How to Get Ecommerce Grants for Small Business in Victoria

In this post, we’re going to list all the small business grants available in Victoria to help business owners sell and market online during COVID-19. We’ll also discuss the eligibility criteria and how to apply for these grants.

This article is updated regularly.

Quick navigation

• List of all small business grants in Victoria
• Details on small business grants for ecommerce
• List of available local council grants in greater Melbourne
• Next steps

Why use small business grants to take your business online?

The COVID-19 lockdown is having a massive impact on small businesses across Australia. With retail stores closed, most SMB owners are struggling to make enough money.

However, online shopping and ecommerce have seen a record surge during this pandemic. Small businesses who have moved to sell products online or focused on improving their existing online stores are actually seeing an increase in sales. 

This is especially true for small businesses in Victoria. One-third of all online shopping in Australia is happening in Victoria. In the first week of August 2020, online purchases have grown by 157% compared to the previous year. 

The following graph from Australia Post clearly shows how retailers and shoppers in Victoria are gradually transitioning to ecommerce.

So, if you are a small business in Victoria planning to start selling online or improve your online presence, it’s high time to do so. The good news is – there are several free government grants available to help you.

Small business grants in Victoria

Victorian government is providing billions of dollars in financial support to help businesses through the coronavirus pandemic. But what are these funds and how can a small business access these? 

Basically, there are two types of government grants available for businesses in Victoria:

1. Business Resilience Package
2. Business Support Package

There’re also some local council grants which we’ll talk about later.

1. Business Resilience Package 

Business Resilience Package is a A$3 billion financial support plan for businesses in Victoria. There are several funds available under this package which businesses can apply for. 

These are – 

• A$822 million Business Support Fund (Round 3)
• A$251 million Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
• $100 million Sole Trader Support Fund
• A$4.3 million Alpine Businesses Fund
• A$3 million Grants for Business Chambers and Trader Groups
• A$100 million Melbourne City Recovery Fund
• $87.5 million Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package
• A$20 million Voucher Program (Ecommerce Grants)
• A$15.7 million Export Recovery Package
• A$8.5 million Click for Vic campaign Package

Plus, several waivers and deferrals.  

2. Business Support Package

Business Support Package provides more support for businesses in Victoria. There are several grants available under this package which businesses can apply for. 

These are –

• Business Support Fund (Expansion)
• A$26 million Wellbeing and Mental Health Support for Victorian Small Businesses
• A$10 million Small Business Mentoring Program
• A$40 million Regional Tourism Accommodation Support Program
• A$20 million Small business Transformation Grants for Melbourne
• Support for Victorian hospitality businesses
  This includes –
  – A$10 million CBD Small Hospitality Grant
  – A$30 million Hospitality Business Grant Program
  – A$40 million Night-time Economy Business Support Initiative

Small business grants for ecommerce and online marketing

In this section, we’ll provide details on those Victorian government grants that your business can use for ecommerce (website design, application development) and online marketing activities. 

1. Business Support Fund (Round 3) 

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: 23 November 2020 (or earlier, if the fund gets exhausted)

Amount of fund you can get: A$10,000 to A$20,000

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the small businesses affected by shutdown or restrictions can apply. 

How to apply: 

Check The Victoria State Government’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

2. Sole Trader Support Fund 

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: 23 November 2020 (or earlier, if the fund gets exhausted)

Amount of fund you can get: A$3,000

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the non-employing businesses affected by shutdown or restrictions can apply. 

How to apply: 

Check The Victoria State Government’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

3. A$20 million Voucher Program (Ecommerce Grant)

Status: Upcoming

Deadline: To be announced

Amount of fund you can get: To be announced

Fund can be used for:

• Creating online store
• Launching ecommerce website
• Improving ecommerce capability

Eligibility: Most small businesses can apply. Details are yet to be announced. 

How to apply: 

Wait for more details from the government. We’re always checking for more information on this fund and will let you know as soon it opens! Sign up for updates.
Once the application begins, we can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

4. Hospitality Business Grant Program 

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: 23 November 2020 (or earlier, if the fund gets exhausted)

Amount of fund you can get: A$25,000 to A$65,000 (A$25,000 per business and A$5,000 per additional premise for up to 4 premises if those are located within metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire. An extra A$20,000 if you are in Melbourne CBD) 

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the restaurants, café, takeaways with annual payroll within A$3m to A$10m can apply. 

How to apply: 

Check The Victoria State Government’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

5. CBD Small Hospitality Grant

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: Until the fund gets exhausted

Amount of fund you can get: A$5,000 to A$15,000 (depending on your food service seating capacity)

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the small hospitality businesses operating in Melbourne CBD with food service seating capacity of more than 10 can apply. 

How to apply: Check The Victoria State Government’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund.

Local council grants for businesses in greater Melbourne

In addition to the Victorian government grants, most local councils have given financial support to their local small businesses. At this point, most of these council grants are closed.

Below we’ve listed a few that are still accepting applications. We’ll update this post as councils open up more grants.

1. City of Casey (Backing Business in Casey Grant)

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: 30 November 2020 (or earlier, if the fund gets exhausted)

Amount of fund you can get: A$500 to A$5,000

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the small businesses located within the City of Casey LGA can apply.

How to apply: 

Check City of Casey’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

2. City of Greater Dandenong (Greater Dandenong Business Grants Program)

Status: Ongoing

Deadline: 16 October 2020 (or earlier, if the fund gets exhausted)

Amount of fund you can get: Up to A$5,000

Fund can be used for:

• Meeting regular business costs
• Ecommerce and online marketing

Eligibility: Most of the small businesses located within the Greater Dandenong Council municipality can apply.

How to apply: 

Check City of Greater Dandenong’s website or Contact Us for quick help.
We can check your eligibility and support your application with a tailored proposal to help you get this fund. 

What do I need to do?

Check the grants we listed above and apply! Due to a large number of applications, most of these will close before the deadlines. 

If you need help in your application submission and proposal preparation, we’re here to help.

With each fund proposal, you need to upload an invoice mentioning the services (website design, app development, online marketing) your business is going to use the fund for apart from regular business operations. We can prepare the PDF invoice that you can attach with your application and ensure your plan complies with the grant requirements. 

Most importantly, as a full-service digital agency, our team can set your online store up real quick and advise you on the best way to get the most out of the fund you get. We’ve already helped a number of our clients secure these grants and grow their business online. 

Feel free to Contact Us for a discussion.

Note: Though we try our best to make sure the data presented in this article is always correct and up-to-date, please check Victorian Government resource at Business Victoria for the most accurate information. 

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