There are over 200 grants for businesses in the grantsearch database. Examples of business activities for which financial support is being offered are:

• business planning/market research
• business links and exchanges with Asia
• commercialisation
• equity capital
• export market development
• innovation
• involvement in the arts, eg commissioning
• management training
• preparation of business plans
• relocation, eg to rural areas
• research and development
• scholarships, eg to Harvard Business School, or for women in management
• start-up/seeding grants (available only in ACT, Tasmania, SA and NT)
• tax concessions
• trade shows
• vocational/professional development (eg Churchill and Rotary Fellowships)

Types of business for which special programs are offered include:

• agribusiness
• biotechnology
• communications
• farming
• film and television
• food technology
• indigenous enterprise
• information technology/computer science
• manufacturing and processing
• telecentres
• textiles, clothing and footwear
• tourism
• women in business
• wood and paper
• rural and regional enterprise

To see what's available in your area of interest, select WHO - Applicant types Business/Industry, appropriate keywords from WHAT - Keywords, your current location from WHERE FROM, and the location of the business from WHERE AT in the Free Sample Search box. If you're a young person just starting out, use the keyword youth (topic/target group) OR Applicant type Young People (not for formal study) to target business competitions run by private enterprise.

Another form of support is that of Industry Awards which, although not always financially rewarding, are a useful way to raise your business's profile and receive free publicity.

You should certainly also consult Ausindustry, and your State Government business agency, to check whatever assistance they may be able to offer.