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Start with an open programme and a specific project
A grant is useful only if your business, activity and spending dates meet its rules. Start with the Australian Government grants and support finder, then read the programme owner's current guidelines. Check state and local government sources where the project will take place.
Grants are not a general substitute for sales income or an automatic source of start-up cash. Many programmes fund defined activities and require your own contribution. The government's funding guide places them alongside other funding routes.
Check these details before writing an application
- Status and timing: is the round open, and must approval come before you order or pay?
- Eligibility: does your entity, location, industry, trading history and project qualify?
- Eligible costs: which expenses count and which are excluded?
- Cash required: is co-funding needed, and does payment arrive upfront or after milestones?
- Evidence: what quotes, accounts, project plans and approvals must accompany the application?
- Obligations: what must you deliver, report or repay if the project changes?
Keep a copy of the guidelines and the version date with your application. Budget for the work of applying and reporting as well as the project itself. A grant that is competitive or still awaiting approval should not be treated as confirmed cash in the forecast.
If your project needs funding before a decision
Ask the programme administrator whether early expenditure affects eligibility. Then assess the project without the grant. If it cannot proceed without an award, postponing a commitment may be more practical than borrowing against an uncertain result.
A grant award and cash in the bank are different milestones
A project may look affordable after a grant contribution but still need cash to pay suppliers before a milestone payment arrives. Draw up the spending and payment schedule separately from the application budget. If approval is uncertain, show a second case in which the grant is not awarded.
Distinguish a grant from other support
A searchable support directory can contain grants, loans, advice, rebates and tax measures. These have different effects on cash. A loan must be repaid under its terms. A rebate may require you to incur eligible expenditure first. A tax measure depends on its specific rules and your tax position. Read the actual programme type before treating the headline amount as money available for the project.
The older records below include several kinds of support. Their presence does not establish that a programme is currently open or that an old amount remains available. For example, the official Industry Growth Program page states that it is paused to new applications at our 5 October 2026 check. Use the programme owner's current status ahead of a historical directory entry.
Reject an ineligible programme early
Create a short eligibility record before writing the application. Match the applicant entity, location, industry, project activity, expenditure dates and required contribution to the published conditions. Mark each point as supported by a document or still requiring clarification. A strong project description cannot compensate for failing a mandatory condition.
If a condition is unclear, ask the administrator a specific question before committing to spending. Keep the answer with the guidelines. For example, clarify whether a deposit, purchase order or signed contract counts as starting the project. Do not assume that spending incurred before approval will become eligible once an award is made.
Check whether assistance from another programme changes the amount available or whether the same cost can be included. Describe other applications honestly. The relevant rules differ by programme, so a previous successful application is useful preparation rather than authority for the next one.
Budget for the cash gap as well as the contribution
Suppose an entirely hypothetical project costs $60,000 and a grant reimburses half of approved expenditure after completion. The business's eventual share may be $30,000, but it could need to fund the full $60,000 before reimbursement. If it has only $35,000 available, the temporary gap is $25,000. That difference matters before the supplier is engaged.
Now test excluded costs, a later reimbursement and a smaller award. If another $5,000 of spending is ineligible, it still needs funding. If payment arrives a month later than expected, wages and other commitments continue. These are planning scenarios, not a description of every grant; use the actual agreement to set the forecast.
A bridging loan adds its own charges and repayment timetable. Include them in the project's economics even if the grant calculation excludes them. An application under assessment is uncertain income. Avoid making the project depend on a loan that can only be repaid if a competitive grant is awarded.
Make the evidence answer the assessment criteria
For each criterion, identify the fact being established and the document that supports it. A supplier quote helps explain cost. Accounts can support the funding contribution. A delivery plan identifies responsibilities and milestones. Evidence of demand supports the claimed benefit. Keep those purposes separate so that a reader does not have to infer the case from a large collection of attachments.
Use measurable outcomes that follow from the actual project. If the objective is reduced energy use, establish the baseline and how the result will be measured. If the objective is commercialisation, explain what uncertainty the proposed work will resolve. Do not substitute broad claims about innovation or jobs for an evidence-based delivery plan.
