The locations, sectors and business profiles gaining government grants

Between 2018 and 2022 the Australian government awarded approximately $3 billion worth of business grants, with an average value of $230,000. Just under 17% of those grants were awarded in an open, competitive process, as revealed in February in a paper published by the IPA-Deakin SME Research Centre: Commonwealth Government Grants: 2018 to 2022.

There are 135 current grant opportunities listed on the government's GrantConnect portal. Not all, of course, would be considered ‘opportunities’ for the vast majority of Australian businesses; many will not be open and competitive. Some of these are also ongoing grants while others close in many years’ time – one as late as 2035.

Meanwhile, GrantConnect lists 31 forecast opportunities for the first half of the 2024 calendar year – 15 to be awarded by the Department of Health and Aged Care, and 16 to be awarded by all other agencies combined.

These forecast opportunities may be useful for businesses planning to apply for specific open, competitive grants. However, based on the data examined by the IPA-Deakin SME Research Centre for its analysis, the forecast opportunities are likely to represent just a small portion of the total grants that will be awarded in the period. Each six month period in 2018–22, more than 1,300 grants were awarded.

Use the graphs below to find out how many grants were awarded in your location and sector in recent years, and hover or click on each graphic for more detail.