Victorian council offers $10,000 start-up grants – but what are other councils doing?

A city council in Victoria is offering start-ups grants of up to $10,000 in a bid to boost the region’s business sector, as councils across the country ramp up their support for start-ups.

Frankston City Council, located on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, has opened up applications for its Small Business Grants, offering local businesses up to $10,000 each.

There are three types of grants available including Start-up Grants, which are designed for businesses that have been trading for up to six months.

The other categories are Growth Grants, aimed at local home-based businesses looking to move into commercial premises, and Relocation Grants for businesses looking to relocate to the region.

According to Jane Homewood, acting chief executive of Frankston City Council, there are a number of factors making life difficult for small businesses, including the high Australian dollar.

“These grants are aimed at giving owners the realistic opportunity to expand their business or invest in a viable new idea,” Homewood says.

Key assessment factors include employment growth potential, business sustainability, access to financial capital and sound financial projections. Businesses have until November 12 to apply.

StartupSmart takes a look at what’s on offer from other city councils:

City of Sydney

The City of Sydney has a number of grants available for small businesses, including the Fine Grain Business Development Matching Grant Program.

Through this program, the City of Sydney seeks to encourage small, diverse and specialised businesses to locate and thrive in the city centre. Up to $30,000 matched funding is available.

“Some of the things we’ve done over the past 12 months to support small businesses include… providing five matching grants of up to $30,000 to help start-up businesses revitalise city laneways,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wrote in a recent blog post.

Meanwhile, the Redfern Shopfront Improvement Matching Grant Program provides matched cash funding of up to $3,000 to remove roller shutters from shopfronts in designated areas of Redfern and Darlington.

The program aims to encourage building owners or tenants to make improvements to their Redfern shop fronts, which, without financial assistance, might otherwise not be able to occur.

City of Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is well known for the support it offers start-ups by way of its Small Business Grants Program, which includes start-up grants of up to $30,000.

These grants are designed to assist with the establishment of new and innovative small businesses that will increase the diversity of the city’s business community.

Marrickville Council (NSW)

This council has a big focus on environmental initiatives. Each year, it offers $12,000 worth of grants for projects that contribute to sustainability in the Marrickville local government area.

Businesses are also encouraged to get involved in the council’s Home Based Business Network, in addition to a “Made in Marrickville” campaign.

City of Ipswich (QLD)

Ipswich mayor Cr Peter Pisasale has been instrumental in transforming the region’s struggling business sector into a thriving hub.

For example, a Community Development Grants Program offers grants of up to $2,000 for local projects.