How to Get the Juicy Business Basics Grant

What Is The Business Basics Grant?

The Business Basics Grant is back! This program is for businesses wanting to enhance their core skills and adopt best practices. Funded businesses are expected to:

• Increase business confidence and skills
• Boost long-term turnover, profit, and employment
• Improve business resilience and survivability

The current round of the program focuses on fostering resilience. Grants of $5,000 (excluding GST) are available per grant.

What Is The Application Process?

The application process consists of two stages:

1. Registration of Interest (ROI): Opened on May 29 and closes on June 11, 2024, at 5 pm.

2. Full Application (for selected ROI applicants only): Opens on June 19 and closes on July 2, 2024.

Applicants can submit only one application per round for assessment.

 

What Are The Eligible Activities/Services?

1. Business Continuity and Succession Planning

• Develop and implement a business continuity plan for operational disruptions.
• Create an incident response plan, risk management plan, and/or recovery plan.
• Develop a tailored succession plan.
• Formulate an emergency evacuation plan or training program.
• Purchase emergency kit equipment and related software (e.g., first aid kits, flashlights, batteries, portable radios).
• Implement or upgrade online or cloud-based accounting systems.

2. Security Planning and Solutions

• Plan and/or implement physical security measures (e.g., surveillance cameras, alarms, access control systems).
• Conduct cybersecurity risk assessments and implement mitigation strategies.
• Apply cybersecurity measures to protect data and systems (e.g., anti-malware, antivirus, backups, data migration, encryption, firewalls, and modems/routers with enhanced security).

3. Sustainability

• Conduct sustainability assessments or audits to identify areas for improvement and develop action plans.
• Develop or revise a tailored business plan.
• Implement energy-efficient practices or technologies to reduce operational costs and environmental impact.
• Develop a plan to localise suppliers for the business.

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible for this grant you must:

• Have fewer than 20 employees (including full-time, part-time, casual employees, and non-executive directors).
• Operate and have an active Australian Business Number (ABN).
• Be registered for GST.
• Have a registered Queensland headquarters (as per the Australian Business Register (ABR) record).
• Have a minimum trading history of one year.
• Have a turnover between $75,000 and $300,000 for the last financial year (2022-23).
• Not have been approved for funding under an earlier Business Basics round.
• Not be insolvent or have owners/directors who are undischarged or currently bankrupt.

Refer to the guidelines for complete eligibility requirements.

What Are The Main Criteria for Assessment?

The main assessment criteria include whether applicants demonstrate the extent to which the grant-funded activity will:

• Enhance the business's core skills, adopt best practices, resilience, and survivability.
• Positively impact long-term revenue growth and gross profit.
• Be likely to create job growth within the business.
• Demonstrate value for money.
• Enhance the business's core skills and adopt best practices.

The Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT) may prioritise applications for fair distribution across geographic areas, other economic factors such as priority industries, and Queensland’s diverse business population (including diversity in ethnicity, culture, people with disability, gender, and age).

What Can’t I Get My Hands On?

The following are ineligible for funding:

• Goods and services paid using cryptocurrencies, cash, barter, or services in-kind.
• Activities bought via direct selling (e.g., by party plan or network marketing).
• Delivery, credit card, and transaction fees.
• Fleet vehicles.
• Franchise fees.
• General business operating costs (e.g., bookkeeping/accounting, tax returns).
• Goods, services, or fees from related parties.
• GST, registration, and fees.
• Stand-alone computer hardware (e.g., servers, PCs, tablets/iPads, mobile phones).
• Other equipment (e.g., televisions, EFTPOS, card/chip readers).

How Do I Apply?