How to get a small business government grant in Australia

There are many Australian government grants and loan programs available for small business owners across the country. These government funding programs are made to help you with your small business, to help with the startup costs and to assist in growing your small business.

With so many funding programs available via the Australian government, you as the small business owner may be able to take advantage of these grants and loans for various purposes. These purposes include things such as hiring and training your staff, money to purchase land and equipment, for marketing…etc

The challenge with government funding and getting a small business government grant in Australia is that the government grant programs are very complex. Most of them require you as the business owner to take multiple steps, each with it’s own criteria that you have to meet before you can even start to apply to them.

With that in mind, the Australian government funding programs do come from various sources, in other words these programs come from multiple funding agencies. The challenge being that you have to know the funding agency before you can apply to it.

The various funding programs exist and are offered by the Australian government with the intention to help small business owners grow the economy. With the government funding small businesses it creates jobs and ensures a successful Australian economy. It’s a life cycle – small businesses get money (which we as Australians pay for in taxes), which eventually gets the business an opportunity to succeed, to hire staff, to make money, to pay into taxes and then it starts again.

So where do you find government grants for your small business?

To start your funding search and to find funding program you have to figure out where to look for the funding. Even though there are hundreds of funding programs available by the Australian government, they are scattered across the country. Some programs are location specific, meaning they are only available in certain cities or states, while some may be for only specific industries or cover specific funding needs. Your first step should be to figure out where you as a small business fit in.

The funding search is a difficult and time consuming process. Our Funding Database has simplified the search for you so that you may continue to work on your business while we help narrow down the funding programs that may be right for you. In fact, our Funding Database has over 1,000 government grant and loan programs available from the Australian government along with many private investment options.  Take a look here.

If you however have the time to do the necessary funding program research on your own be sure to start with your state, search for your industry and the specific funding needs.

What are the different types of grants that are available?

Australian government grants vary in the types that are available. Certain funding agencies will provide the business owners with grant programs that are non repayable programs. These non repayable government funding programs are basically programs which provide the funds to the businesses needs and the money does not need to be paid back.

Other grant programs include conditionally repayable grants, which are no different than any other grant program where the business owner gets the money but the money may have to be paid back over time or when a certain condition is met.

A popular grant program also used by many Australian small business owners is a partial contribution government grants. These programs are great if you have some money to put towards the business and your funding needs and one where the government of Australia and it’s specific agency providing the funds will pay for the percentage of it.

All government grants are made to help and support the every day small business entrepreneur. Be sure to look at our Funding Database to find the programs that may be right for your business.

How do I apply for a government business grant?

Every single government grant program is unique with a different set of rules and criteria that must be met before you apply. Most funding programs are created for specific reasons/purposes, so knowing these reasons/purposes is your first step.

Be sure to apply to only those programs that you clearly meet the criteria for, otherwise you will be wasting your own time as well as the funding agency’s time.

To ensure success when applying for government business grants be sure to create a professional business plan since every single government grant program will ask that you provide a business plan. Also ensure you read the program guide for that specific program you are applying to. Do you meet the criteria? If yes, apply. If no, don’t. And most importantly, be sure to apply on time.

Since many funding programs are opening and closing each week, jumping into it as soon as the program comes out is important.

If you need help figuring out which funding programs and government grant programs are right for you, do take a look at our Funding Database, as with over 1,000 funding sources you will be able to search through hundreds of funding programs in minutes.