Business and Infrastructure Funding Opportunities - November 2020

Welcome to our Business and Infrastructure Funding Opportunities Newsletter where you will find details of grant and funding programs that are available for the Northern Inland Region for businesses and infrastructure projects.

Due to the number of grants that are available, we send two funding opportunities newsletters a month; one for Business and Infrastructure and another for Community Projects and Award Programs. These newsletters are a free service that we provide, and can you can add the Community Funding Opportunities and Awards Programs newsletter to your subscriptions by filling your details into the subscription form in the footer of our website : www.rdani.org.au

We wish you all the best with the Funding Opportunities below and if you are looking for a grant between newsletters, have a look at the grants area of our website which is updated weekly: www.rdani.org.au/our-region/grants-and-funding-opportunities.php

If you need some facts and figures for your applications, a range of data for our region is also available on our website here: www.rdani.org.au/our-region/regional-data.php

Please note the below information is intended as a guide only. Closing dates and other details should be verified using the links provided as they are subject to change by the providers without notice.

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Drought and Bushfire Assistance

To help businesses and individuals affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) access the available assistance we have created a dedicated Coronavirus Assistance page on our website. This page will be updated as details become available on the recently announced economic stimulus packages from the Australian and NSW Governments.

There is also wide range of assistance available for individuals, businesses and communities that have been affected by the ongoing drought and the recent bushfires. To help you access this support, we have created dedicated Drought Assistance and  Bushfire Assistance pages on our website which are being updated reguarly.

Featured Grants

Regional Job Creation Fund
Closes: 14th of May 2021 - 5:00 am , or when exhausted
Value: Up to $10 Million
Run By: NSW Department of Regional NSW

The Regional Job Creation Fund supports regional investment and job creation by offering up to $10 million in co-funding to activate or bring forward regional projects in engine, enabling or emerging engine industries. Examples of eligible projects could include the:

• replacement, upgrade or adaptation of plant and equipment at an existing regional NSW business
• establishment of an additional production line for an existing regional NSW business
• onshoring of activity currently done overseas to a regional NSW location
• development of new regional tourism experiences and visitor attractions
• relocation of a business operation from out of state to regional NSW.

The Regional Job Creation Fund’s focus is to co-fund projects creating at least five sustainable regional jobs.

 

Restart NSW Fixing Country Roads
Closes: 31st of December 2020
Value: Unspecified
Run By: Transport for NSW

Fixing Country Roads is a key NSW Government program for unlocking the economic potential of Regional NSW. The program provides targeted funding for projects on Council managed roads and bridges that provide benefits to the movement of freight. Fixing Country Roads aligns with and complements the Fixing Country Rail program in reducing the cost to market for regional businesses.

Fixing Country Roads 2020 is expected to provide support for larger, more regionally significant projects than previous rounds.The application process is competitive, with decisions on projects to be funded based on information and supporting documents provided in the application.

There are three streams under the program:

• Roads and Bridges Construction
• Bridge and Route Load Assessments
• Truck Washes

Closing in November

Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program
Closes: 12th of November 2020
Value: Up to $500,000
Run By: Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Provides grants to enhance the safety and accessibility of aerodromes in remote and very remote areas to provide year round all weather access, particularly where road access is unavailable or unreliable.

Regional Connectivity Program
Closes: 17th of November 2020
Value: Unspecified
Run By: Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Funding to provide improved retail mobile or broadband services to a regional, rural or remote community or a subset of the community, such as local businesses, tourist locations and schools.

Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
Closes: 18th of November 2020
Value: $500,000 to $100 Million
Run By: Australian Research Council
Engages Australia's best researchers to develop collaborative solutions to Industrial Transformation Priorities and to train the future research workforce.

Cyber Security Business Connect and Protect
Closes: 30th of November 2020 - 5:00 pm
Value: $100,000 to $750,000
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Funding to support projects that raise the awareness of cyber security risks amongst SMEs, promote action to address these risks and support and uplift the capability of SMEs to meet best practice in cyber security.

