There is no question that hospitality is the lifeblood of Victoria’s culture. But with Stage 3 and Stage 4 restrictions in the state, the industry is bleeding.
Businesses have deeply struggled to keep doors open with extended periods of solely delivery and takeaway. To counter that, the Victorian government has designed grants specifically for the hospitality industry.
In this article, we highlight four grants that are just for hospo businesses in Victoria that are currently open for application (we’ll continue to update this post as more programmes open).
1) Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
$251 million has been dedicated to this programme to support hospitality venues with eligible liquor licensees such as restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels, clubs and reception centres.
If your business is eligible, you can receive up to $30,000 (depending on your premise) that can be channelled into business costs such as rent or developing your business/seeking advice on business continuity planning.
Eligibility criteria
This programme is by invitation only. Business Victoria will send an invite to eligible businesses to the email address that was used to sign up for the eLicence in the Liquor Portal account.
Other criteria for eligibility are, as of 13 September 2020, you must:
- operate one or more licensed venues in Victoria that serve alcohol and food
- hold a liquor licence
- have been operating and intend to continue to operate under your liquor licence
- have a food business holding a Class 2 or 3 Service Sector Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984 (Vic) and you’re also serving food on the same premises
- have a GST registration
- hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be registered with the responsible federal or state regulator.
*pls note, this is just an outline of the eligibility criteria. For a comprehensive understanding of criteria please refer here.
Other things to note
If you have applied for support under the Third round of the Business Support Fund, there will be a cap on the amount that you receive – which is the maximum amount under each programme.
So if you’ve previously received $10,000 under the third round of the support fund, you’ll be eligible for $20,000 under this programme.
Deadline: 23rd November 2020 or earlier if funds are exhausted.
Application: As this is an invitation only grant, there is no application link until the invitation has been sent.
2) Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package
$58 million has been dedicated to this programme to support businesses to adapt to outdoor dining. If your business is eligible, you can receive $5,000 that can be used for outdoor furniture and equipment that facilitates operations for outdoor dining. