Queensland Government announces Business Basics Grants round 6

Registration of Interest opens at 9am, Monday 30 September 2024

Earlier this week, the Queensland Government released the details for round six of its Business Basics Grants Program. The Business Basics grants program provides support to businesses to increase core skills and adopt best practice. This round of Business Basics is focused on business enhancement.

Business Basics Grants Program

Each round of the Business Basics grants program has specific information to help you prepare and apply for a grant, and if successful, manage your grant.

The Business Basics grants program provides support to businesses to increase core skills and adopt best practice. This round of Business Basics is focused on business enhancement.

Applicants can apply for funding for grant funded activities under the following priorities:

1. Professional business advice
2. Strategic marketing services
3. Website build and upgrades

The program is administered by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT).

Available Funding

You can apply for $7,500 (excluding GST) in funding. If successful, funding is paid upfront on approval. Successful applicants don’t have to co-contribute to this grant but must pay for any related expenses in excess of the $7,500 grant funding.

The Queensland Government will not fund activities with either:

• a total cost of less than $7,500 (excluding GST)
  or
• payments made before submission of the Stage 2: Full Application (activity must not have begun significantly).

Eligible and Ineligible Activities

Professional Business Advice

• Business plans
• Financial planning and budgeting
• Business structure advice
• Operational efficiency reviews
• Business mentoring and guidance
• Strategic partnerships and networking

Examples include:

• Comprehensive business plan to expand your services outlining the core elements ensuring a structured approach to growth and sustainability.
• Development of risk management strategies, including contingency plans for operational, financial, and market risks.
• Support in securing business loans or investor funding, including preparation of financial documents.

Strategic Marketing Services

• Strategic marketing plans including search engine optimisation advice
• Content marketing strategy
• Market research
• Branding strategy
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implementation

Examples include:

• Strategy to revamp your business’ promotional content through using copywriting services for websites, email campaigns, and promotional materials.
• Setup of a CRM system to improve customer retention and streamline sales processes.
• Industry reports detailing industry analysis and forecasts you need to make strategic decisions.

Website build/Upgrades

• Website build or upgrade (including website refresh)
• Adding eCommerce functionality
• Developing new website content
• Integration with third-party tools

Examples include:

• Integrating your website with third-party tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, email marketing platforms, or booking software.
• Migrating your existing content to a new platform or content management system (CMS) like WordPress, Shopify, or Squarespace.

The Queensland Government will not fund:

• activities bought via direct selling (e.g. by party plan or network marketing)
• delivery, credit card and transaction fees
• equipment of any kind including computer hardware/gadgets (e.g. computer servers, PCs, tablets/iPads, mobile phones, headphones) and other equipment (e.g. televisions, point of sales systems, EFTPOS, card/chip readers)
• franchise fees
• general business operating costs (e.g. bookkeeping/accounting, tax returns)
• goods, services, or fees from related parties (see related party definition)*
• goods and services paid using crypto-currencies, cash, barter, or services in-kind
• GST, registration, and fees
• implementation of marketing tactics such as advertising, direct marketing or campaign delivery (e.g. Google AdWords, Facebook advertising or similar expenses)
• memberships and joining fees
• purchase of stock
• real estate/property, hire, lease, or rental fees
• salaries and wages
• software and licences¹
• travel and accommodation
• utilities (e.g. internet, phone, water and/or waste bills)
• vehicles of any kind
• website hosting
• website maintenance generally considered ‘business as usual’.
  
  * Related parties include companies with common shareholdings or directors, employees, or immediate family.
  ¹ not mentioned in the priority areas

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this grant, your business must meet all of the following criteria at the time you submit your application:

• have less than five (5) employees (by headcount*)
• be operating and have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)^{^}
• have a registered Queensland headquarters location^{^} (as per your Australian Business Register (ABR) record)
• have a minimum trading history of one (1) year
• have 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 undischarged or currently bankrupt^{^}.

* Headcount includes all full-time, part-time and casual employees including Non-Executive Directors.

^{^} Your business must maintain this eligibility for the duration of the grant-funded activity.

If you are unsure about your eligibility for the Business Basics Grant, you can check your eligibility on the Business Queensland website.

Application Process

It is free to apply through the DESBT SmartyGrants portal when the grant round opens.

Applicants will be notified at the end of each stage (ROI shortlisting and full application) of their outcome.

This grant program is competitively assessed in 2 stages, meaning not all applications will be funded:

• Stage 1: Registration of Interest (ROI)
• Stage 2: Full Application

Stage 1:

• opens for ROI applications at 9am, Monday 30 September 2024
• closes for ROI applications at 5pm, Friday 11 October 2024

Valid ROIs may be assessed through a ballot system with a number of applications identified to move to Stage 2: Full application assessment.

Businesses that are not selected for Stage 2 will be notified. For Stage 1 outcomes, all DESBT’s decisions are final and are not subject to review.

Stage 2:

If your Stage 1 ROI application is selected, you will be invited to submit a full application.

Stage 2: Full applications are assessed for compliance against the eligibility criteria and their competitiveness against the program guidelines and assessment criteria.

You must demonstrate the extent to which the grant funded activity will:

• enhance the business’s core skills, adopt best practice and survivability
• positively impact revenue growth and gross profit
• be likely to create jobs growth within the business
• demonstrate value for money.

Next Steps

To check to see if you are eligible for Round 6 of the Business Basics Grant Program, a detailed eligibility checker is available here.

If you are eligible for the Business Basics Grant Program, we recommend you read more about the Grant and Round 6 requirements specifically on the Business Queensland website here.

If you have any questions about the Business Basics Grant Program or would like any assistance in the application process, please do not hesitate to contact the JTW Accountants team.