The Regional Business Gateways Program Round 1 is now open for expressions of interest and will close at 5:00 pm on 17 July 2026. This Program may be of interest to regions and sectors aiming to deliver projects that address regional business challenges and opportunities. The Program supports collaborative, community-led projects that identify specific challenges or opportunities for regional small businesses and develop plans to improve their capability.

Round 1 offers $4 million in competitive grant funding, with eligible applicants able to apply for between $250,000 and $600,000 per project. Funded projects will directly benefit regional small and family businesses and must align with at least one of the following funding streams:

• Business Connectors: Supports projects that strengthen regional supply chains, business collaboration, and market access opportunities (e.g. partnership development and business-to-business networking initiatives).
• Business Accelerators: Supports projects that assist under-represented, micro, and early-stage businesses to build capability, participation, and growth opportunities (e.g. mentoring initiatives and peer support programs).
• Business Enablers: Supports projects that improve resilience, sustainability, and operational capability in sectors experiencing long-term challenges (e.g. pilot initiatives).

For more information, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/regional-business-gateways. The Program guidelines and frequently asked questions are attached for your reference.

Please share this opportunity with relevant stakeholders in your sectors and regions.

The Qld Government are pleased to share with you that applications are now open to industry for the Industry Skills Solutions – Drones initiative.  

Drone technology is transforming industries such as agriculture, mining, logistics, emergency response, construction and energy, driving a growing demand for skilled remote pilots.   

This is a 2-year, $1 million initiative designed to develop drone operator skills to support the adoption and application of this technology across a wide range of industries.   

Successful projects will connect participants with local employers and help them gain: 

• a Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot) 
• a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) remote pilot licence (RePL) 
• connections to local employers to ensure participants gain skills tailored to the needs of local industries 
• employment pathways in high-demand sectors. 

For more information about the initiative, please visit Industry Skills Solutions – Drones initiative

For queries relating to the Industry Skills Solutions – Drones initiative, please contact Rachel Emery, DTET Industry Lead at SPI@dtet.qld.gov.au. 

Volunteer Grants support the work of community organisations that rely on volunteers by removing barriers to volunteering and promoting awareness of volunteering opportunities.

Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be available to assist eligible not-for-profit community organisations that rely on volunteers. Grants can be used to purchase communication or insurance items and/or purchase items for the main purpose of supporting volunteer cohorts and volunteer-run activities as specified in the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

The 2025–26 Volunteer Grants will open for expressions of interest through Federal Members of Parliament (MP). Organisations are advised to read the Grant Opportunity Guidelines and contact their local Federal MP for details on how to submit an expression of interest.

Organisations nominated by their MP will be invited by the Department of Social Services to fill out an application form in May 2026.

Draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines have been published on GrantConnect with this Forecast Opportunity to facilitate access to the required information for organisations wishing to express interest in the round.

The TQMGP is a three-year $79.1 million program. There will be six rounds, one opening every six months across three years.

The Transforming Queensland Manufacturing Grants Program (TQMGP) is helping shape the future of Queensland’s manufacturing sector. Through this new program, the Queensland Government is investing in innovation, advanced technology and job creation to strengthen the state’s economy and position Queensland as a leader in modern manufacturing.

The TQMGP will support an eligible Queensland-based manufacturing SME by reimbursing up to 50 per cent of the eligible project costs for projects undertaken by an SME.

Grants between $100 000 and $1 500 000 are available for:

• Advanced manufacturing equipment which meets program objectives (up to 50 per cent of eligible costs)

• Software purchasing to support system integration and manufacturing process improvement e.g. enterprise resource planning (ERP), material requirements planning (MRP), manufacturing execution system (MES).

Applications for Round 1 are now open

Eligible Queensland-based manufacturers can apply for matched funding grants of $100,000 to $1.5 million for projects that are:

• facilitating pathways for export opportunities
• reshoring or onshoring manufacturing activity currently undertaken interstate or overseas
• improving manufacturing productivity and competitiveness
• stimulating private sector investment and generating jobs.

Applications for Round 1 close on Thursday, 16 April 2026 at 1pm.

For the full details, see the program guidelines:

The Local Skills Solutions program enhances partnerships among local employers, industry, and community organisations to identify and address regional training gaps.

With an investment of $5 million, the program supports local and regional communities facing skills challenges or changes to their economies and labour markets, including transitioning, new and emerging industries.

Projects funded under the Local Skills Solutions program will:

• enable greater access to face-to-face training aligned to localised skills in demand
• provide additional wraparound support, such as mentoring and extra learning support for students
• expand industry engagement and employer participation in training projects.

Funding Details:

Eligibility Check:

Eligible applicants for the Local Skills Solutions program include:

• industry and employer groups
• community-based organisations
• group training organisations with a strong local presence.

Applicants must:

• be Queensland-based
• hold a valid ABN
• be registered for GST.

We encourage you to apply if you are an eligible organisation that is focused on growing workforce participation in Queensland.

For the full details on this funding opportunity, see below: Queensland Government website:

Enquiries can be directed to VETReview@desbt.qld.gov.au.  

Note:  Applicants are also encouraged to contact their local Regional Jobs Committee (RJC) and the related Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor to seek advice and help in conceptualising projects.

