Small grants support better businesses
GRANT support is available to small businesses in the Wakefield Regional Council (WRC) district to help bring their improvement projects to life.
WRC’s Small Business Incentives program is open for applications, offering support in two separate categories.
Grants of up to $1500 are available under the Promote and Develop stream for businesses looking to enhance the skills of employees or undertake marketing activities.
Businesses can receive up to $3000 under the Innovate and Renovate stream for projects that improve efficiencies, revamp premises or seek to find new ways of working to give the business a competitive edge.
WRC Mayor Rodney Reid said the Small Business Incentives program has returned after an extremely successful inaugural year.
“As businesses come out the other side of the difficult period of the pandemic, Council recognises the importance of continued support for our vital small business sector,” Mr Reid said.
“While the grants are modest in nature, they can have a big impact by providing the extra incentive to encourage businesses to grow and invest in themselves.”
With a total pool of $40,000 available, 14 local small businesses successfully applied last year, leveraging a total of about $160,000 in improvements and development in the council region.
Kate Wood, owner of Effigy Hair at Blyth, used a grant to improve her business bookkeeping systems.
“I found the experience easily accessible and received help promptly with my application, as I am not very tech-savvy,” Kate said.
“The grant was helpful in furthering my small business needs earlier than I would have been able to without the support.”
Kelly Freebairn from Snowtown Newsagency upgraded signage and purchased new café tables and chairs.
“The application process was easy, using the online application form made it time efficient,” Kelly said.
“I was also happy to see Council promote the use of local trades and suppliers where possible when seeking quotes for the project.”
To be eligible, businesses (including sole traders) must have less than 20 employees and be based in the Wakefield region, or show evidence of a move to the region within three months of the application.
The business will need to have a majority of its clients and/or operations within the region and specifically benefit the local community.
All applicants must be able to be contribute towards the activity on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
“Amongst the projects completed last year, we saw business owners buy new machinery, install appliances, add more services, redevelop their facades and fit out their dining rooms,” Mr Reid said.
“This funding recognises the vital role small businesses play in stimulating the regional economy while providing quality local services.”
Full details, guidelines and application instructions are available on Council’s website here or by calling the WRC office on 8862 0800.
The grant period will remain open until the funding pool is exhausted.