The grants under the Small Business Recovery Assistance Grant program will provide up to $15,000 to eligible small businesses that experienced significant trading disruptions due to the severe weather event between January 29 and February 28.

The Federal and State governments have jointly activated this support through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) to help communities in North and Far North Queensland recover from this year’s devastating floods.

“Small businesses are the heart of North Queensland and provide the services communities love and rely on, which is why we’ve activated additional financial assistance to help them get back on their feet,” Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said. “We’ve listened to local operators about the impact of this year’s floods, and this grant is about providing practical support to help them to rebuild with confidence.”

Minister for Small and Family Business Steve Minnikin said the grant is targeted at small businesses that either ceased trading or suffered a revenue loss of 60 per cent or more for at least two consecutive weeks as a direct result of the disaster.

“Small businesses are the backbone of regional communities. When disaster strikes, they face not only physical damage but also massive financial uncertainty,” Minnikin said. “This grant recognises the real and ongoing challenges these businesses face and helps them cover essential costs like wages, rent and stock so they can focus on reopening, retaining staff, and rebuilding stronger than before.”

Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery and Volunteers Ann Leahy said this additional round of support was crucial to getting North Queensland small businesses back on their feet.

“This government is here for the long haul, and we’ll continue to work in the knowledge that our job is not done until affected businesses get back to full operation,” Leahy said. “We understand the impact and are here to provide the necessary support.”

Eligible businesses must be located in one of eight declared disaster-affected Local Government Areas, including Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Townsville, and Yarrabah. Grants will be assessed on a competitive basis, with applicants needing to demonstrate the financial impact of the disaster, their intent to continue operating, and how the funds will contribute to business and community recovery.

The post Additional disaster funding for North Queensland small businesses appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Delivered by Women in Innovation (WINN) in partnership with the Fearless Females Network (FFN), the grants aim to address the long-standing gap in access to early-stage capital for female-led innovative businesses to grow and scale into national and international markets with new products and services.

The program offers two funding streams to support women entrepreneurs at different stages of business growth:

• Scale-up grant: One $60,000 grant for a business with established product or service sales, ready to scale and expand into national and international markets.
• Accelerate grants: Two $20,000 grants to help early-stage businesses fast-track growth and build their market presence.

In addition, there is also a $20,000 grant, supported by Westpac and awarded on merit by the judging panel, bringing the total grant funding available to $120,000 this year.

The state government will also provide dollar-for-dollar matched funding of up to $50,000 to support emerging female founders under the program, complementing contributions from donors and helping maximise the total support available.

South Australian Deputy Premier Susan Close stated: “Removing barriers to women in the startup community will benefit our state’s long-term prosperity, including helping to access larger national and international markets. These grants are an important investment in entrepreneurial South Australian women wanting to expand their enterprises and help grow our state’s economy.”

Launched in 2024, the Fearless Innovator Grant Program is funded through the government’s Research and Innovation Fund, which seeks to support a strong, vibrant and high-quality research and innovation ecosystem for driving future economic growth, productivity and wellbeing in SA.

It also builds on the success of the state government’s $4 million Women in Business program, which has already supported more than 3600 women to grow their businesses and develop their skills and is a key initiative of the $14 million SA Small Business Strategy.

With this boost, the programs further improve the challenges women entrepreneurs face. The recent 2024 State of Australian Startup Funding report found that female founders still received only 2 per cent of total venture capital funding in Australia.

SA MP Andrea Michaels commented: “The Fearless Innovators program is a fantastic opportunity for South Australian women in business to access the early-stage capital they need to grow and scale their ventures. Along with the Women in Business program, the Malinauskas Government is committed to supporting female business owners to overcome financial barriers and realise long-term growth opportunities.”

Applications for the program are open until June 8. Successful recipients will be announced at an awards night in September.

The post South Australia opens grants for women entrepreneurs appeared first on Inside Small Business.

The “Backing Small” program grants will provide funding and other resources to help small and independent restaurants across the globe to preserve their history and legacy while celebrating their cuisines and invigorating local economies.

