Premier Mark McGowan and Lotterywest have established a $159 million COVID-19 relief fund to provide support to organisations that are helping people experiencing hardship.
An initial $59 million will be available immediately for crisis and emergency relief support for eligible not-for-profit and community organisations to assist with costs related to increased demand for food, clothing, shelter and other critical needs.
Funding will also support new equipment and resources to update processes that are required to adapt to rapidly changing needs.
This funding will also provide urgent financial relief for not-for-profit sports, arts and community organisations experiencing hardship as a result of cancelled events.
It will compensate for cancellation costs, lost revenue and incurred or committed operational costs associated with the cancelled event.
Often these events were crucial to the ongoing operations of important community organisations.
Lotterywest will now allocate all profits previously assigned to the grants budget, anticipated to be about $100 million, directly into the newly created fund to assist the Western Australian community to recover.
Eligible not-for-profit organisations and community groups can apply immediately for grant support by visiting lotterywest.wa.gov.au/grants or by calling 131 777.
Premier Mark McGowan said he has worked with the Lotterywest board to create a COVID-19 Relief Fund to enable eligible not-for-profit and community organisations to support people experiencing hardship.
"From now on - every profit Lotterywest makes from jackpots, draws and tickets excluding statutory grants - will go directly into a newly created COVID-19 Relief Fund," he said.
"To ensure this money goes directly to the people who need it most, this fund will support not-for-profit organisations' crisis and emergency relief, to assist with an increased demand for food, clothing, shelter and other critical needs."
