To be eligible for this grant, your business must meet the following criteria at the time of application submission:

• have less than 20 employees (by headcount*)
• be operating and have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)^{^}
• be registered for GST^{^}
• have a registered Queensland headquarters location^{^} (as per your Australian Business Register (ABR) record)
• have a minimum trading history of 1 year
• have a minimum turnover of $75,000 and maximum turnover of $300,000 for the last financial year (2022–23)
• not have been approved for funding under an earlier Business Basics round
• and
• not be insolvent or have owners/directors that are undischarged or currently bankrupt^{^}.

* Headcount includes all full-time, part-time and casual employees including Non-Executive Directors.

^{^} Your business must maintain this eligibility for the duration of the grant-funded activity.

Business continuity and succession planning (including disaster preparation)

• Develop and implement a business continuity plan to ensure operations can continue in the event of disruptions.
• Develop an incident response plan, risk management plan and/or recovery plan.
• Develop a succession plan tailored to the business's needs and goals.
• Develop an emergency evacuation plan or training program.
• Purchase emergency kit equipment and related software, such as first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, and portable radio for an emergency kit.
• Implement new or upgrade existing online or cloud-based accounting systems.

Security planning and solutions

• Plan and/or implement physical security measures, such as surveillance cameras, alarms, or access control systems.
• Conduct cyber security risk assessments and implement mitigation systems.
• Implement cyber security measures to protect data and systems, for example, anti-malware, antivirus, backups, data migration, encryption, firewalls, and modems/routers with enhanced security.

Sustainability

• Conduct sustainability assessments or audits to identify areas for improvement and develop action plans.
• Develop or revise a tailored business plan aligned to the business's specific needs and goals.
• Implement energy-efficient practices or technologies to reduce operational costs and environmental impact.
• Develop a plan to localise the suppliers of your businesses.

We will not fund:

• activities bought via direct selling (e.g. by party plan or network marketing)
• delivery, credit card and transaction fees
• fleet vehicles
• franchise fees
• general business operating costs (e.g. bookkeeping/accounting, tax returns)
• goods and services paid using crypto-currencies, cash, barter, or services in-kind
• goods, services, or fees from related parties*
• GST, registration, and fees
• marketing/advertising services of any kind
• memberships and joining fees
• other equipment (e.g. televisions, EFTPOS, card/chip readers)¹
• purchase of stock
• real estate/property, hire, lease, or rental fees
• salaries and wages
• software and licences¹
• stand-alone computer hardware (e.g. servers, PCs, tablets/iPad, mobile phones)²
• travel and accommodation
• utilities (e.g. internet, phone, water and/or waste bills)
• website build/upgrades.

*Related parties include companies with common shareholdings or directors, employees, or immediate family.

¹ not mentioned in the priority areas

² except if bundled with security solutions

In your ROI application, you are asked to:

• confirm the business meets the eligibility criteria of the grant program
• provide core business and contact information
• provide Responsible Person demographic information.

Valid ROIs will be assessed through a ballot system with a number of applications identified to move to Stage 2: Full application assessment.

There will be no appeal process for applications that have not been selected to move on to Stage 2.

If your Stage 1 ROI application is shortlisted, you will be invited to submit a full application. In addition to the information provided in your ROI, you will also be asked in the full application to:

• update your core business and contact information (if required)
• provide business demographic information and business description
• provide proposed project details – priority area and how it will enhance core skills/business competitiveness
• provide proposed project expected outcomes – growth in revenue, gross profit and headcount and how your project would help you to achieve those outcomes
• provide a completed 100-points of identification check form for the nominated Responsible Person
• verify the main business location (if applicable) – if your ABR profile shows that your main business location is not in Queensland you will need to provide evidence of Queensland headquarters. Acceptable evidence includes
  • a copy of your Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) company statement listing a Queensland address in the 'principal place of business'
  • or
  • an accountant's letter confirming the business has changed to a Queensland main business location
• verify the link between the trust and the business conducting the business activity (if applicable) – if you nominate an ABN of a trust in your application, you will need to provide evidence of the link between the trust entity and the business conducting the business activity entity. Acceptable evidence includes
• a copy of your ASIC company statement listing both entities
• or
• an accountant's letter confirming the 2 entities are operated by the same parties outlining the business relationship
• verify the link between the Responsible Person and business (if applicable) – if you nominate a Responsible Person in your application, you will need to provide evidence of the link. Acceptable evidence includes
• a copy of your ASIC company statement listing both entities
• or
• a letter on your business letterhead confirming the Responsible Person's position and authority to act on behalf of the business.

Stage 2: Full applications are assessed for compliance against the eligibility criteria and their competitiveness against the program guidelines and assessment criteria.

You must demonstrate the extent to which the grant funded activity will:

• enhance the business's core skills and adopt best practice
• positively impact revenue growth and gross profit
• be likely to create jobs growth within the business
• demonstrate value for money.

We may also distribute successful applications equitably across the state, other economic factors such as priority industries, and ensure a representation of Queensland's diverse business population.

We will advise all applicants of the outcomes after the ballot process and Stage 2: Full Application assessment.

Due to the grant program's comprehensive assessment, due diligence, and government approval process, you can typically expect to receive notification of your submission's outcome within a reasonable timeframe following the key application dates outlined on page 4 of the guidelines.

We will communicate all outcomes via email. Successful Stage 2 applicants will receive a Funding Agreement Letter detailing the proposed funded agreement and inviting you to accept the funding terms.

If you accept the funding terms and enter into a funding agreement with us, you will receive funding of $5,000 (excluding GST) into your nominated bank account via electronic funds transfer.

You must complete your grant-funded activity within 6 months of receiving the Funding Agreement Letter.

You must keep all application evidence, supplier quotes, corresponding invoices and bank transactions for audit purposes.

Note: If you vary your approved project in any way,  you must inform us immediately. Read more about making changes to your approved grant.

You must complete:

1. An outcomes survey report on completion of the project – the report is to include details on the assets/services received, project implementation, and the impact on the business including the results and outcomes received.
2. A audit report (if selected) – we will conduct an audit process and you must keep all application evidence, supplier quote(s), corresponding invoices and bank transactions, and submit them on request from us for audit purposes.

Read these key documents and information:

• application guidelines
• terms and conditions
• frequently asked questions
• preview of application form
• statutory declaration sample
• finding suppliers.

Read these key documents and information:

• application guidelines
• terms and conditions
• frequently asked questions
• application form sample
• statutory declaration template
• finding suppliers.

Read these key documents and information:

• application guidelines (updated 13 May 2022)
• terms and conditions
• frequently asked questions
• application form sample
• statutory declaration template
• finding suppliers

Read these key documents and information:

• application guidelines
• terms and conditions
• frequently asked questions
• registration of interest (ROI) form sample
• finding suppliers