Regional grants

The RDA Sunshine Coast offers a range of support services to connect business and community groups with government funding.

You will find current funding opportunities aligned with our strategic priorities regularly featured here.

Links to a broader range of government grant and funding opportunities can be explored through the search tools below. To find out more about our grant support services and network click here.

Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF)

About the program

The $841.6 million Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) supports the Australian Government’s commitment to create jobs, drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future.

The fund invests in projects located in, or benefiting eligible areas outside the major capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra.

Funding streams

Grant funding is available through two funding streams:

  • The Infrastructure Projects Stream: Supports projects that involve construction of new infrastructure, or the upgrade or extension of existing infrastructure
  • The Community Investments Stream: Funds community development activities including, but not limited to, new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, leadership and capability building activities

Round Four

Round Four of the BBRF closed on 19 December 2019.

Funding Rounds One, Two and Three

Rounds One, Two and Three have closed.

To access details of the successful projects, go to the Building Better Regions Fund website.

Further information

Program Guidelines, contact details for enquiries, and other program information is available on the Building Better Regions Fund website.

Sunshine Coast Council grants

  • Sporting Field Maintenance Funding
  • Community Led Public Art Proposals
  • Creative Spaces Crows Nest Artist Residency
  • Emergency Grants 2019-2020
  • Fabric Facilitator
  • Individual Development Program January – February 2020
    RADF Arts Grants March 2020
    The Refinery

Noosa Council funding and grants

Noosa Council’s Community Grants are intended to help organisations and individuals to meet community needs, build community skills and resilience and develop and maintain community infrastructure.

  • Noosa Council Grants Programs
  • Community and Environment Project Grants
  • Multi-year Environment Collaborative Grants
  • Three Year Signature Community Event Grant & Three Year Festive Season Event Grant
  • Three Year Community and Environment Alliance Agreements
  • Three Year Maintenance Agreements

Business Development Fund

Queensland’s Business Development Fund (BDF) has supported more than 40 Queensland start-ups to help businesses turn their ideas and innovations into commercial realities – supporting over 400 new jobs and attracting new industries to Queensland. The Business Development Fund (BDF) helps Queensland businesses commercialise cutting edge research, or innovative ideas, products and services. By focusing on the growth of innovative businesses, particularly in emerging industries, the Fund supports the creation of high value, knowledge-based and skilled jobs now and into the future.

Through providing early stage co-investment funding, the BDF promotes angel and venture capital investment in Queensland-based businesses. The BDF is part of a wider Queensland Government strategy to support a sustainable private market for venture capital finance in Queensland.

As part of the 2018-19 budget, the Queensland Government committed an additional $40 million, bringing its total investment for the BDF to $80 million.

Investment decisions are made by an independent panel of experienced investors, and co-invests between $125,000 to $2.5 million through the fund – which must be at least matched by a private sector co-investor.

The BDF is part of Advance Queensland which is a comprehensive suite of programs designed to create the knowledge-based jobs of the future, drive productivity improvements and build on Queensland’s natural advantages.

ADVANCE QUEENSLAND

Entrepreneurs and start-ups

The Queensland government is boosting our entrepreneurial culture by improving access to finance, new business opportunities, and management support for start-ups and small to medium enterprises.

Business Development Fund

Helps to turn ideas into reality with co-investment in Queensland businesses at the forefront of commercialising ground-breaking research or innovations.

Deadly Deals

Supports targeted Indigenous businesses and innovators to undertake the next step in the development of a product, process or service to market.

Industry Tech Fund

Provides financial incentives to larger scale co-funded projects that accelerate the development and deployment of significant and highly collaborative industry based platform technology projects.

Life Sciences Catalyst

Are you a start-up, SME, entrepreneur or an innovator in the life sciences sector? Are you Queensland based and need guidance to grow your idea or company?

Queensland Women in STEM Prize

Showcasing inspiring women working in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), whose practice benefits Queenslanders.

SparkPlug

Provides Queensland-based start-ups and small-to-medium enterprises with an opportunity to present new solutions to Queensland Government decision makers.

Start-up Onramp

Encouraging more people to become start-up founders and to give them the knowledge, skills and connections they need to maximise their chances of success.

Business Growth Fund

Provides targeted assistance for small and medium businesses that demonstrate high-growth and employment aspirations.

Small Business Digital Grants Program

Helps businesses build their digital capability and grow, assisting with the purchase of hardware, software or digital training and skills development.

The India Innovators Experience

A joint program between Study Queensland and Advance Queensland designed to link global talent with the wealth of unique research, business, and educational opportunities found in Queensland, Australia.

Advancing Regional Innovation Program

Encourages innovation across Queensland and supports local economies to create jobs for regional Queenslanders.

Commercialisation Partnership Program

Places Queensland innovators in Chinese incubators to collaborate with global expertise, access top facilities and accelerate commercial outcomes.

Community Digital Champions

Provides opportunities for volunteers to share their experiences and encourage others in the community to explore the benefits digital technologies can bring to their lives.

Engaging Science Grants

Supports science engagement and communication projects, events and activities that increase the reach and impact of science in Queensland.

Female Founders Program

Helping to maximise the number of inspirational women involved in Queensland’s innovation ecosystem.

Growing Queensland’s Companies

Supports ambitious CEOs and executives of Queensland firms with high-growth potential to lead their businesses to the next level, improving profitability and performance.

Ignite Ideas Fund

Supports Queensland based start-ups and small to medium Queensland businesses to commercialise innovative products, processes and services to enable them to grow and compete in a global market and create new jobs.