“American Express is proud to back local champions who strengthen their communities, and that includes many small and independent restaurants,” said Madge Thomas, head of corporate sustainability and president of the American Express Foundation. “Food brings people together, and we aim to offer these restaurants the support they need for their spaces and operations so they can continue to grow and be pillars in their neighbourhoods.”

This year, Backing International Small Restaurants opens to restaurants in eight countries, including Australia and in partnership with the International Downtown Association (IDA) Foundation, will offer US$1.45 million in funding to 100 restaurants so they can make critical improvements, like enhancing their digital capabilities, refreshing dining spaces, and improving kitchen operations.

In the ANZ region, Mainstreet Australia will offer support for the program. Small restaurant owners in Melbourne and Sydney can apply for one of 15 grants, each valued at AU$23,000 while Auckland restaurants can apply for one of five grants valued at NZ$25,000 ($15,000 USD) each.

Since 2022 in Australia, the Backing International Small Restaurants program has provided AU$522,500 in financial support.

Mainstreet Australia president Georgina Pikoulas said the organisation is proud to be the local partner for the program again, supporting vibrant communities across Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland. “This grant program provides critical support for small, independent restaurants – helping them stay resilient, celebrate culture, and continue serving up the flavours and hospitality that make our main streets unique.”

Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Suresh Manickam also commented: “Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. The hospitality sector provides a valuable service to millions of Australians, we add to the cultural fabric of our suburbs, we enrich our communities and in doing so we employ hundreds of thousands of Australians.”

Restaurant Association of New Zealand CEO Marisa Bidois expressed support for the program as well, adding: “We are pleased to see American Express extending its global support for small restaurants to New Zealand. This initiative acknowledges the critical role that our small hospitality businesses play in shaping our local culture and economy. The Restaurant Association is committed to championing initiatives that provide real, tangible benefits to our industry, and this is one of them.”

Applications for the Backing International Small Restaurants program are open until July 1.

The post Amex reopens grant program for small restaurants appeared first on Inside Small Business.

The grants are part of the broader $73 million Drought Support Package, delivered through the Rural Business Support Relief Fund. As such, the grants can be used to help cover essential expenses, such as utility bills, council rates, vehicle repairs, medical costs, school-related fees, and household needs.

According to the South Australian government, the funding is designed to offer direct, practical support, easing short-term financial pressure, as well as helping the state’s businesses to continue their operations during difficult seasonal conditions. This provides an opportunity for small-business owners to access immediate assistance and maintain their operations during ongoing drought conditions.

Apart from the funding, farming families and rural small and family business owners can also access free financial counselling. There will also be additional support that will be provided to small businesses impacted by the drought, the details of which will be made available soon.

To apply for the grants and for further details, prospective applicants may visit www.ruralbusinesssupport.org.au

The post Grants for drought-affected South Australian small businesses now available appeared first on Inside Small Business.

The Ignite Ideas Fund is designed to empower Queensland Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with high-growth potential to bring their product or service to domestic and international markets, with grants of up to $200,000 being offered.

Meanwhile, the Ignite Spark Program aims to help innovation-driven businesses develop their product or service and ensure it’s primed for customer trials, with grants of up to $75,000 available.

Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell said the latest funding rounds created more opportunities for Queensland-based businesses to continue kicking goals on the world stage.

“It can be difficult to attract investors in the field of innovation, but these programs will give SMEs the funds to continue their business journey,” Powell said.

The state government shared that more than 450 businesses have been supported through the Ignite Ideas Fund and a further 40 through the Ignite Spark Program in the past.

“We know the support of these projects can fast track innovative products and services from prototype to commercially viable, allowing Queensland businesses to tap into new markets. That means more jobs and opportunities for Queenslanders,” Powell said.

He concluded, “Supporting innovative initiatives will showcase Queensland’s potential as a global leader in the highly competitive innovation economy.”

The post Up to $200k in grants for Queensland small businesses under Ignite program appeared first on Inside Small Business.

PowerSmart for Small Business

One of the grants is the PowerSmart for Small Business program, which aims to help Tasmanian small businesses better understand their energy use and implement initiatives that will help them save energy usage and costs.

Under the program, grants of up to $1,000 to small businesses for energy efficiency audits that will enable small businesses to identify when and where they use the most energy, allowing them to make informed decisions about the right energy purchasing arrangements and opportunities to reduce energy consumption and lower energy costs. Small businesses can submit the audit report and invoice to receive the grant once the audit is completed.

