Farm in Australia

Farm Innovation Fund

  • Applications Open: This program is open on an ongoing basis, subject to funds availability.
  • Grants: up to $1 million

The program aims to assist farmers by providing loans ensuring long-term productivity and mitigating poor seasonal conditions.

Key Requirements

  • Applicants should note that past financial assistance under this program or any other program is not a reliable indicator of eligibility for future financial assistance under this program.
  • Applications for assistance under the program must be made on RAA’s application form and be accompanied by the documentation stated in the application form.
  • Complete applications will be assessed in order of receipt. Incomplete applications will not enter the assessment queue until all required information is provided
  • Applications and claim forms can be submitted online, by email, post, fax or in person. Applications and claim forms that have been emailed can be tracked most efficiently
  • Before applying for financial assistance under this program or making any decision, applicants should seek advice from their legal, business and financial advisers to determine their eligibility for and the terms of the financial assistance.

What is eligible for funding?

The loan can be used to finance permanent capital works that will have a significant impact on the land, the long-term profitability of the business, and address adverse seasonal conditions. These works could include, but are not limited to, the following:
There are four main types of permanent capital works that can be carried out to improve the land, business profitability, and address seasonal conditions – these are listed below and are not limited to these examples.
  • Environment
  • Drought Preparedness
  • Natural Resources
  • Farm Infrastructure

What companies are eligible for funding?

To be eligible for assistance you must demonstrate that:

  • You are classified as a “new entrant”, meaning that you have been operating your farm business for between 12 months to three years and more than 50% of your gross income will be derived from the farm business within three years of the date of the application. The applications of new entrants will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • You are the owner or operator of a farm business where the work is to be carried out
  • You do not have gross off-farm assets exceeding $5,000,000 (excluding funds in a registered superannuation fund)
  • Your business is registered with ATO as a primary producer and has ABN
  • As the owner and operator, you earn more than 50% of your gross income from your primary production enterprise under normal seasonal circumstances
  • Your business operates as a sole trader, partnership, trust, or private company and trades agricultural products

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.