Finding grants and business support

The Queensland, Australian and local governments offer funding programs, often in the form of grants, and business support services to help new and established businesses grow and succeed.

Government grants can help you develop your business through activities such as expansion, commercialisation, research and development, innovation, and exporting.

This economic assistance is supported by existing:

• advisory and mentoring services
• workshops and seminars
• general and industry-specific training
• networking opportunities
• subsidised or free products, such as business planning tools.

Grants and funding programs

Queensland, Australian and local government agencies offer financial concessions to eligible businesses. This support can be in the form of grants, rebates, subsidies, incentive schemes, or research fellowships.

Limitations of grants

Grants are a useful source of funding, but they have very specific application requirements and usually relate to a particular industry sector or community to stimulate economic growth, or certain stages of the business cycle, such as developing a product or installing new systems to promote efficiency.

All grants have limitations. Some are limited by a fixed amount of funds allocated to the initiative, some are limited by time, others by business location, business objectives, or limits on the size of eligible businesses.

Applying for grants can be a complex and time-consuming process—thorough research is essential to make sure your business is eligible before you begin.

Finding grant funding

You can look for grant programs by using one of the following methods:

• the Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) to find industry-specific grants and funding programs
• the Queensland Government Grants finder for available grants and assistance programs
• the Australian Government Grants and programs tool to find Australian, state and territory government grants
• GrantConnect, the Australian Government's current grant opportunity listing
• the coronavirus (COVID-19) business assistance finder for COVID-19 related grant programs.

Other sources of business funding

If you can't find a suitable funding program for your business, other sources of finance may be available. For example, explore debt finance or equity finance options.

Before applying for a grant

Each year, government agencies distribute millions of dollars in grants to eligible businesses. Successful grant applications are backed by detailed research and solid preparation.

Before making a commitment to apply for a grant, make sure you can dedicate enough time and resources to the task. While there is no magic formula for writing a grant application, there are some basic principles you need to follow.

Read more about how to prepare and write a grant application.

Also consider...

• Read about becoming an innovative business to help you stand out from the crowd.
• Find out what innovation grants and support are available for your business.
• Focusing on research and development can assist your business to succeed with grant applications.
• Read about other ways to fund your business.