Grants in ACT

The Australian Defence Industry Development Grants Program (DIDG) announced it will award grants as part of the Defence Industry Development Strategy, offering $153.6 million over four years from 2024-25 to 2027-28 to support businesses in areas critical to national defence. The Defence Industry Development Grants Program's Exports Stream provides funding for small and medium enterprises in the defence industry, to assist them in overcoming export challenges and compete at an international level.

The Sovereign Industrial Priorities Steam helps qualified small and medium-sized businesses invest in manufacturing equipment needed to create or deliver programs that directly support the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities outlined in the Defence Industry Development Strategy.

The Advance Program seeks innovative projects that can sway key decision-makers to choose Australia for upcoming international business events, or convert initial interest into confirmed events hosted here. The program supports initiatives that aim to boost international attendance at existing business events in Australia. The minimum funding for the program is set at $20,000 and applicants must be able to demonstrate a matched financial input. Applications are currently open and will run through to 5 July 2024, with successful applicants to be announced on 9 August 2024.

The Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program (uPPP) was announced in the 2023-24 budget and will launch in 2024-25. The Australian Government has allocated $150 million ($120 million estimated to be available) over three years across two streams: Precinct Development and Planning, and Precinct Delivery. The program aims to develop urban precincts in capital cities, creating more liveable suburbs and improved cities to better serve local communities. The initiative supports urban growth, enhancing community resilience and complementing existing areas, activities, and transport.

The Australian Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants provide funding for Australian businesses to enhance their ability to deliver products and services into domestic and international space industry supply chains, supporting Moon to Mars activities. The Australian Moon to Mars Initiative is a key component of the Advancing Space: Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019-2028, enabling Australian businesses and researchers to contribute to NASA's mission to return to the Moon and proceed to Mars.

Commercialisation and Growth grants target innovative projects in the prototyping to market-readiness stages. Activities involve devising market entry strategies, speeding up growth, and expanding into national and international markets.

Early-stage commercialisation projects encompass the entire process, starting from feasibility studies and proof-of-concept development, all the way to producing and testing early prototypes in simulated or theoretical settings. The grants support projects and business activities aimed at validating the commercial potential of your innovative products, processes, or services.

The Australian Government is calling for organizations to apply through an open competitive process for projects under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program - Small Grants Round 1. These small grants support grassroots and community-level projects aimed at assisting farmers and landholders in adopting sustainable agriculture practices and implementing practice changes. They enhance natural resource management, improve on-farm productivity, and build resilience to climate change. The grants include various projects and initiatives, facilitating information dissemination, extension activities, and the expansion of local initiatives. Both new and established climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices are eligible for funding.

The Solar Sunshot program aims to assist innovative manufacturing facilities in Australia operating within the solar PV supply chain. This includes polysilicon, ingot, wafer, solar PV cell, and solar module assembly production.