Depending on the actions arising from the energy audit, further funding assistance under different programs may be available to support energy efficiency investments, such as the Energy Saver Loan Scheme which provides interest-free three-year loans to eligible small businesses to invest in certain energy efficiency equipment.

Key benefits of the program include up to $450,000 in annual funding available for four years (depending on program uptake) and the option of having a proposed energy audit scope pre-approved as eligible under the program to provide certainty of support before the audit is undertaken.

Multicultural Small Business Grant

The other program is the Multicultural Small Business Grant program, which will support the growth of multicultural small businesses so they can undertake projects that will help develop stronger communities and enhance Tasmania’s regional areas.

The $400,000 grant program will provide grants between $700 and $5,000 to help finance projects that build capability and new skills. Such projects can include building a website, developing strategic marketing plans, or providing advice, coaching or training

“This new two-year grant program is a continuation of our support, which is delivering on our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, and I look forward to hearing about the different projects that are delivered,” said Tasmanian Minister for Small Business and Hospitality, Jane Howlett

Howlett added that the growth of Tasmania’s multicultural sector was having significant flow-on effect to the small business community.

“Our multicultural sector’s drive is clearly evidenced through the contribution community members from overseas are making in starting and running small businesses across the State,” she said.

The Multicultural Small Business Grant Program guidelines are available on the Business Tasmania website and the program will open on 19 November 2024.

The post Grants for Tasmanian small businesses appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Eight small restaurant businesses in Melbourne and five small restaurant businesses in Sydney received the grants, namely:

Melbourne

• Bojak Brewing
• Wilbury & Sons
• PBK Noodles
• Lazeeza Restaurant
• Baba Hawker 
• The Backyard
• 1001 Nights
• Baby Elephant café

Sydney

• Rising Sun Workshop
• Rebels N Misfits
• Little Lagos Bistro & Bar
• Don Adan Coffee    
• I Should be Souvlaki

The 2024 American Express Backing International Small Restaurants grant program was run in partnership with the International Downtown Association (IDA) Foundation and supported by Mainstreet Australia. This year, it was expanded to cover both Sydney and Melbourne as part of its mission to help small restaurant businesses improve their business or gain additional cashflow for their expenses.

Robert Tedesco, Vice President of Global Merchant Network Services for American Express Australia and New Zealand, said, “We received an incredible response with a record number of applications across both cities. Since its inception, the program has delivered almost $520,000 directly to small Australian dining venues, helping them to continue delivering meaningful contributions to their customers and community.” 

David Downey, Executive Director, IDA Foundation, added, “This year, we’ve expanded our reach to nine cities globally through the continued generosity of American Express. We are proud to empower these extraordinary restaurants to thrive and strengthen the fabric of their neighbourhoods.” 

Suresh Manickam, CEO of Restaurant & Catering Australia, said, “Small restaurant owners have been working harder than ever and these grants will help alleviate some of financial pressure they’re facing. The American Express Backing International Small Restaurants program is a very worthy program and has contributed more than half a million dollars to Australian venues since it began here three years ago, which reflects a company that is truly backing business and community.” 

The post Sydney and Melbourne small restaurants win American Express grants appeared first on Inside Small Business.

The Big Build initiative is envisioned to be the biggest decade of infrastructure delivery in the state’s history.

A total of 31 small businesses will be chosen for the program. Those selected will share in funding worth over $2.2 million in total, which they can use for the purchase of a variety of equipment they will need for their operations.

“[The] Government is proud to back Queensland small businesses with record levels of funding and support so they can do what they do best – create jobs and grow our economy,” said Employment and Small Business Minister Lance McCallum.

Labor Candidate for Mackay Belinda Hassan also commented, “With a $100 billion Big Build on our doorstep, there’s no better time than now to give our small businesses a big boost –- providing funding to businesses with high-growth potential to buy the equipment they need to take their operations to the next level.”

Apart from the aforementioned program, the Queensland Government has been providing a range of grant programs to support small businesses at different stages of growth to increase key capabilities, embrace innovation, and capitalise on high-growth opportunities. They have also launched education and development programs, such as the energy-saving QBEST program and the Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN) program.