Innovate With nbn
Closes: 30th of November 2020
Value: Up to $25,000
Run By: nbn and Regional Australia Institute
Provides individuals, businesses or organisations across seven categories the opportunity to win funding to support the development of their innovative, digitally led idea.

Closing in December

ILC Economic and Community Participation Program – Economic Participation
Closes: 8th of December 2020 - 11:00 pm
Value: $250,000 to $1.2 Million
Run By: Australian Government Department of Social Services
Aims to improve the economic participation of people with disability, particularly in light of the impact of COVID-19.

Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund
Closes: 11th of December 2020
Value: $20,000 to $20 Million
Run By: NSW Government
Funding to support the social and economic recovery in bushfire affected Local Government Areas for projects that retain and create new jobs in regional areas, build resilience and increase preparedness for future bushfire seasons.

Fixing Local Roads Program
Closes: 11th of December 2020
Value: Up to $5 Million
Run By: Transport for NSW
Provides funding to councils for repairing, patching, maintaining or sealing existing priority council roads to assist in reducing the local roads maintenance backlog.

Regional Airports Program
Closes: 15th of December 2020 - 5:00 pm
Value: $20,000 to $5 Million
Run By: Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Aims to improve the safety and accessibility of airports or aerodromes in regional areas of Australia by assisting airport or aerodrome owners/operators to undertake essential works, promoting aviation safety and access for regional communities.

Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants - Stream 1
Closes: 18th of December 2020
Value: Up to $30,000
Run By: Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)
This program has two funding streams which, together, will support events, concerts, festivals and visitor attractions in fire affected regions to assist with recovery efforts and encourage international and domestic visitors to come back to the regions.

Moon to Mars Initiative: Demonstrator Feasibility
Closes: 22nd of December 2020 - 5:00 am
Value: $50,000 to $200,000
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Supports Australian businesses and researchers by assisting industry and research institutions to conduct feasibility activities for space projects.

Restart NSW Fixing Country Roads
Closes: 31st of December 2020
Value: Unspecified
Run By: Transport for NSW
Provides targeted funding for projects on Council managed roads and bridges that provide benefits to the movement of freight. Fixing Country Roads aligns with and complements the Fixing Country Rail program in reducing the cost to market for regional businesses.

Closing in January

Before and After School Care Equipment and Facilities Grant Program
Closes: 31st of January 2021
Value: Up to $30,000
Run By: NSW Government Department of Education
Supports schools and services to fund equipment and facilities that enable new services to establish and existing services to expand.

Closing Later and Ongoing

1,000 Jobs Package Grant Funding
Closes: 30th of April 2021 or until 1000 allocations
Value: Up to $56,000 (GST exclusive) over two years
Run By: National Indigenous Australians Agency
Tranche Two provides a subsidy for new jobs for Community Development Program participants in remote Australia to support economic development.

Business Improvement Fund for Residential Aged Care
Closes: 30th of April 2021
Value: Unspecified
Run By: Australian Government Department of Health
Supports providers of residential aged care experiencing financial difficulty, prioritising providers in regional, rural, and remote areas, and small to medium sized providers, with limited access to financial support, that are facing significant financial pressure.

Wine Export Grant
Closes: 1st of May 2021
Value: Up to $25,000
Run By: Wine Australia
Grants for specific wine export promotion activities aimed at supporting small and medium wine businesses to secure new distribution channels in export markets.

NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program
Closes: 30th of June 2021
Value: Up to $2 Million
Run By: NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
The program incentivises local councils to accelerate their assessments of development applications (DAs) and rezonings to create new development capacity and meet demand for housing and employment over the next decade.

Jobs Plus Program
Opens: 15th of December 2020
Closes: 30th of June 2022
Value: Payroll Tax releif for up to four years and support
Run By: NSW Government
Supports companies who want to relocate their head offices to NSW, or expand their jobs footprint in NSW that will create 30 new net jobs.

Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grant
Closes: 29th of June 2021
Value: Up to $40,000
Run By: NSW Government
Promoting diversity, innovation and service responsiveness in the NSW workforce, the Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grant subsidises the salary, development and support costs of Aboriginal employees in public service agencies and local government authorities.

Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement
Closes: 30th of April 2023
Value: $250,000 to $1 Million
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Supports Australian businesses with domestic or international supply chain opportunities by providing grant funds for building their capacity, skills and capabilities.

Black Spot Program
Closes: Ongoing
Run By: Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
By funding measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts at dangerous locations, the programme reduces the risk of road crashes.

Safe and Secure Water Program
Closes: Ongoing until expended
Value: No minimum or maximum, $1 Billion total pool
Run By: NSW Government
Co-funds eligible water and sewerage projects that deliver economic growth in regional NSW through improvements to public health, water security, environmental outcomes and/or social benefits

AgBiz Drought Loans
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $500,000
Run By: Australian Government Regional Investment Corporation
A concessional loan if your small business is currently or has been supplying goods or services relating to primary production to farm businesses in an affected area.

Export Market Development Grants
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $150,000
Run By: Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)
An Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters in a wide range of industries.

Regional Skills Relocation Grant
Closes: Ongoing
Value: $10,000 per worker
Run By: NSW Government Department of Regional NSW
Support for the costs of relocating skilled staff from metropolitan centres around Australia to Regional NSW.

Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme
Closes: Ongoing
Run By: Australian Government
The Programme aims to improve the capabilities of small to medium enterprises to become more competitive and grow. The Programme is now accepting applications for Business Evaluations, and Business Growth Grants under the Business Management stream.

Business Connect
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Advice and Support
Run By: NSW Government
A dedicated and personalised NSW Government program that provides trusted advice to help you start or grow your small business.

Landing Pads for Start Ups
Closes: Unspecified
Value: Support
Run By: Austrade
Assists market-ready scaleups take their business globalby providing an operational base and customised support for their overseas expansion goals.

Water Efficiency Program
Closes: 31st of December 2023
Value: Unspecified - Over $1 million
Run By: Australian Government Department of Agriculture
Funding for owners of water rights for at least 3 years in the Murray–Darling Basin to transferring that water to the Commonwealth under a contract to do efficiency works to achieve water savings.

Get Connected Listing for Tourism Businesses
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Website Listing
Run By: Destination NSW
Provides tourism operators with the opportunity to showcase your tourism products on Destination NSW’s consumer websites for free.

Farm Investment Loans
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $2 Million
Run By: Australian Government Regional Investment Corporation
You can apply for this loan if you solely or mainly sell products into supply chains that are interstate or outside Australia, or plan to in the future.

Drought Loans
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $2 Million
Run By: Australian Government Regional Investment Corporation
Concessional loan to help farm businesses in the agriculture, horticulture, pastoral, apiculture, or aquaculture industryto prepare for, manage through, and recover from drought.

Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $100,000
Run By: Wine Australia
Support for producers who add value by encouraging visitors to wine regionsby providing access an annual grant reflective of their eligible physical cellar door sales.

Australian Government's Youth Jobs PaTH
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $11,0000
Run By: Australian Government Job Active
Helps employers find and recruit the right young person for their business by facilitating trials and providing a wage subsidy of up to $10,000 if you hire them.

Restart
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $10,0000
Run By: Australian Government Job Active
Restart is a financial incentive of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) to encourage businesses to hire and retain mature age employees who are 50 years of age and over.

CSIRO Kick-Start
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $50,000 matched funding
Run By: CSIRO
CSIRO Kick-Start is a new initiative for innovative Australian start-ups and small SMEs, providing funding support and access to CSIRO’s research expertise and capabilities to help grow and develop their business.

Dreamstarter - Scholarships
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Unspecified
Run By: ING
ING are looking to provide education scholarships for change makers working on an early-stage business that will create positive social impact through trade of a product or service.

Dreamstarter - Grants for Growth
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Unspecified
Run By: ING
Dreamstarter Grants for Growth provides ING Dreamstarter Alumni with access to funding to accelerate the growth of their businesses and increase their positive social impact.

