What is the Small Business Ventilation Grant?
The Small Business Ventilation Grant is a program that provides funding to public-facing Victorian businesses undertaking large projects to improve ventilation.
Background
The Small Business Ventilation Grant enables eligible public-facing businesses to invest in large projects to improve ventilation, such as building works, engaging professional services or purchasing equipment.
Improving ventilation helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 and provides customers with the confidence that businesses are doing everything they can to keep them safe.
You can apply in two ways.
- If you already have evidence of eligible expenditure purchased from 1 January 2022, such as receipts and paid invoices, submit evidence of eligible expenditure when applying.
- Alternatively, you can apply by proposing a ventilation project, with grant funds to be paid at a later date once eligible items have been purchased and evidence of expenditure has been submitted (by 15 November 2022).
Funding
Grant funding of up to $5000 per premises is available for eligible projects.
Applicants can request a grant amount of between $1000 and $5000 to cover part of the costs of a eligible expenditure.
For every $1 of grant funding, the applicant must show $1 of expenditure of their own funds. This means a business must spend a minimum of $1000 of their own funds on an eligible project to receive a $1000 government grant, and the total project must cost at least $2000 (ex GST).
Eligible Projects
Funding is available for expenditures that lead to an improvement in one or more of the following types of air ventilation:
- natural ventilation
- mechanical ventilation
- augmented ventilation.
Examples of eligible program expenditure may include:
- works to the building to maximise ventilation, for example fixing windows to ensure they open or adding additional windows or doors to create greater air flow
- purchase and installation of spare parts to ensure the existing ventilation system operates effectively
- repairs, servicing or cleaning of an existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system or air conditioning unit
- purchasing an air purifier using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter for the premises
- inspection by a qualified professional service provider for the purpose of a ventilation audit, HVAC health check or assistance with items identified in the self-assessment ventilation guidance.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible, your business must:
- be an employing business that operates from a Victorian fixed address commercial premises that is physically open to the public for in-person purchases or the use of the business’s products and services
- hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN on and from 18 February 2022
- be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on and from 18 February 2022
- purchase equipment or undertake works that will improve ventilation and/or air filtration to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in areas accessed by customers.
Timing
Applications close 24 June 2022.