The post SMEs to receive $2.2m towards Queensland “Big Build” appeared first on Inside Small Business.

For founder Amanda Falconer, the secret lies in the ingredients and how they are sourced in a sustainable manner. “Planet A products combine upcycled veg and insect protein with a restaurant-grade plant protein that mimics the taste and texture of meat when rehydrated,” Amanda explains. “Black soldier fly larva is a key part of this process. The black soldier fly larva has a voracious appetite, and can turn organic waste into valuable biomass very fast, with a low impact on resources: one tonne of insects can be grown in seven days using a land area of only 5sqm. Because the mature black soldier fly doesn’t eat, it is very efficient at storing nutrients as a larva. And the nutrient profile – amino acids, fatty acids etc – is awesomely good for our purposes at Planet A.” 

The inspiration for the Planet A brand came after Amanda watched a documentary about reducing individual and collective carbon emissions. “I already knew human and pet food have a big environmental impact,” she says. “I became vegan myself and began researching what a healthy meat-free diet could look like for dogs and cats.” Amanda built upon the experience she had with the Bestie brand, leveraging the brand’s expertise in cold extrusion chews with Planet A‘s unique nutritional formulation.

A winning history

The company has come a long way since it was launched in 2019, creating supplements for raw feeders. Now, it has developed a cold extrusion processing method for its product range, which is an Australian first, and has its own manufacturing facility in Newcastle. These milestones and successes would not have been possible without the help of the grants the company has received over the years. Amanda made a roadmap of sorts of the grants that could be available to the business early on in her journey with Bestie Kitchen. She made a point of always moving forward, even if she was unsuccessful in a grant application, while keeping an eye on other opportunities on the horizon. “Knowing what’s out there and when it may match your business in its growth cycle is useful,” she shares.

Amanda first applied for the CSIRO Kick-Start program and her pitch got the attention of the selection committee. She made it as far as stage 1 and this helped her get the Food Innovation Australia (FIAL) grant. “By then, we had formulations and a method but I needed equipment,” she says. She was then successful in securing another grant, from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC).

Unfortunately, Amanda now had another problem – these grants required matching capital, something that she did not have at that time. “Marketing languished a little,” she recalls. “Until the Boosting Female Founder grant that is, which we were awarded earlier in the year.”

Bestie Kitchen was among the 34 businesses chosen to receive Business.gov.au’s Female Founders grant, receiving $249,600 of the $11.6 million total in grants awarded for their cohort. Bestie Kitchen used the grant to scale its range of pet supplements and sustainable pet foods. It took a couple of failed attempts before the business got the coveted grant on its third try.

“Looking back on our first application, it was very under-done. I made that application soon after we’d started the business, so everything was a bit airy-fairy forecast-wise,” Amanda admits. “Second time around, we got through the first stage but there was a change of government that led to a review and the program was put on hold for a while, and by the time I was invited to apply in round two, a number of things had changed.”

Secrets to landing grants

Amanda says the primary reason for her focus on obtaining grants was to help augment Bestie Kitchen’s marketing efforts. “We aren’t a company that’s gone and pitched to investors, and given that I have bootstrapped with government funds so far, we were finding it hard to give the brands the marketing love they needed without more capital,” she explains. She’s also used the funding for investments in IP, such as formulations, processes and branding, as well as for equipment and the manufacturing facility.

Amanda has gained much insight about the grant process that she believes other businesses should take to heart. For one, while there are some grant programs that are open for businesses that fall into the ‘I’ve got an idea but haven’t really got much traction’ category, it is better for start-ups to be able to show they have achieved some level of growth in terms of revenue, customers, users, etc. for grant-giving organisations to take notice.

Amanda also says it is important for grant applicants to find out what a particular grant program is trying to achieve and if the business can be a fit for the grant’s goals. “Most programs aren’t one-off and they have staff working on them,” she explains. “For those programs and people to continue, they need success stories. What does success look like for them?”

She adds that businesses should strive to stand out among other applicants to be noticed. “You’ll need to show why your business is in business; what makes it different/better etc than competitors. Take that as a given,” she says.

