Unlike other grants, hospitality and tourism grants are mostly funded by the individual states in an attempt to increase tourism, both local and international. In this article, we will cover some tourism grants the NSW government has announced alongwith their eligibility criteria.
Grants for Aquariums and Zoos
The Australian Government in April 2020 announced a grant of $94.6 million towards Supporting Australia’s Exhibiting Zoos and Aquariums Program and it was announced that the program will run for the next 6 months. This grant is part of the earlier announced $1 billion Relief and Recovery Fund aimed at helping regions and communities and sectors that are affected badly by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The same program was given an extension of 6 months on 28 October 2020 by the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. The grant can be claimed by those zoos, wildlife parks and aquariums that were badly hit due to lack of tourists owing to COVID-19 restrictions.
However, they need to fulfill the below-mentioned eligibility criteria:
- Must be a region, state or national level organisation that has a proven record of conserving and presenting animals and promote interstate as well as international visitation
- Must be registered in Australia
- New entrants/applicants are ineligible under this program
Waiver of Fee and License NSW
The NSW government has announced a waiver of fee and license for a number of businesses including hospitality and tourism businesses for a period of 12 months. This grant however is available for the businesses that are based at NSW only. The following businesses will benefit from it:
Liquor and gaming: Bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and pubs with less than three branches are eligible for a waiver of new license application fees as well as annual liquor license fees.
Fair Trading NSW: Fees waiver include tattoo parlor license fees, house building contractor’s license fees, motor vehicle repairing specialist license fees, etc.
The impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality sector was tremendous. Many business houses are yet to recuperate. Cited above are only some of the grants that are aimed at the revival of hospitality sector in Australia.
Boosting Business Innovation Program
One of the grants offered by the NSW government aims at encouraging businesses to build innovative products and services in NSW. The program’s main goal is to build better collaboration between research institutes and businesses to develop an innovative ecosystem. A total funding of $18 million is available under this program and requires the applicant to co-contribute. The program is available on an ongoing basis.
Eligibility Criteria:
All start-ups and SMEs located in NSW are eligible to apply for financial assistance under this program.
Another grant offered by the government of NSW aims at supporting start-ups and emerging SMEs that are growing at a faster pace. The main goal behind this program is to accelerate their growth and create more jobs for the residents of NSW. A total funding pool of $190 million is available for 4 years (until 2020) under this grant. The amount that can be claimed depends on the category the applicant belongs to. Under this grant, the applicant also has to co-contribute.
Below mentioned are the various categories under which the funding is available:
- To encourage promising start-ups a matched funding of up to $25,000 is available in this category.
- To encourage technology related start-ups to grow and create jobs, grants of up to $100,000 are made available.
- To encourage emerging SMEs that are quickly growing, loans of up to $500,000 are offered in this category.
- To encourage emerging fast growing SMEs in regional NSW, interest-free loans of up to $500,000 are offered by the government under this category.
- Fast growing SMEs which are creating more jobs but are unable to get financial help from lenders are offered loans of up to $1.2 million under this category.
Who can apply?
NSW industries in the following sectors can apply for financial assistance under this program.
Manufacturing, creative, digital innovation, environment, finance, food, infrastructure, education (international), life sciences, tourism and regional HQs.
The above mentioned are only some of the many grants available for tourism businesses in NSW. In order to find more information about such grants and their eligibility criteria, please speak to one of our advisors at the number mentioned below.