Innovate Queensland

Innovate Queensland helps innovative small to medium Queensland enterprises to develop the skills, knowledge and networks required to commercialise new products and services, develop winning business strategies and grow.

Stronger Communities Programme

The Stronger Communities Programme supports the Australian Government’s commitment to deliver social benefits in communities across Australia. Round 5 of the program will provide $22.65 million to fund small capital projects in each of the 151 federal electorates.

The program intends to improve local community participation and contribute to vibrant and viable communities.

Community consultation is a critical element of the program. In consultation with their community, each MP must identify potential applicants and projects in their electorate and invite them to apply for a grant. Invited applications will be assessed against the program’s eligibility criteria through a closed non-competitive process.

Each electorate has total funding of up to $150,000 that can be allocated to successful applications. A maximum of 20 projects will be funded in each electorate.

Queensland Destination Events Program

Events play a key role in fostering regional tourism and economic development. Tourism is an essential industry to many rural and regional centres, ensuring economic stability, and events can be a cost-effective way of promoting a region and its attractions – as an event grows; it attracts tourists in its own right.

The positive economic impact and interest in a community that a successful regional event can provide not only helps to build a sense of local pride but can also foster confidence and strengthen the community as a whole.

The Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP), formerly the Regional Development Program (RDP), seeks to leverage the crucial link between events and the destinations in which they are staged, extending the flow of the economic, marketing and social benefits of events throughout metropolitan and regional Queensland.

Within this context, the aims and objectives of the QDEP are as follows:

  • Drive social and community outcomes for the host destination, noting the important link between community outcomes and economic benefits
  • Enhance the profile and appeal of the host destination
  • Generate local economic activity and development in the host destination
  • Attract external visitation to the destination

Type of funding available to events

The QDEP offers two funding options for regional events:

  • Destination event funding – single year funding for developing events seeking growth ($10,000 – $25,000 per year)

Significant event funding – single year or up to three years of funding for events that can demonstrate a strong track record of growth or growth potential ($25,000 – $100,000 per year)

Gambling Community Benefit Fund

Not-for-profit groups operating in Queensland can apply for grants from $500 to $35,000 through the GCBF. This fund is Queensland’s largest one-off community grants program, distributing approximately $57 million per year.

There are five (5) funing rounds every financial year.  The closing dates are as follows:

  • 28 February (29 February in a leap year)
  • 30 April
  • 30 June
  • 31 August
  • 31 October

The fund allocates grants to not-for-profit community groups, to enhance their capacity to provide services, leisure activities and opportunities for Queensland communities.

The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) Community Benefit Funds Unit (CBFU) administers the GCBF. We invite all eligible organisations to submit grant applications through the GCBF online grants portal. Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR)

FRRR champions the economic and social strength of Australia’s rural, regional and remote communities. One of the key ways that we support communities to achieve their aims is by offering a broad range of grant programs. Each grant program has individual parameters and areas of focus but all have a common requirement that funds be used for a charitable purpose that benefits the residents of Australia’s rural, regional or remote communities.

Their Grant Calendar is updated regularly and outlines the grants that are currently open. Grant programs are grouped into three areas. 

  1. People, Place & Prosperity Grants
  2. Targeted Impact Grants
  3. Leading Change Grants

Australian Communities Foundation Funding

As a public ancillary fund, Australian Communities Foundation represents around 310 sub funds, each with their own funding priorities and interests. Their donors are part of an engaged community of individuals, families, corporate giving groups, location-based giving circles and like-minded groups.

As part of our donor engagement, ACF hosts a Funding Proposal Portal that allows the Donor community to identify grant opportunities aligned with their interests.

New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)

Individuals not in employment, education or training who are interested in running their own business may be eligible for New Business Assistance with NEIS.

Business Finance Loans – Indigenous Business Australia

Indigenous Business Australia assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to establish, acquire and grow viable small to medium businesses, by providing and facilitating access to business support services and business finance.

Rural and Regional Development Grant

The Tim Fairfax Family Foundation is proud to support the work of a diverse range of organisations to create opportunities in rural, regional and remote communities of Queensland and the Northern Territory. Capital Grants Programme

The Capital Grants Program provides funding to non-government primary and secondary school communities to improve infrastructure, if they do not have enough capital resources.

Capital grants are additional to funds provided by state and territory governments, non-government school authorities, and school communities, which are responsible for providing and maintaining non-government school facilities. First Start Loan – Primary producer

First Start Loans provide low interest loans of up to $2 million for primary producers and commercial fishers to start or establish a viable commercial enterprise. Australia Council Grant Programs

Australia Council has developed a new grants model which will support a diverse range of artists, artistic practice, organisations and arts activity.

  • Fellowships – $80,000
  • Career development grants for individuals and groups – $5,000 – $25,000
  • Arts projects for individuals and groups – $10,000 – $50,000
  • Arts projects – organisations – $10,000 to $100,000
  • Four year funding – organisations

Aurizon Community Giving Fund

The Fund is focused on the broad areas of health and wellbeing, community safety, the environment and education.

Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants works just like Google Ads online advertising, by displaying your message to people who are searching for non-profits like yours. If you’re a qualifying non-profit, you’ll receive $10,000 USD in in-kind Google Ads advertising every month. Restart Wage Subsidy

A Restart wage subsidy is a financial incentive of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) that is available to qualifying businesses that employ eligible job seekers who are 50 years of age or over.