Businesses also need to present their case as to how committed they are to delivering the results expected of them as grant recipients and how well their business is aligned with the grant’s objectives. “You’ll need to show things such as why you need it, what the business would be like without it, and what will be achieved with it,” Amanda explains. “The key is to make sure you have a solid argument for all the criteria. And some application processes are more detailed than others so if you aren’t prepared to really do the work, don’t waste your time doing a half-baked job.”

Finally, Amanda advises small-business owners who plan to apply for a grant to seek help. “Get someone ruthless but invested (not necessarily financially) to read through it and play devil’s advocate,” she says. “If you haven’t got someone who can act in that role, consider a grant-writing agency.”

But what if the grant application is unsuccessful? Amanda advises unsuccessful grant applicants to ask for feedback as to why their application was rejected. “Sometimes that feedback is just generic, which is not that helpful; however, sometimes you find gems,” she says. “This was the case with my first unsuccessful Jobs for NSW MVP grant. The feedback was constructive and specific, and it gave me a good insight into where assessors were sceptical or had objections. We addressed that feedback and made sure to get in front of those objections in our second application and were successful, and were also able to take those learnings across to applications for other grants.”

This article first appeared in issue 45 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine

The post How to secure those elusive grants appeared first on Inside Small Business.

A not-for-profit organisation based in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, The Groundswell Collective was co-founded by Anna Noon and Mark Colquhoun with the vision of creating densely packed patches of diverse, native vegetation in urban areas through their Tiny Forest initiative to support a thriving, connected and sustainable future.

“We’re thrilled to be awarded the $50,000 prize from Taronga’s incredible Hatch program,” Co-founder Anna Noon said. “It’s been a privilege and fantastic opportunity to engage with likeminded changemakers, subject matter experts and the wider Taronga network. We can’t wait to continue The Groundswell Collective’s purpose of bringing people together to create a better planet by building two new school-based tiny forest with the funding.”

Now in its fourth year, Hatch is the world’s only accelerator program that is led by a conservation zoo. It aims to help ecopreneurs take their idea from vision to reality and support innovators who are tackling some of the most pressing environmental and conservation challenges currently facing the planet.

“We were so impressed with the calibre of this year’s cohort,” Taronga Conservation Society Australia CEO and moderator of the 2024 Hatch pitch event, Cameron Kerr, said. “Each of the start-up founders demonstrated a way forward for our world – whether that’s addressing the way we rethink food waste elimination through digital labelling systems, addressing challenges related to solar panel waste, redirecting medical supplies from landfill, and so much more.

“The Hatch founders have proven that when there is support, we can come up with innovative solutions that can benefit our environment and humanity,” Ker added. “Last night’s judges were so impressed with The Groundswell Collective’s co-founders Anna Noon and Mark Colquhoun. Their impressive knowledge of the ecosystem and scalability is inspiring. The rewilding of urban spaces is so important and I cannot wait to see what they achieve. I am so grateful to our generous donors for their leadership and recognising the need to nurture and support innovative minds to ensure that together, we can make these ideas a reality.”

This year’s Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program saw 13 founders immersed in masterclasses and workshops led by Taronga’s network of subject matter experts over a 14-week period. The program culminated in a pitch event, attended by more than 200 guests at the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning at Taronga Zoo Sydney.

The six teams of ecoprenuers delivered their pitches to a judging panel which included philanthropist, businesswoman and urbanist Lucy Turnbull, one of Hatch’s founding donors Alexandra Holcomb, climate change and sustainability leader Andy Marks, and marine biologist and advertising legend John Preston.

Taronga has been widelh acknowledged as a leader in identifying and supporting innovative conservation ideas for more than a decade. In 2011, Taronga launched the Taronga Green Grant program which evolved into the Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program in 2020. Over four years since its launch, Hatch has granted $199,000 in funding, and has connected 17 teams with more than 95 mentors and subject matter experts. Past Hatch initiatives include edible coffee cups Good-Edi and Xylo Systems, a cloud-based platform that uses AI for tracking and managing conservation programs.

The post Nonprofit The Groundswell Collective wins $50,000 Taronga Hatch grant appeared first on Inside Small Business.