We are often asked if 'there are any grants available'.  The answer is, about 550 nationally.  If we take out ones specific to the other States, this leaves about 200 Federal and 50 Queensland grants, and in reality, there are less than 50 where funding may be available.

 Free money is good money, and it should not be ignored.  Many grants are just allowed to slip away - whether people don't know of them, are discouraged by the paperwork, or simply can't evaluate the Cost/Benefit of application (allow 10% of the grant applied for, as a guide).

  Federal Government

 Federal assistance is mostly to help companies grow - it will not provide start-up capital, help with a cashflow service, or pay  creditors.  Most grants are a refund for money already spent for a designated purpose.

 Our clients are in many different industries and each one's circumstances are unique, so we have not put in details of each program but picked the 'most likely' ones that may have some benefit:

 -             Apprenticeships Initiative

                      Grant is $3,000 to support the career pathway

-           Automotive Transformation Scheme

Up to 50% of value of R & D investment, to improve efficiency and operations of manufacturing

-             Commercialisation

                      Over $50,000, to bring a new service or product to the market

-             TQUAL Grant

                      Up to $100,000 to develop significant tourism and employment projects

-             Textile, Clothing and Footwear Small Business Program

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees wanting to improve their business culture and innovation, grants up to $50,000

-           Export Market Development Grant

                      Up to 50% of eligible export promotion expenses

-            R & D Tax Incentive

   Up to 45% for eligible expenditure for creation of new knowledge or improvements to processes

-             Digital Business

                      Guidance on an online presence and online productivity tools.

   Queensland Government

 Much assistance is by training, and workshops.  However, there are some specific incentives available:

 -          Business Transformation

For innovative projects, like improving productivity or exports, amounts of between $30,000 and $250,000.

-            Building Productivity

                          Support for information & communication solutions in certain industry sectors

-             Small Business Mentoring

                      Subsidised mentoring service for business owners

-             Innovation Startup

                      Commercialisation of new technology based products and services

  Apply for Grants

            1.      Find out what is available, the closing date, criteria and eligibility.  Call us and we'll check.

2.      Applications are usually competitive so there must be clear benefits with substantial achievable outcomes.  Be able to define the outcomes.

3.      Applications must be lodged by the closing date and evaluated only on the criteria stated in the funding round.  Must be relevant and clear.

            4.      After submission, expect 30 days from application but some can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks.

 An industry has started to form helping applicants, some are good but most just fill out a form for you using the information you supply.  We suggest the process be a) look at the form  b) determine what information is required  c) do a mini Cost/Benefit for the outcome  d) get quotes to prepare.  In some situations we will do the Applications but in others we use expert preparers because of their expertise.

  Opinion

 These aren't the only ones, but they represent some of the broadest offers.  The key to every grant is documentation; there are particular requirements and some can take quite a lot of time, and need all the necessary materials in place before the application is made.  Some allow for pre-determination of eligibility, and some are competitive or based on the best result likely from the support.

 The ones I think are worth serious consideration are:

  Digital Business

         to get an efficient online presence (no money but reasonable advice)

  R & D Tax Incentive

         45% of qualifying expenditure to find new or better products and ways to manufacture

  Commercialisation

         a merit based program to bring sound business ideas to market

 Mentoring Services

          Opportunities for strategy development, using consultants, marketing and promotion planning.

 Don't make the mistake of inertia; call us anytime about your idea or product, we'll see if there is a grant that could be accessed, and then you can decide if it is worth the effort to pursue.  We'll also talk with you as we work through end of year planning this year.