The work continues after an award
Read the funding agreement before accepting it. Identify reporting dates, evidence requirements, approved budget categories and how changes are authorised. Assign someone to keep invoices, proof of payment and project records as spending occurs. Reconstructing them at the final claim can delay payment or reveal costs that were never eligible.
If the project, supplier or timing changes, follow the agreed variation process before assuming the original award still covers it. Review the project without the grant as well as with it. A grant can improve the return on a sound plan; it should not obscure a weak commercial case or an unaffordable cash commitment.
Previously listed programmes
The COVID-era SME Guarantee Scheme and SME Recovery Loan Scheme are closed to new loans; the final recovery scheme closed on 30 June 2022. They are not current grants or new-loan options. See Treasury’s scheme record.
This historical directory includes closed rounds and programmes whose current status and terms have not been verified. It is not a count of available grants. Check the official grants and programmes finder and the administrator’s current guidelines before relying on a listing.
Historical programme references — not an open-grants list
Follow each official link and verify the current round, eligibility and closing date before relying on a record.
Historical grant programme directory
Accelerating Commercialisation
Size: $20,000 to $1 million
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For businesses with a novel product, process, or service, requiring matched funding.
URL: Accelerating Commercialisation
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For businesses upgrading or replacing inefficient equipment.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Extraordinary Disaster Recovery Grants
Size: Up to $50,000
Where: Disaster affected regions in Australia
Conditions: For businesses impacted by natural disasters like tropical cyclones.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Industry Growth Program
Paused to new applications, checked 10 October 2026. Early-stage commercialisation grants range from $50,000 to $250,000; commercialisation and growth grants range from $100,000 to $5 million. Published ranges do not mean applications are open or that every advisory participant receives a grant.
Small Business Cyber Resilience Service Grant
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For businesses building cyber security resilience.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Small and Medium Business Recovery Grants (WA)
Size: Varies
Where: Western Australia
Conditions: For businesses affected by recent disasters.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Urban Rivers and Catchments Program
Size: $150,000 to $10 million
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For projects conserving native species and improving urban waterways.
URL: Urban Rivers Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Indigenous Business Development Program (NT)
Size: Up to $30,000
Where: Northern Territory
Conditions: For Indigenous individuals to start or expand their businesses.
URL: Indigenous Business Development Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Building Partnerships (NSW)
Size: Up to $100,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For technology startups, funding 35% of project costs.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
TechVouchers (NSW)
Size: Up to $15,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For businesses collaborating with research partners.
URL: TechVouchers
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Regional Filming Fund (NSW)
Size: Up to $100,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For regional film projects covering production costs.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Blue and Green Business Program (NSW)
Size: Up to $25,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For improving water efficiency in businesses.
URL: Blue and Green Business Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
US Australia International Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (AUSMURI)
Size: Up to $3 million
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For collaborative research projects meeting US MURI standards.
URL: AUSMURI
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Australia China Science and Research Fund Joint Research Centers
Size: Up to $1 million
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For bioscience partnerships with China.
URL: Australia China Science and Research Fund
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Building Better Regions Fund Infrastructure Projects Stream
Size: $20,000 to $10 million
Where: Regional areas
Conditions: For infrastructure projects in regional areas.
URL: Building Better Regions Fund
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Innovation Voucher Program (WA)
Size: Varies
Where: Western Australia
Conditions: For science and innovation projects in WA.
URL: Innovation Voucher Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
The Growth Fund
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For startups entering the manufacturing sector; funding based on industry needs.
URL: The Growth Fund
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Small Business Entrepreneur Grants (QLD)
Size: Up to $5,000
Where: Queensland
Conditions: For business development advice in Queensland.
URL: Entrepreneur Grants
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Stronger Regional Communities Plan (VIC)
Size: Up to $50,000
Where: Victoria
Conditions: For job creation and maintenance in regional Victoria.
