Looking to fund your small business with a grant? Find out what kinds are out there.
So often businesses are stuck in the bind of needing funds in order to increase their earnings or grow. You might need to spend money to develop infrastructure, to tide over your expenses while you establish yourself, to invest in staff or equipment, or to improve an aspect of your practice. This is exactly the tricky spot that grants fill.
A grant gives you an amount of money in exchange for your commitment to use the funds to develop or equip your business in a particular way. While there are hundreds of grants available to Victorian small businesses, they each support different stages of projects and kinds of industries, or are designed to encourage specific business practices, such as green energy, social diversity or job opportunities. Some are government-funded (local, state and federal), while others are funded by private organisations.
The amount of grants out there is overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list here of some of the categories and opportunities to get your started on your search:
Social and Diversity
- Funding for businesses servicing LGBTQI+ communities: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/Revitalising-the-LGBTIQ-Sector-Fund-VIC
- Funding for social enterprises within the City of Melbourne: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/Social-Enterprise-Grants-VIC
Small business assistance and development
- Help with rent plus mentoring: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/New-Business-Assistance-with-NEIS
- Funding for digital business tools: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/small-business-digital-adaptation-program
- Funding to upgrade to energy-saving equipment: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/small-business-energy-saver-program
Employment and Training
- Funding for employing an apprentice: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/Australian-Apprenticeships-Incentives-Program
- Funding for employing a young person: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/Youth-Jobs-PaTH
- Funding for employing staff: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/Wage-subsidies
Green Business
- Funding for business that create jobs and drive renewable/green energy: https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/new-energy-technologies#toc__id_2_new
Industry-specific
- Defence: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/capability-improvement-grants
- Tourism: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/small-scale-and-craft-program-stream-three
- Wine: https://www.grants.gov.au/Go/Show?GoUuid=c166c3ca-fb13-b515-2ed1-bbddf125a8ec
COVID-19
- Commercial tenancy relief: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/commercial-tenancy-relief-scheme
- Small business COVID hardship funding: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/small-business-covid-hardship-fund
Marketing and sales
- Matched funding for promotional activities to export markets: https://www.grants.gov.au/Go/Show?GoUuid=f738ac98-3d70-4570-88ed-6a5bf26dbb5b
We hope this help with your grant search. There are other grants and relevant sites out there, so try your own search to see what you could find if those listed above don’t quite cover something relevant for you.
