Business Growth and Impact Grants

Applicants can apply for one of the following four streams in this grant round:

Start-up
This stream supports start-ups, scale-ups and small businesses that are developing innovative solutions with the potential to compete nationally or globally or offer something unique that adds value and gives Melbourne a competitive edge.

Expansion
This stream supports innovative businesses that are:

• Expanding by launching a new product, service or activity, or
• Relocating within the municipality to grow their operations.

Social Impact
This stream is for businesses that are driving positive social and / or environmental impact or re-investing profits into a mission that delivers lasting community benefits. The business may be certified B-Corporation or a for-profit business that meets Social Traders or People and Planet First definition of a social enterprise.  

Shopfront Occupancy
This stream supports street-level businesses looking to build on the city’s reputation for unique offerings and enhance a local precinct by activating a commercial shopfront that has been vacant for more than six months.

• Monday 27 October 2025 at 12pm (AEDT): Applications open
• Monday 1 December 2025 at 12pm (AEDT): Applications close
• December 2025 - February 2026: Assessments conducted
• March 2026: Council approval and successful applicants notified

Please note: A public announcement of successful applicants happens once all successful applicants have secured funding arrangements.

Watch or read the transcript of the following:

• Information webinar held at 12pm, Thursday 30 October 2025
  Watch the recording: Business Growth and Impact Grants Information Webinar External link 
  Download and read the Business Growth and Impact Grants Information Webinar transcript (DOCX 49 KB)
• Grant writing webinar (hosted by Small Business Mentoring Service): held at 12pm, Monday 10 November 2025
  Watch the recording: CoM Applying for Business Grants External link
  Download and read the Grant Writing webinar transcript (DOCX 51 KB)

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• be located within or committed to relocate promptly (within six months of receiving a grant) to the City of Melbourne municipality
• have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
• have less than 20 full-time or equivalent employees at the time of applying
• provide evidence as an Australian registered business, sole trader, company, business cooperative or partnership and its legal structure
• provide evidence of appropriate business insurances
• evidence of financial viability (required financial documentation must be provided)
• have no outstanding acquittals or debts to the City of Melbourne
• provide all mandatory supporting documentation requested in the application form.
• Shopfront occupancy stream applicants must also provide the following:
• copy of the commercial lease, with a minimum length of 3 years
• letter from property owner, or their representative, confirming the length of time it was vacant before the applicant signed a lease agreement.

Applications will be ineligible if the applicants:

• have an outstanding debt to City of Melbourne or that have failed to comply with the terms and conditions of any previous funding agreement with City of Melbourne
• are franchisees, subsidiaries of larger companies or unincorporated associations
• are from government departments or agencies, foundations or grant making bodies
• are political organisations or organisations that have a political purpose
• are current City of Melbourne employees, immediate families and contractors
• have an adverse effect on public health, safety, the environment or heritage
• sell or promote unethically sourced animal products
• exploit or use animals in harmful ways
• will not comply with anti-discrimination / anti-vilification legislation and / or are incompatible with Council’s policies, priorities or values. Council’s priorities include those set out in the Inclusive Melbourne Action Plan 2024-26 (IMAP)
• have received funding from other sources for the same activity being requested in this program.

For more information about the grants, contact businessfunding@melbourne.vic.gov.au or call 03 9658 9658. 

Contact the City of Melbourne's Business Concierge to discuss starting and growing your business within the municipality. May include potential locations and navigating council permit approval processes and linking to other opportunities like networking events, workshops and training.

To request an appointment please fill out the online form and Business Concierge will be in contact to discuss prior to applying.

Refer to the SmartyGrants help guide External link for technical assistance related to submitting your application. The SmartyGrants External link support desk is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on 03 9320 6888 or by email at service@smartygrants.com.au.

If you need an interpreter when calling the City of Melbourne, please call the following relevant translation services.

Our multilingual information telephone service offers assistance to people from a non-English speaking background.

If you are deaf, hearing-impaired, or speech-impaired, please call us via the National Relay Service External link:

• Teletypewriter (TTY) users phone 133 677 then ask for 03 9658 9658.
• Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 03 9658 9658.

• Age Up Health Pty Ltd External link is a fully integrated online platform providing aged care services to empower people to live their best life at home. They secured a start-up grant.
• Aubot External link is developing a mobile telepresence robotic arm to help empower people with disabilities and reduce their reliance on care givers. They secured a development grant.
• Cynch Sec Pty Ltd External link is a cyber-security platform for small businesses to help prevent and reduce risks against cyber-attacks. They secured a start-up grant.
• Envision Systems Pty Ltd is solving the issue of transport congestion and enabling cities to become smarter, by providing real-time data from wireless Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled sensors. They secured a start-up grant.
• ItInc Pty Ltd is a glass designer and manufacturer, utilising a closed loop recycling process to convert post-commercial glass into high quality reusable products. They secured an expansion grant.
• Machine Dreams is utilising photographic machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve asset inspection management processes. They secured a start-up grant.
• Memento Media External link is developing an online platform to help families capture stories and turn them into engaging and shareable mementos. They received a development grant.
• Navi Medical Technologies External link is developing a medical device for doctors to safely administer medicine to critically-ill newborns, toddlers and children. They secured a development grant.
• Qoctor is a new telehealth kiosk which will enable pharmacies to provide a full end-to-end health service in store for their customers. They secured an expansion grant.
• Tacticagear is a local innovative multitools business expanding its offerings to include a high powered, compact and lightweight flashlight for adventure and outdoor activities. They secured an expansion grant.

