NT Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program

NT Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program

  • The minimum funding is $30,000, the maximum is $100,000
  • Total funding pool of $1.4M is available 
  • Applications are open until 29 November 2024

Tourism NT is providing a funding pool of $1.4 million to assist in the creation of Aboriginal cultural experiences and tourism products in Joint Managed Parks. The minimum funding for applicants starts at $30,000, while the maximum is $100,000.

Key Requirements

The Northern Territory Aboriginal Tourism Strategy 2020-2030 is aimed at ensuring that Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory are respectfully supported to benefit economically, socially, and culturally by sharing their cultures through the tourism industry.

The Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program supports Northern Territory-owned and majority-owned Aboriginal businesses and organisations to create tourism products in Joint Managed Parks and offer Aboriginal cultural experiences and tourism products to visitors.

The Northern Territory Parks Masterplan 2023-2053’s goal of increasing the number of Aboriginal-owned and operated tourism businesses in parks and reserves by 15% by 2032 is a focus of the program.

What is eligible for funding?

The activities that are eligible for funding are as follows:

  • Aboriginal tourism products or experiences must be planned to take place within a Joint Managed Park
  • New or improved Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences and products
  • Business coaching to help develop tourism products
  • Learning trips or exchanges in other jurisdictions to explore best practices and key development lessons for Aboriginal tourism products
  • Assistance with preparing and submitting applications, lease agreements, operational agreements to Parks and Wildlife and the relevant land council
  • Upgrades and new infrastructure, including interpretive signage for Aboriginal cultural tourism and tourism products
  • Infrastructure designed to be sustainable, accessible, and inclusive – solar power generation, access ramps, improved pathways, and audio tours

What companies are eligible for funding?

In order to be eligible applicants must:

  • Be at least 50% Aboriginal owned
  • Be an Aboriginal-owned business or organisation located and operating in the Northern Territory
  • Be legally constituted
  • Be registered in Australia with an ABN or ACN
  • Have no outstanding grant repayments or unmet funding agreement obligations from previous funding from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, including Tourism NT

If applicant is an Aboriginal Corporation or Association, applicant must provide written confirmation of intent to apply for the grant program with either a letter from at least two Directors involved in discussions or approvals OR minutes from a duly constituted meeting

Applicants who are actively trading as an Aboriginal tourism business must:

  • Have a current listing in the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse or be in the process of applying for one
  • Be a member of a relevant industry association, such as Tourism Top End, Tourism Central Australia, or Hospitality NT, or be applying for membership
  • Employ residents of the Northern Territory

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.