About the Business Enhancement Program (BEP)

If you are a business looking to set up in the Yorke Peninsula Council district OR if you are an existing local business looking to create new employment opportunities or expansion into new markets

We want to help!

Yorke Peninsula Council is committed to supporting economic growth and job creation and wants to positively impact the local business environment and economy.

The BEP consists of two streams: non-financial assistance and Business Grant.

Non-financial assistance

Businesses, regardless of their lifecycle, operation scale or industry, can be provided with access to assistance and support from Council staff in the areas of:

• Planning/development approvals.
• Assistance in land zoning determination.
• Developing a business/marketing plan.
• Seeking grant funding opportunities.
• Writing grant funding applications.
• Local knowledge, such as community profile, market data, business directory, contacts/connections etc.
• Policy compliance.
• Human resource management and recruitment
• Financial and accounting
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Cyber security
• Work health and safety
• Waste management
• Sustainability practices
• Doing business with Council.

We are always here to help. Please email admin@yorke.sa.gov.au or call 08 8832 0000 and ask to speak to the Economic Development team to discuss your business needs.

Business Grant

About the business grant

An amount of $20,000 per annum has been allocated in Council’s annual budget to support local businesses.

The funding may be used for investment in new equipment or infrastructure, production of marketing and promotional materials, IT equipment installation and software development, training or conference attendance, mentoring and networking opportunities, etc. Any proposal that will boost the local economy will be considered under this grant funding.

If funding is being sought, you will be required to ‘match’ the funding as follows:

• For grants up to $2,500 (GST exclusive) – For each $1 granted, applicants are expected to contribute a matching $1 towards the project. E.g., the applicant contributes $2,000 and seeks $2,000 from the business grant for the project’s total costs of $4,000 (GST exclusive).
• For grants over $2,500 (capped at $10,000) (GST exclusive) – For each $1 granted, applicants are expected to contribute a minimum of $1 towards the project; however, a greater co-contribution may be required (e.g., $2 contribution from applicants for $1 granted).

Who is eligible to apply for a business grant?

To be eligible, an applicant must:

• Have a registered Australian Business Number (ABN);
• Have evidence of an appropriate legal structure such as a sole trader, trust, Australian registered company or company limited by guarantee (e.g., Certificate of Registration of a Company issued by Australian Securities and Investments Commission) (or have written evidence that you are moving towards becoming one of the above);
• Hold or are in the process of obtaining any required permits or licences for conducting business (e.g., liquor licences, food business notification, mobile vendor permits, outdoor dining permits, signage permits etc.);
• Operate the business in accordance with relevant Council policies and all other Commonwealth and State legislation;
• Applicants under investigation for breaches of any Federal/State or Local government laws and regulations will be ineligible to receive the grant. This may also extend to entities and their representatives that may be subject to proceedings for bankruptcy or breaches of the Corporations Act 2001;
• Be located or committed to locate within the Council’s region;
• Evidence of a bank account in the name of the applicant or the business;
• Provide details of all Commonwealth and State Government grants received in the past two years and any pending applications for grants;
• Be able to complete the stated grant objectives within 12 months following approval of the grant;
• Secure appropriate permissions and approvals for the project (e.g., development approval, property owner approval) or a statement of intent to secure such permissions;
• Be a business that will enhance (not compete with) existing businesses, and
• Have no outstanding debts of any kind to the Council.

What can the grant money be used for?

Please view the Business Enhancement Program Brochure for more details on eligible and non-eligible items.
(If your PDF viewer isn’t rendering any text, please view the alternate Business Enhancement Program Brochure.)

Eligible items

The acquisition of small plant and equipment; Purchasing new infrastructure. machinery, etc.; IT equipment installation and software development; Mentoring, training, conference attendance and networking opportunities (where not eligible for other available programs); Production of marketing and promotion activities and materials; Hosting an event where most of the event’s benefits are delivered to the local business community and the local economy rather than the host’s profit. Council rate relief (capped for a fixed period and applicable for Start-up stream only) Rent assistance (capped for a fixed period and applicable for Start-up stream only)

Ineligible items

Retrospective funding; Payment of debt or outstanding loans; Charitable fundraising; Operational expenditure, such as wages, utilities and other variable costs for business operation as usual; Activities that could be perceived as benefitting a political party or political party campaign; Religious functions; Activities that create, encourage or perpetuate militarism and/or discrimination; Activities that will exploit people through the payment of below-award wages or poor working conditions; Gift vouchers, prizes or trophies; Items funded by other Council grants; Projects/objectives which are more appropriately funded by the Australian or State Governments or other industry sources; Projects that directly contravene Council policies and By-Laws; or Projects that do not have an identifiable benefit to the businesses and community of the district

Before applying for a business grant:

• Call Council and ask to speak to the Economic Development team to discuss your application (08 8832 0000)
• Read and understand the guidelines in the Business Enhancement Program Brochure.
• Determine the amount of ‘matched funding’ required
• Have all of your supporting documentation uploaded and ready to submit.

Depending upon which funding stream you are applying for, supporting documentation may include:

• Certificate of currency for your insurance
• ABN Certificate
• Certificate of Registration or Incorporation or equivalent documentation
• Current Strategic or Business Plans or Feasibility Studies
• Risk Assessment Plan
• Recent End of Financial Year Statements (preferably audited).
• Other financial information such as draft budgets, cash flow projections
• Bank account details.
• The project budget, including detailed income and expenditure
• Project quotes
• Any other documents that will support your application

Applications not completed correctly and in full may be deemed non-compliant or ineligible and may not be considered.

How to apply?

Please ensure you have read the Guidelines before applying.

This form may be closed if applications, which would exhaust the grant budget if successful, are submitted and pending evaluation. The form will reopen if pending applications are unsuccessful.

Please be advised that first round assessments will commence from October 2024, all applications received post this time frame will be assessed in the second round, with applications for round two closing May 2025.

Apply Now!

How to acquit the business grant?

You recently secured Council funding from the Business Grant? Is it required in the Letter of Offer/Grant Funding Agreement that you need to acquit the funding? Have you completed the funded project? If Yes, please follow the link to submit your Business Grant Acquittal

Online Acquittal Form