The Business Growth Fund (BGF) is a grant program targeting high-growth businesses who can accelerate growth, drive Queensland’s economy and employ more Queenslanders.

The program provides direct financial support for small and family businesses to purchase specialised equipment to grow, increase productivity and efficiency, increase market share or develop and expand export opportunities.

Funding Available!

Funding ranges from $50,000 to $75,000 (excluding GST). If successful, you’ll receive funding in 3 milestone payments. You’ll also need to contribute at least 50% of your total project costs.

You’ll be expected to use the funding to:

• increase confidence for growth, transitioning from small to medium-sized
• increase productivity, turnover, profit and/or employment by 20%
• improve confidence to automate, scale up, increase market share, diversify and/or exploit exporting opportunities.

Who Can Apply?

When you apply, and for the duration of your funded project, your business must:

• be an established and financially sound small Queensland business with the potential for high growth within the next 2 years
• have less than 20 employees (by headcount—see definition below)
• be operating, and have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for GST (as per your Australian Business Register (ABR) record)
• have a registered Queensland headquarters location (as per your ABR record)
• have a turnover in the last financial year (2024-25) between $500,000 and $10 million
• have a minimum trading history of 3 years
• have experienced 2 years of high-growth and have clearly defined growth and employment opportunities in Queensland
• not be insolvent or have owners/directors that are currently bankrupt or undischarged from bankruptcy
• not have been approved for funding under earlier BGF rounds.

To see more information, apply or register your interest, see the grant application page below:

Round 2 open for small and family businesses:

Grants are now available for eligible small and family businesses.

Applications for local council funding are anticipated to open in early 2026.

The Secure Communities Partnership Program funds safety measures to deter crime against small and family businesses and create safer and more vibrant business areas.

The program aims to protect small and family businesses from crime and economic losses, through the installation of vital safety and security infrastructure.

This will create safer public commercial precincts and business strips and improve the operating environment for small and family businesses across Queensland.

Multiple rounds of funding will be available for small businesses.

The Secure Communities Partnership Program is an initiative of the Queensland Government’s Small and Family Business First Action Statement.

Click this link  for more details:

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has released a Grant Opportunity.

The Australian Government is inviting organisations through an open competitive process to apply to deliver services under the Local Jobs Program over 2 years from 2025–26 to 2026–27.

The Local Jobs, Local People grant opportunity provides total funding of $10 million (GST exclusive) and will offer grant amounts from $50,000 to $250,000.

The objectives of the grant opportunity are to:

• deliver short-term activities to address the priorities identified in the Local Jobs Plan for the relevant Employment Region(s), and:
• offer activities leading to ongoing, secure employment or that build clear pathways to employment for community members who experience barriers to employment such as:
  • First Nations peoples
  • mature age Australians over 45
  • migrants, refugees and humanitarian visa holders
  • young people up to 24 years of age, and/or
• help realise the opportunity for local employment in sectors that are critical to Australia’s growth such as:
  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
  • Care and Support
  • Digital and Emerging Technologies
  • Energy Transition.

We are keen to receive proposals that include local businesses. In particular, proposals that demonstrate partnerships with small and medium-sized businesses that have current or emerging employment opportunities, and bridge the gap between local people looking to participate in the labour market and employers’ workforce needs.

The opportunity can be accessed here.

Publish Date: 31/07/2025

• Closing Date and Time: Wednesday 24th September 2025, 5:00 pm AEST

For further information contact Evalyn Thompson at TAFE Queensland Kingaroy Campus:

Email: evalyn.thompson@tafeqld.edu.au Phone: 0431 478 747

The Kickstarter Program is a competitive scheme that provides up to $50,000 for small to medium enterprises and start-ups, to conduct research projects that advance the food and beverage industry in Australia.

Successful applicants will have access to food technology laboratories and FaBA experts (from UQ, QUT and UniSQ) to develop new products through market analysis, prototyping and commercialisation. The FaBA MakerSpace will also be available.

The Kickstarter Program requires 10- 20% matching funding from the Industry Participant.

• Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time.
• Applications are due by close of business on the last Friday of the month. 
• Applications are reviewed and outcomes are announced by the second week of the following month. 
• Note: Application periods will occur until such time as funding is exhausted. 

Applications are now open.

For more information contact Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning

Phone: 07 4331 5609

Are you aware of the Food and Beverage Accelerator centre?

Now open! The Tourism Business Digital Adaption Program is here to help Queensland tourism businesses enhance their digital capabilities and deliver exceptional visitor experiences.

Through this initiative, eligible small-to-medium sized tourism businesses can access rebates of up to $2,500 for annual subscriptions to approved digital products—such as online booking systems, payment platforms, website upgrades, and social media tools.

The program also includes free digital adaption webinars and online resources to support your journey toward digital transformation.

This initiative is part of the Queensland Government’s $4.5 million investment in digital tourism development and is being delivered by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC). It is funded by the Queensland Government Customer and Digital Group, with support from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

 First-time applicants and returning 2024 applicants are welcome to apply.

 Up to 1,600 tourism operators will be supported through this round.

Don’t miss this opportunity to build your business for the future.