What is the Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant?
The Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant is a program to support small businesses subject to closure or highly impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown restrictions announced by the Queensland Government, to adapt and sustain their operations, and build resilience.
Background
The Queensland Government is extending the Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant Program. As part of Stage 2 of Queensland’s Economic Recovery Strategy – Unite and Recover for Queensland Jobs, up to $100 million is being made available to deliver a second round of grants, with half of this funding specifically earmarked for regional small businesses located outside of South East Queensland.
Objectives
The Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant aims to see small and micro businesses:
- prepare for the safe resumption of trading in the post COVID-19 recovery;
- continue to meet operating costs;
- access digital technologies to rebuild business operations and transition to a new way of doing business;
- respond to online opportunities, where possible, to sustain employment and maintain potential for longer-term growth;
- upskill and reskill business owners and staff to benefit from new technologies or business models;
- embrace business diversification to adapt and sustain operations; and
- create or retain employment.
Funding
The available grant amount is from a minimum of $2,000 up to a maximum of $10,000 per eligible small or micro business.
Eligible Projects
Grant funds can be used towards the following activities (provided by a business unrelated to the applicant):
- financial, legal or other professional advice to support business sustainability and diversification;
- continuing to meet business operational costs including: utilities, council rates, rent, telecommunication charges, insurance fees, licensing fees or franchise fees.
- strategic planning, financial counselling or business coaching aligned to business sustainability and diversification;
- building the business through marketing and communications activities, such as content development (web pages, mobile apps, visual and audio media etc.);
- digital/technological strategy development;
- digital training or re-training and up-skilling employees to adapt to new business models;
- capital costs associated with meeting COVID-19 safety requirements; and
- specialised digital equipment or business specific software to move business operations online (e.g. logistics program for online ordering).
Please note that grant funds can be used towards any of the above activities occurring from 23 March 2020 onwards, keeping in mind that the project must be completed within a maximum of six months from the date of approval.
Eligible Applicants
The Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant program is available to eligible businesses throughout Queensland. For round 2, funding is being equally divided between regional Queensland and South East Queensland (SEQ).
When applying for round 2, you are a South East Queensland (SEQ) business if your principal place of business is located in 1 of the following local government areas:
- Brisbane City Council
- City of Gold Coast
- Ipswich City Council
- Lockyer Valley Regional Council
- Logan City Council
- Moreton Bay Regional Council
- Noosa Shire Council
- Redlands City Council
- Scenic Rim Regional Council
- Somerset Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Council
- Toowoomba Regional Council.
To be eligible, your business must:
- have been subject to closure or otherwise highly impacted by current shutdown restrictions announced by Queensland’s Chief Health Officer on 23 March 2020
- demonstrate you have experienced a minimum 30% decline since 23 March 2020, over a minimum 1-month period due to the onset and management of COVID-19
- employ staff and have fewer than 20 employees at the time of applying for the grant (employees must be on your payroll and does not include the business owner(s))
- have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN) active as at 23 March 2020
- be registered for GST
- have a Queensland headquarters
- have an annual turnover over $75,000 for the 2018–19 or 2019–20 financial year, or you can provide financial records that show this will be met for recently started small businesses
- have a payroll of less than $1.3 million
- not be insolvent or have owners or directors that are an undischarged bankrupt.
Only 1 application per round will be accepted from an individual ABN or a financial beneficiary of a business.
Successful applicants from round 1 of this program cannot apply for funding under round 2.
If you have submitted a round 1 application but haven’t heard back yet, you are eligible to apply for round 2
Timing
Applications are no longer being accepted for south east Queensland businesses. Applications remain open for regional Queensland businesses.
