Are you a small business with fewer than 5 employees, looking to enhance your operations, marketing, or online presence? This grant funding could be for you!
Overview of the Program
Administered by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT), Round 6 of the Program is focused on business enhancement and provides support to small businesses to increase core skills and adopt best practice.
Applicants can apply for funding for grant funded activities under the following priorities:
- Professional business advice
- Strategic marketing services
- Website build and upgrades.
What Funding is Available?
Businesses can apply for $7,500 (excluding GST) in funding, paid upfront with no co-contribution required, if successful. Applicants must pay for any related expenses in excess of the $7,500 grant funding. Projects with a total cost of less than $7,500 (excluding GST), or payments made before submission of the Stage 2: Full Application will not be funded.
Who is Eligible to Apply for the Grant?
Applicants must meet the following criteria at the time of application submission, and maintain this eligibility for the duration of the grant-funded activity:
- have less than five employees by headcount (includes all full-time, part-time and casual employees including Non-Executive Directors)
- be operating and have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST
- have a registered location of Queensland headquarters (per your Australian Business Register (ABR) record)
- a minimum trading history of one year
- a maximum turnover of $300,000 for the last financial year (2023/24)
- not have been approved for funding under an earlier Business Basics round, and
- not be insolvent or have owners/directors that are an undischarged or currently bankrupt.
Click here to check your business meets the eligibility criteria for funding.
What Activities are Eligible?
DESBT will fund the following eligible activities:
- Professional business advice – business plans, financial planning and budgeting, business structure advice, operational efficiency reviews, business mentoring and guidance, strategic partnerships and networking.
- Strategic marketing services – strategic marketing plans including search engine optimisation advice, content marketing strategy, market research, branding strategy, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implementation.
- Website build/upgrades – website build or upgrade (including website refresh), adding eCommerce functionality, developing new website content, integration with third-party tools.
What is involved in the Application Process?
- Stage 1: Registration of Interest (ROI) Application: Apply via the DESBT SmartyGrants portal once the grant round opens and submit by the closing date. Valid ROIs may be assessed through a ballot system with a number of applications identified to move to Stage 2.
- Stage 2: Full Application: If selected from Stage 1, you will be invited to submit a full application, including updated business information, proposed project details and outcomes.
- Assessment: Stage 2 applications are assessed for compliance against the eligibility criteria. Applications are competitively assessed and not all applications will be funded.
- Notification of Outcomes: DESBT will advise all applicants via email of the outcome of their application after the ballot process and at the end of each stage. Successful Stage 2 applicants will receive a Funding Agreement Letter.
- Project Completion: Grant-funded activity must be completed within 6 months of receiving the Funding Agreement Letter.
Key Application Dates
| Open | Close | Notification | |
| Stage 1: ROI | 9:00am Monday 30 September 2024 | 5:00pm Friday 11 October 2024 | Est. October 2024 |
| Stage 2: Application | 23 October 2024 | 12 November 2024 | Est. late February 2025 |
Further Information
For further information, key documents and application guidelines, visit:
www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/advice-support/grants/business-basics-grant
If you require clarification or have any queries, please contact Andrew Jago (Senior Advisor) on
07 3490 9985 or andrew.jago@srjww.com.au.
