Brisbane businesswomen can apply for a share of $250,000 to help grow their companies, with the return of the successful Lord Mayor’s Women in Business Grant in 2022.
Submissions are now open for the grant program, with eligible business owners able to apply for up to $5,000 to invest in their company’s future growth and success.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the success of the inaugural program reflected the incredible opportunity to support and empower women to supercharge Brisbane’s economy.
“Women are smart, creative and innovative business leaders who are making a significant contribution to the economic growth of the city,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Last year we received over 466 applications from Brisbane businesswomen, with 54 receiving grants to invest in their company’s growth.
“This grant will not only support them financially to grow and diversify their operations, but also brings women in business together, through the Brisbane Business Hub, to strengthen networks and connections.
“The Brisbane business community is supportive, friendly and thriving and with women behind 35 per cent of the city’s small businesses, providing the resources and environment to help them grow is vital to our city’s growth.”
Last year, 26 per cent of applications were from the manufacturing, construction and utilities sector, 22 per cent from education, training and administration, 19 per cent from the sports, recreation, medical or health industries and 11 per cent each from the arts and the retail, food and beverage sectors.
“With the incredible momentum the city is experiencing on the runway to 2032, there is an unprecedented opportunity for business owners,” Cr Schrinner said.
“These grants can help women purchase vital equipment, increase their marketing activity, expand their product and service offerings, implement new technology and undertake research, training and education to turn their businesses into success stories.”
Social enterprise and creative agency Green Fox Studio, who work with disadvantaged communities to provide real-world training to gain employment, were awarded a Women in Business Grant in 2021.
Co-founder Kelly Willmott, who started the business with Amanda Shepherd in 2018, said the grant had enabled them to take its training program online.
“We are a creative agency that provides creative direction, branding, digital and print design, advertising, marketing, campaigns, 3D modelling, tenders and packaging design to our clients,” Willmott said.
“Using the profit we make through our creative agency, we then donate training, equipment and resources to disadvantaged communities.
“The grant enabled us to complete our new online JumpStart training platform, covering the cost of an IT contractor to assist us with the development of the site. Now that the site has been completed, we’ll introduce it into two youth training facilities.
“The Brisbane Business Hub has been a great resource for us and we are now established in juvenile detention in New South Wales, a disengaged youth program in Queensland, and are working towards assisting women’s groups in Victoria.
“These training hubs will help those from disadvantaged backgrounds find a pathway away from the criminal justice system into meaningful employment and positive lifestyles.”
The Women in Business Grant program is administered by Brisbane Business Hub, a joint initiative of Brisbane City Council and Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA).
The Brisbane Business Hub on Queen Street, which has supported more than 15,000 local businesses, is a physical and digital space where Brisbane’s business community can connect, learn new skills and grow their business through workshops, one-on-one mentoring and co-working facilities.
Applications for the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Women in Business Grant close at 4:00pm AEST Thursday, 3 November 2022.
For more information visit www.womeninbusinessgrant.com.au