URL: Stronger Regional Communities Plan
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Future Industries Sector Growth Program (VIC)
Size: Up to $1 million
Where: Victoria
Conditions: For collaborative projects in various industries, focusing on job creation.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Business Innovation Support Initiatives, Voucher Scheme (NT)
Size: Up to $30,000
Where: Northern Territory
Conditions: For science and technology research projects.
URL: BISI Voucher Scheme
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
NSW/VIC Israel Research and Development and Technological Program
Size: Up to $250,000
Where: New South Wales, Victoria
Conditions: For collaborative research with Israeli companies.
URL: NSW VIC Israel R&D Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Innovation Connect (ACT)
Size: Up to $30,000
Where: Australian Capital Territory
Conditions: For technology startups in the ACT.
URL: Innovation Connect
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Building Better Regions Fund Community Investments Stream
Size: $5,000 to $10 million
Where: Regional areas
Conditions: For community investment projects in regional areas.
URL: Community Investments Stream
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Growth Voucher System (TAS)
Size: Up to $15,000
Where: Tasmania
Conditions: For manufacturing growth projects in Tasmania.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Rural Economic Development Grants (QLD)
Size: Up to $250,000
Where: Queensland
Conditions: For primary producers in Queensland.
URL: RED Grants
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
2020 Science and Innovation Awards
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For young rural innovators in agriculture.
URL: Science and Innovation Awards
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Regional Infrastructure Fund (VIC)
Size: Up to $500,000
Where: Victoria
Conditions: For infrastructure innovation in Victoria.
URL: Regional Infrastructure Fund
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Playing Queensland Fund
Size: Up to $250,000
Where: Queensland
Conditions: For touring performing arts projects in regional areas.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Talent +
Size: Up to $40,000
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For creative industry projects supporting business plans and global outreach.
URL: Talent +
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Farm Water Supply Planning Scheme (WA)
Size: Up to $1,000
Where: Western Australia
Conditions: For water supply improvements on commercial farms.
URL: Farm Water Supply Planning Scheme
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Pocket Grants Contemporary Music (SA)
Size: Up to $1,000
Where: South Australia
Conditions: For music businesses covering unexpected expenses.
URL: Pocket Grants
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Size: Up to $30,000
Where: Australian Capital Territory
Conditions: For technology startups in the ACT.
URL: Innovation Connect
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
26 TEN Grants (TAS)
Size: Up to $50,000
Where: Tasmania
Conditions: For improving workplace literacy and numeracy.
URL: 26 TEN Grants
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Alternative Employer Incentive Scheme (NT)
Size: 45% of average weekly earnings
Where: Northern Territory
Conditions: Incentives for employing injured workers.
URL: Alternative Employer Incentive Scheme
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program
Size: $750 to $4,000
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: Financial incentives for hiring apprentices.
URL: Apprenticeships Incentives Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
New Market Expansion Program (TAS)
Size: Varies
Where: Tasmania
Conditions: For creating new domestic and international markets.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Export Market Development Grants (EMDG)
Size: 50% reimbursement of promotional expenses
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For exporters with expenses between $15,000 and $150,000.
URL: EMDG
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Pastoral Water Grants Scheme (WA)
Size: Up to $20,000 every 10 years
Where: Western Australia
Conditions: For water infrastructure improvements on pastoral lands.
URL: Pastoral Water Grants Scheme
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Regional Events Funding WA
Size: Up to $50,000
Where: Western Australia
Conditions: For businesses hosting events showcasing local communities.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Other government support: historical references, not grants
Loans must be repaid; tax concessions change a tax calculation; services and rebates have separate conditions. These older directory entries are preserved for tracing programme names, not as current offers. No current amounts or eligibility are inferred from them.
Show historical non-grant records
Small Business Skills and Training Boost
Size: 20% tax deduction
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For eligible external training courses provided to employees.
URL: Skills and Training Boost
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: For unemployed individuals starting their own businesses.
URL: NEIS
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Landing Pads Program
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide with international hubs
Conditions: 90-day workspace in global innovation hubs for Australian startups.