Impact Investment Ready Growth Grant
Closes: Ongoing rounds through the year
Value: Up to $140,000
Run By: Impact Investing Australia
Provides impact businesses and mission-driven organisations with grants for business, financial, legal and other capacity building support from providers to secure investment.

On-farm Natural Resource Management Grants
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Unspecified matched
Run By: Northern Tablelands Local Land Services
Funding is avaliable to develop projects on-farm and we would like landholders to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to help us identify and support their natural resource priorities.

Newsagents Assistance Fund
Closes: Unspecified
Value: Up to $10,000
Run By: NSW Government Department of Industry
The Newsagents Assistance Fund assists eligible agents to update their NSW Lotteries retail image and fit-out to align with the NSW Lotteries brand.

Safe and Secure Water Program
Closes: Ongoing until expended
Value: No minimum or maximum, $1 Billion total pool
Run By: NSW Department of Industry
The SSWP will co-fund eligible water and sewerage projects that deliver economic growth in regional NSW through improvements to public health, water security, environmental outcomes and/or social benefits.

Regional Filming Fund
Closes: Four weeks prior to the start of filming in Regional NSW
Value: up to 35% of the budgeted NSW Regional Spend to a maximum of $100,000
Run By: Screen NSW
Provides Australian film projects that are filming in regional NSW with funding of up to $100,000 to offset the costs associated with shooting a film in regional areas.

SMART Projects and Supply Chains
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Tailored advice
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Provides access to a skilled advisor who will work with you to develop an improvement plan for an identified supply chain opportunity and support you as you implement the plan.

Advancing Renewables Program
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Unspecified
Run By: Australian Government: Australian Renewable Energy Agency
ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program supports a broad range of development, demonstration and pre-commercial deployment projects that can deliver affordable and reliable renewable energy for Australian families and businesses.

Black Spot Program
Closes: Ongoing
Run By: Department of Infrastuructre and Regional Development
By funding measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts at dangerous locations, the programme reduces the risk of road crashes.

Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme
Closes: Ongoing
Run By: Australian Government
The Programme aims to improve the capabilities of small to medium enterprises to become more competitive and grow. The Programme is now accepting applications for Business Evaluations, and Business Growth Grants under the Business Management stream.

New Enterprise Incentive Scheme
Closing date: Ongoing
Value: Income Assistance and Advice
Run By: Australian Government Department of Employment
NEIS is a program delivered by a network of 21 providers who provide individualised help for job seekers to become self-employed business owners.

New Air Combat Capability - Industry Support Program (NACC-ISP)
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Matched up to $1 million
Run By: The Australian Government Department of Defence and Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Provides Australian businesses and research organisations with matched funding of up to $1 million for Projects to help them enter export markets, secure domestic contracts and upskill their staff so they can win work with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program.

Indigenous Business Australia
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Financial support and advice
Run By: Indigenous Business Australia
IBA assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to access the skills, knowledge and resources required to start and grow viable and sustainable businesses.

Innovation Connections
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Up to $50,000
Run By: AusIndustry
Provides small and medium sized businesses with access to expert technology advice to address technology and knowledge gaps, and collaborate with the research sector in developing new ideas with commercial potential.

Farm Household Allowance
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Based on individual assessment
Run By: Australian Government Department of Human Services
Provides assistance to farming families experiencing financial hardship. The program focuses on helping farmers make important decisions to improve their long-term financial situation.

Incubator Support - New & Existing Incubators
Closes: Ongoing
Value: $26,000 to $500,000
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Provides new and existing business incubators with grants of up to $500,000 to assist Australian start-ups develop the capabilities required to succeed in international markets.

Incubator Support - Expert-In-Residence
Closes: Ongoing
Value: $5,000 to $100,000
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Provides business incubators with grants to access top quality research, managerial and technical talent through incoming and outgoing secondments of national or international experts.

Tradex Scheme
Closes: Ongoing
Value: Varies based on the the goods imported
Run By: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
The Tradex Scheme provides an upfront exemption from Customs duty and GST for eligible goods imported to Australia that are then exported within one year or other approved period.