Business Relocation and Growth Program 2023-2024

The City of Whittlesea is committed to supporting a thriving local economy by encouraging and supporting innovation, creation, growth, and opportunity.

The Business Relocation and Growth Program (BRGP) is aimed at supporting both existing businesses and those wanting to relocate to the City of Whittlesea’s commercial and industrial precincts. The BRGP aims to provide support to businesses looking to establish and/or grow their presence in the City of Whittlesea. The range of initiatives offered are designed to contribute toward building a prosperous and inclusive economy for all.

The primary objective is to increase employment for our residents in our preferred target industries.

Applicants can apply for funding under one of the following grant categories:

• Business expansion or,
• Capital investment or,
• Relocation or expansion to City of Whittlesea.
  
  

Applications may be applied for from $10,000 through to $40,000 and will be awarded on a competitive basis. The funding offered must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the business and will only be paid 12 months after the funding has been awarded and on meeting key milestones.

Before submitting your application, please review and check your eligibility below.

Further information can be found in the Guidelines which you can download by clicking on this link. To download the PDF version of the guidelines, please click here.

The City of Whittlesea BRGP is designed to assist medium to large sized businesses. To be eligible for funding, applicants must:

• Be the owner or tenant named on an existing or pending lease agreement (not subletting space from another business)
  
  
• Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
  
  
• Provide evidence of insurance including certificate of currency (public liability, professional indemnity, or any other relevant insurances).
  
  
• Be able to demonstrate business financial viability
  
  
• Be a business in one of the identified preferred target industries (exceptions may apply if the application demonstrates a significant employment outcome)
  
  
• Have a minimum of 5 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) employees
  
  
• Provide increased employment opportunities for residents in the City of Whittlesea for a minimum of nine months
  
  
• Not have an outstanding debt to City of Whittlesea

Businesses that will not be eligible to be assessed for consideration under this BRGP include:

• An employee of the City of Whittlesea operating a business

• Businesses that incur revenue relating to alcohol, tobacco and tobacco related products e., e-cigarettes, shisha, hookahs and pipes, gambling, and electronic gaming machines

• Businesses that have been trading less than 12 months or have not yet opened

• Businesses that have less than 12 months remaining on their current lease at the time of submitting an application

• Any business that does not hold all relevant permits and licenses to trade in the City of Whittlesea this includes but is not restricted to, building, and planning permits, health and liquor licenses and any other statutory permits or licenses that are required for business to operate legally.

• Businesses that have outstanding acquittals, debts, or financial disputes with the City of Whittlesea.

To view the SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants, please click here.

When completing the form, * indicates a required field.

If you have any technical difficulties viewing the application form or accessing your account, please contact SmartyGrants directly on 9320 6888.

If you have funding related questions or need assistance to complete the application, please contact:

• Michael Schiller at Economic Development at michael.schiller@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

OR

• Community Grants Team at community.grants@whittlesea.vic.gov.au.

• If you prefer to speak to someone over the phone, please call the Council main number 9217 2170 and ask to be transferred to the relevant team.