• Advanced Composite Structures Australia P/L External link: Engages in fibre reinforced composite material research development, engineering and manufacturing. Plans to market capabilities to the Asian, European and United States markets. Located in Port Melbourne, they received an export grant.
• AquaTerra Solutions Pty Ltd External link: Technology platform that measures soil moisture and temperature to help farmers reduce water and energy consumption and improving crop quality. They are located in Carlton, and have secured a start-up grant. 
• Aquatic Physio Exercise Australia: Aquatic physiotherapy service building an online community helping people learn the best way to use the aquatic environment to improve their movement, strength, mobility, balance and power; Particularly helpful for City of Melbourne residents with access to pools in their building. They received an expansion grant.
• Audioplay External link: An action-based audio app that supercharges kids' play. Kids put on headphones, step into the story and become the characters, physically playing out the action. With Audioplay blanket forts and cushion rafts become the centre of epic adventures that put kids at the heart of the story. Located in Southbank, they received a start-up grant. 
• Crema Joe External link: Sells reusable coffee capsules with locally roasted and packed beans. Expanding to a service that provides a refill service to businesses in the CBD, and helping to transform employees of local businesses into habitual re-users. They received an expansion grant. 
• D.Baker & Sons External link: A family owned and operated distillery that has been producing single malt whisky. Planning to relocate from its current operation in Bayswater to Kensington. The new location will allow them to expand its production capacity and offers educational and tourism experiences. They secured an expansion grant.
• Elixico (Grand Yarra) External link: Melbourne based design and innovation development consultancy with a focus on automotive design and styling. Expanding into the broader sustainable ‘mobility’ industry and looking at new alternative vehicle types and low-cost mobility solutions. They secured an expansion grant. 
• Enrich360 External link: Manages dehydrators that condense food waste from CBD cafes for transport and transform it to fertiliser for nearby farms. In the process of relocating my business to a confirmed address in the City of Melbourne municipality. They received an expansion grant. 
• Hoist AI: A new Melbourne-based artificial intelligence focused accelerator that backs entrepreneurs, researchers and teams that develop and use Artificial Intelligence (AI); one of the fastest growing technologies around the world. They secured a start-up grant. 
• Ida Sports External link: Sports footwear and apparel business that caters to professional female athletes with links to AFL and soccer clubs across Victoria. 18 months in development and testing with experts in podiatry, biomechanics, physiotherapy and female athletes. They received a start-up grant. 
• Little Lon Distillery External link: CBD's only distillery, and is housed in a unique heritage listed single story building developing new Melbourne-centric gin produces using treated water from the Yarra River. Also planning to develop a Melbourne-centric whisky, to be aged and barrels to be stored in tunnels “under” the CBD. They received a start-up grant. 
• Mass Dynamics External link: Founded to enable life scientists to leverage the best discovery tool that we have today - Mass Spectrometry (MS) - in order to do better science, and drive medical discoveries to curtail the world’s highest mortality and morbidity diseases.  Located in Bourke Street with the grant received, Mass Dynamics will reduce the time that a researcher spends on data analysis from weeks to hours by addressing the challenges that researchers face today. They have secured a start-up grant.
• OMX Solutions: Supplies print-to-order, bespoke medical devices for the specialised area of craniomaxillofacial (jaw and face) surgery. Planning to run educational surgical cadaver workshops. Located on William Street, they received an expansion grant.  
• Radetec Pty Ltd: Located in Parkville are specialised in the preparation and modification of various nanoparticles, tiny objects a thousand times smaller than a fine grain of sand. In particular, their strength is the preparation of "quantum dots", a novel luminescent nanoparticle made of semiconducting material. They received a start-up grant.
• Rum Diary Spiced Rum External link: A bar starting an ‘experimental kitchen’ to allow consumers and Melbourne's hospitality community access to brewing equipment to experiment, learn and create their own spiced alcoholic products. For a 3-hour session, customers can learn, blend and create their own spiced rum. They received a start-up grant.
• Smileyscope External link: Building a Virtual Reality (VR) digital therapeutic suite for paediatric procedures, that will decrease the need for unnecessary restraints, anaesthetics and pain killers by providing a soothing immersive experience for young patients. They received a start-up grant. 
• Unpackaged Eco: A business with a mission to tackle single-use packaging by offering everyday products without its packaging located on top end of Collins Street. Securing a start-up grant, they offer their own line of organic and biodegradable unpackaged everyday products, accessible on-line and at refill stations located in partnering stores.
• UbiPark Pty Ltd External link: A new smartphone mobile app that offers intelligent parking solutions to consumers and business operators. They secured an expansion grant. Their immediate expansion efforts are focused on building and delivering an on-street payment solution to the existing off-street parking platform.
• Walk Melbourne Tours External link: Introduce international visitors to the unique food and laneways culture that Melbourne offers through our foodie walking tours of the city. They operate daily and provide fully hosted small group tours with tasting. Located in the heart of the City- Royal Arcade, they have been working with tourists from the US and are expanding their service to Canadian tourists. They have secured an export grant.
• Worksmith Coworking Pty Ltd External link: Designed to be a community hub, an educational space, a flexible place to work with all of the amenities one could ever need, Worksmith Coworking are opening their second location in Melbourne Central, Worksmith Ella. The bar Laboratory is designed to assist bartenders and beverage product start-ups to experiment with the latest scientific equipment in order to be at the forefront of the industry globally. They secured an expansion grant. Worksmith Coworking recently changed their name to Grada.

