know are the outer boundaries of the program and your own event timeline.
The program covers activity delivered between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, and the overall program closes for new applications on 31 March 2027, or sooner if the year’s funding is fully allocated before then.
Applications must be lodged at least eight weeks before your planned event or activity start date. Applicants should also allow up to eight weeks for a funding decision to be communicated. Given these timeframes, if you are planning an event for later in the 2026-27 program year, it is worth applying well ahead of that eight week minimum, both to secure a decision with enough runway to plan properly, and because funding can be exhausted before the official 31 March 2027 closing date if demand is strong.
How to Apply and What You Will Need
Applications are submitted through the City of Perth’s SmartyGrants portal, and the City recommends consulting with a Sponsorship and Grants Officer before submitting, particularly if you are new to the program or unsure whether your project fits the eligibility criteria.
Based on the official guidelines, a strong application should be prepared to include the following.
A detailed project plan that clearly explains what the event or activity involves, when and where it will take place, and how it delivers a genuine public outcome.
A realistic budget that shows how the requested grant amount, alongside any other funding or income sources, will cover the cost of delivering the project.
A visitation measurement methodology, meaning a clear explanation of how you will estimate and later report on the number of people who attended or engaged with your project.
Details of your diversity and accessibility approach, showing how your event will be inclusive and accessible to a broad cross-section of the community.
An outline of the environmental sustainability considerations built into your project.
A local business engagement plan, explaining how your project will involve or benefit businesses in the City of Perth area.
Evidence of appropriate insurance, which can be submitted after the initial application if it is not yet available at the time of applying.
After your event or activity is complete, you will also need to submit an acquittal report within three months of completion. This report accounts for how the grant funding was actually used and confirms the project was delivered as described in your application. Taking this reporting obligation seriously matters not just for compliance, but because a properly completed acquittal keeps you eligible to apply again for future rounds.
Grant Benefits Beyond the Funding
Depending on which funding tier you receive, the City of Perth also provides certain promotional and recognition benefits alongside the grant itself. All successful applicants are required to display City of Perth signage and include the City’s logo on their promotional materials. Higher funding tiers can also come with additional benefits, such as complimentary event tickets, an invitation extended to the Lord Mayor, and advertising opportunities through City of Perth channels. These benefits can add real promotional value on top of the direct funding, particularly for larger scale projects in the higher tiers.
How Competitive Is This Grant
Because the Local Activation Grant covers a genuinely broad range of eligible activities, from markets and food events to live music and neighbourhood business activations, it tends to attract a healthy volume of applications across the program year. The rolling application structure does mean there is not a single high pressure closing date where every applicant is competing at once, but it also means that funding can run out before the official end of the program year if demand is strong.
Because assessment weighs five separate outcome areas, from visitation through to community engagement, an application that only addresses one or two of these strongly, while ignoring the others, is unlikely to score as well as one that thoughtfully addresses all five. Strong applications tend to be specific, realistic, and genuinely tied to activating the City of Perth area in a way that benefits the broader community, not just the applicant.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A number of avoidable issues commonly weaken applications for this program. Applying too close to your event date, without leaving the required eight weeks lead time, risks your application not being processed in time, or being assessed under unnecessary time pressure. Overestimating expected attendance to reach a higher funding tier can backfire, since assessors are experienced at judging whether attendance projections are realistic for a given type of event.
Failing to address all five assessment outcomes is another common weakness. Applicants sometimes focus heavily on describing their event itself, without clearly explaining how it supports sustainability, community engagement, or local business involvement. Submitting a vague or incomplete budget also weakens applications, since assessors need to see a credible link between the funding requested and how it will actually be spent. Finally, applicants who have not properly acquitted a previous City of Perth grant will find this counts against a new application, so keeping past reporting obligations up to date matters for future funding as well.
Preparation Tips for a Strong Application
Speak with a City of Perth Sponsorship and Grants Officer before you apply, particularly if this is your first time applying or if you are unsure which funding tier best fits your project.
Build your project plan and budget together from the start, rather than treating them as separate tasks. A budget that clearly maps to specific, described activities in your project plan is far more convincing than a generic cost breakdown.
Address all five assessment outcomes directly in your application, even briefly, rather than assuming strength in one area will carry the whole application.
Be realistic with your attendance estimate, and be prepared to explain how you arrived at that figure, whether through past event data, comparable events, or ticketing and RSVP projections.
Start gathering your insurance documentation early, since this is a common item that can hold up an otherwise complete application if left until the last minute.
Related Funding for Perth and Western Australian Businesses
If your project does not fit the Local Activation Grant, or if you are a Perth business looking for funding beyond event and activation support, there are other avenues worth exploring. Grants Assist’s online portal covers a wide range of programs relevant to Western Australian businesses and organisations.
Business owners based in Perth may find it useful to start with the overview of small business grants available in Perth, which covers a broader range of funding sources beyond council-run programs. For a state-wide view, the guide to business grants in Western Australia outlines the kinds of state government support available alongside local council programs like this one.
Organisations or businesses considering event, tourism, or activation focused funding more broadly may also want to review funding for tourism projects, which covers programs relevant to businesses supporting visitor experiences and destination activity across Australia.
Using the Grants Assist Eligibility Tool
Before committing time to any single grant application, it can help to get a clearer sense of your broader funding options. Grants Assist’s online eligibility assessment tool lets you work through a short series of questions about your business or project to help identify which types of programs are worth exploring further. It is a self-service tool you can use in your own time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the City of Perth Local Activation Grant?
It is a City of Perth funding program that supports events, activations, and arts and culture projects with a genuine public outcome within the City of Perth local government area. Funding ranges from up to $5,000 up to $20,000, depending on the scale of the project.
How much funding can I apply for?
Funding is split into four tiers based on minimum expected attendance: up to $5,000 for events expecting at least 200 attendees, $5,001 to $10,000 for at least 800 attendees, $10,001 to $15,000 for at least 1,500 attendees, and $15,001 to $20,000 for at least 3,000 attendees.
When does the program close?
The program covers activity between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, and closes for new applications on 31 March 2027, or earlier if funding is fully allocated before then. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, not in a single fixed round.
How far in advance do I need to apply?
Applications must be lodged at least eight weeks before your event or activity start date, and applicants should allow up to eight weeks to receive a funding decision.
Can any business or organisation apply?
Applicants need to be a legally constituted entity or an individual with a valid ABN, located within the City of Perth local government area, and financially viable independent of the grant. Government departments, political parties, City of Perth employees and elected members and their immediate family, and organisations with outstanding debts or legal conflicts with the City are not eligible.
What can the funding be used for?
Eligible activities include cultural events, sporting events, live music festivals, markets, food and beverage events, arts and culture activities, and neighbourhood business activations, provided the activity delivers a genuine public outcome.
What is not covered by this grant?
Virtual events, business conferences, awards ceremonies, permanent installations, recurring or ongoing programming, private or invite-only events, and projects already part of a City-sponsored major festival are not eligible.
Do I need to report back after my event?
Yes. Successful applicants must submit an acquittal report within three months of completing their project, accounting for how the grant funding was used.
Ready to Explore More Funding Options?
Want to keep exploring your options? Grants Assist’s online portal gives you access to detailed, regularly updated information on grants and assistance programs across Australia. Explore the Grants Assist portal to browse more programs like this one, or call us on 1300-005-999 to speak with one of our advisors.