URL: Landing Pads Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Business Development and Assistance Program
Size: Varies
Where: Multiple territories
Conditions: Financial and training support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.
URL: Business Development Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
No Interest Micro Business Loan (TAS)
Size: Up to $3,000
Where: Tasmania
Conditions: Interest free loans for low income individuals starting or growing a business.
URL: No Interest Loan
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Mentor Program (NSW)
Size: $500 rebate
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For improving health and safety practices in businesses.
URL: Mentor Program
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
ACT Microcredit Loan Program
Size: Up to $10,000
Where: Australian Capital Territory
Conditions: Low interest loans for low income individuals.
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Venture Capital Limited Partnerships
Size: Varies
Where: Australia wide
Conditions: Matches startups with foreign investors.
URL: Venture Capital Limited Partnerships
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
First Start Loans (QLD)
Size: Up to $2 million
Where: Queensland
Conditions: For individuals in the fishing industry to start viable enterprises.
URL: First Start Loans
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Jobs Action Plan (NSW)
Size: Up to $6,000 payroll tax rebate
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For businesses hiring new employees.
URL: Jobs Action Plan
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Bin Trim Rebates Program (NSW)
Size: Up to $50,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For recycling equipment costs, covering up to 50%.
URL: Bin Trim Rebates
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Farm Innovation Fund (NSW)
Size: Up to $250,000
Where: New South Wales
Conditions: For farm equipment to mitigate seasonal risks.
URL: Farm Innovation Fund
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
Commercial Fishing Sustainability Loan (QLD)
Size: Up to $1.3 million
Where: Queensland
Conditions: For sustainable practices in commercial fishing.
URL: Sustainability Loan, Commercial Fishing
Historical listing; current availability and amounts unverified. Check the administrator’s guidance and any replacement programme.
What the FY2025 incentives survey can establish
The retired incentives article mixed a historical awareness survey with older programme descriptions. It did not establish which grants a business could receive, and its reported 97% interest and 42% non-consideration figures did not provide a consistent denominator. Those percentages are not used here to imply demand, eligibility or take-up. Current decisions depend on the administrator’s open round, eligible expenditure, assessment criteria and payment terms.
For a grant-funded project, keep the award decision separate from the cash forecast. An application is not an approval, and approval is not necessarily an upfront payment. Confirm whether the business must spend its own contribution first and whether debt-funded expenditure is permitted.
A grant is a funded project, not free working capital
Industry Growth Program: published grant ranges, but new applications are paused
The official programme page says the Industry Growth Program is paused to new applications, checked 5 October 2026. The funding ranges below describe the published programme, not an open invitation to apply. The grant search should begin with an eligible project, not a list of programmes. Define the activity, cost, timing, location, industry and outcome, then use the official finder. Many grants reimburse approved spending or require matched funding, so the business may still need cash before the grant arrives.
Download the original programme visual (check current availability)
Evidence behind the visual
- $50 k, $250 kEarly stage commercialisation grant rangeIndustry Growth Program ↗
- $100 k, $5 mCommercialisation and growth grant rangeIndustry Growth Program ↗
- <5 minEstimated time to complete the official grants finder questionnaireAustralian Government grants finder ↗
Worked cost example
$400,000 eligible project, 50% matched grant
$200,000 still needs fundingEven if a programme funds half the project, the business must finance its share and may need to carry grant funded spending until claims are paid. Put timing, tax and excluded costs into the cash flow plan.
Illustrative matched funding example. Check the actual programme guidelines.Three checks before acting
- 1StartProject definition
Name the deliverable, eligible cost, measurable outcome and completion date.
- 2ReadPayment mechanics
Upfront, milestone and reimbursement structures create different cash needs.
- 3AvoidGrant led spending
Do not invent a weak project simply because a funding round is open.
What the figures mean
A grant can reduce project cost but often increases documentation and timing risk. The project should still make sense if the application is delayed or unsuccessful.
Limits of this comparison: Programme availability and guidelines change. The Industry Growth Program is paused to new applications as checked on 5 October 2026. Its published structure is competitive and requires the advisory step before a grant application.