Scammer Alert! Are you looking for a government grant to help fund your startup? Don’t get caught out by scammers – access to government grant information is free …
The 2018 Startup Muster Report showed that 37% of startups accessed some kind of government assistance and grant money when building their startup.
Government grant information is available free online — you don’t need to pay for it! That’s the message from the Australian government this season.
While there are plenty of reputable organisations that can help write your application – if you so choose – no organisation should charge you for providing grant information, as it is freely available online and easy to find at Business.gov.au.
Protect your business from government grant scams
Here’s some key points to consider when seeking government grants:
- businesses will never be asked to pay money to access government grant information – be wary of any websites that charge fees for grant-related services;
- government grants are awarded based on merit – you can’t pay money for special access or consideration to get a government grant;
- it’s possible to pay a third party provider to help you with writing your grant application, however it’s important to choose a reputable service.
How can you tell if you’re using a government website?
Some websites may try to imitate government websites by using things like:
- official looking images
- government logos
- misleading web addresses e.g. www.officialgovtgrants.com.au.
To check if a website is officially affiliated with government, make sure the web address uses a ‘.gov.au‘ extension in their URL. They also have phone numbers – why not call up and chat to someone. Again, free.
Where can you find government grants information?
All available state, territory and federal government grant information can be accessed free through official government sources.
- The online Grants & Assistance tool can search through 218 available grants that may be available for your business
- Some grants are designed for a particular industry, or group, or State;
- Some may not be open at this current time, but they are all listed there;
- Use the refine filters to drill down on what might be suitable for you.
- Search the various government Advisory Services to find low-cost (often free) local business advisers to discuss your circumstances and seek advice when applying for a government grant.
- Some of these also have access to $20K or $50K grants, as well as help assist your business with an audit of your strategy, advice on R&D, or access to university researchers and the like.
But wait, there’s more…
- Read our Scams targeting business page for more information and what to do about scams.
- You can report scams on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Scamwatch.
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