Christine: An iconic women’s retail store currently located in Flinders Lane, Christine received an expansion grant as the business is planning to move to the top end of Collins Street, creating a new concept luxury store (Christine on Collins).  

ColourSpace Gallery Pty Ltd External link: Offers artworks on an affordable monthly subscription basis to corporate businesses, and will focus on showcasing artworks of emerging Melbourne based artists. They have secured a start-up grant.

DreamWalk Apps Pty Ltd External link: DreamWalk Apps received a start-up grant, they have created a new initiative "Proof" which allows users to design and develop a proof of concept app quickly and at low costs.  

Girl Geek Academy External link: With a purpose of showcasing the number of women with successful Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, Girl Geek Academy received an expansion grant. Their proposal is to launch a new Girl Geek Academy Guide (expert guide program) to showcase women in technology.  

HH MPI Pty Ltd (T/A MagicPi): Using artificial intelligence, MagicPi received a start-up grant as they have developed a multi-lingual tour guide that can be delivered through personal smart devices. The company will add an Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN AI) component to the platform which will help support galleries and museums in delivering a better experience for hearing-impaired visitors.

Ion Opticks Pty Ltd External link: Receiving an expansion grant, Ion Opticks will scale development and manufacturing of their innovative nano capillary column used by cutting edge scientists worldwide for biological and medical research into cancer, Parkinson's and other age-related diseases. These columns allow scientists to gain over 25 per cent more data from their samples compared to existing commercially available solutions.

Justice Denim: A start-up grant was given to Justice Denim to design and manufacture ethical, local and responsible denim jeans, using an artisan denim factory located in Melbourne. The business has also committed to donating one week’s schooling expenses for every pair of jeans sold to an internationally-recognised non-profit organisation.

She's A Crowd Pty Ltd: She's A Crowd is a social enterprise company using crowdsourcing technology and data analytics to harness the global trend of social storytelling, allowing women to share their stories in a safe, anonymous and meaningful way.. They have secured a start-up grant.

Silverpond Pty Ltd External link: Silverpond received an expansion grant to develop a new computer vision artificial intelligence platform, Highlighter, that is particularly useful for organisations that want to automate repetitive visual tasks. This platform will make it more accessible and cost-effective for  companies to develop and adopt artificial intelligence technology as part of their business capabilities without having an in-house artificial intelligence team.

The Sneaker Laundry External link: The Sneaker Laundry received an expansion grant to create a new attractive window space at their retail store to allow passing trade and customers to engage the process of how customised painted artwork is created onto sneakers. 

Thirty South Pty Ltd (T/A Act of Wine) External link: A new boutique wine store, Act of Wine focuses in supplying sustainable, natural, organic and biodynamic wine, craft beer and small patch spirits.  

Umps Health Pty Ltd: Umps Health received a start-up grant as they have developed a smart home platform to support older Australians to live safely and independently at home. Umps Health's smart plugs fit between any domestic appliance and the wall socket to measure things like when the kettle is used or TV turned on or off - sending a signal that the older person is okay. The system learns a person's unique patterns of behaviour, and if there is significant abnormality, lets a family member or care provider know so they can check in. 

Zero Impact Energy Pty Ltd: Zero Impact recycles waste coffee grounds into renewable energy, with high-performance coffee logs that are a truly sustainable alternative to firewood or brown coal. They have secured a start-up grant.  

10Tickles Animation & Design: Securing an expansion grant, 10Tickles Animation & Design uses augmented reality technology to design a new immersive experience app – Macabre Melbourne Mysteries. Based on an historical crime, players use their smartphones to uncover clues as they navigate in and around the City of Melbourne to solve the crime.