City of Melbourne Small Business Grants Program

The City of Melbourne Small Business Grants Program supports new businesses to get started within the City of Melbourne and existing businesses to expand and grow.

This round has a special focus on small businesses that enhance the city’s vitality by increasing the occupancy rate of shopfronts.

Funding Available

There are 2 funding streams available

Open stream – up to $20,000 is available to any business that meets the eligibility criteria and program objectives

Shopfront Occupancy stream – Up to $20,000 per applicant available to occupy a property vacant for two to six months and up to $30,000 per applicant available to occupy a property vacant for more than six months

Eligible Businesses

To be eligible for the City of Melbourne Small Business Grants Program you must:

be an Australian registered business, sole trader, company, business cooperative or partnership with an ABN
be located within or committed to relocate promptly (within three months of receiving the grant) to the City of Melbourne municipality
have less than 20 full-time or equivalent employees at the time of applying
be able to provide evidence of appropriate business insurances
have no outstanding acquittals or debts to the City of Melbourne
demonstrate financial viability
Shopfront occupancy stream ONLY: provide evidence of a commercial lease (for a minimum length of 12 months) if relocating to City of Melbourne or moving to a larger premises within City of Melbourne.

Eligible Expenditure

The City of Melbourne Small Business Grants Program funds expenditure that is directly related to the delivery of the proposed activity including:

Capital improvement costs associated with fit-out of business premises including, but not limited to furniture, cabinetry, joinery, partitioning, flooring, shelving, and painting.
Website costs including development or enhancements.
IT equipment costs including the purchasing of hardware (computers, laptops, printers, servers).
Specialised equipment and software that is directly related to the operation of the new business or as part of the business expansion activity.
Other expenditure items not listed above where it can be clearly demonstrated there is a significant need for the set up or expansion of the small business.

What it won’t fund:

Operational expenses which are ongoing costs to run the business, such as rent, utilities, legal costs, marketing, wages and personal expenses.
Applications that do not meet the eligibility or assessment criteria.
Expenditure items incurred prior to the date the business submitted an application.

Learn More

Click here to learn more about the City of Melbourne Small Business Grants Program

Applications close Monday 25 September 2023 at 12pm AEDT

If you want a confidential discussion on your business situation, or help with this grant contact me below

If you like this, why not share this with a friend, simply click on one of the icons to the left or below

[simple-social-share]

Contact Wayne Wanders for your FREE Business Survival Session

To ensure I help your business specifically, the best approach I have found is to have an obligation free session with you. In this session we will review your current business in a factual and objective manner, to better understand the challenges that you face. And this session does not need to be face to face. At the end of this session, you will have multiple ideas on how your business can survive and thrive in these uncertain times. Simply fill in the contact form below or email me at wayne@aRealCFO.com.au or call me on 0412 227 052 to organise one of these obligation free sessions.

To get help you successfully navigate your way through your financial challenges so your business can survive and thrive in these uncertain times, simply use the contact form on the left to email Wayne or call him on 0412 227 052.

We promise to keep your email address safe.

Let Wayne Wanders, a fully qualified and experienced CFO, help you successfully navigate your way through your financial challenges so your business can survive and thrive in these uncertain times. Wayne Wanders, A Real CFO wayne@aRealCFO.com.au

If you like this, why not share this with a friend, simply click on one of the icons to the left or below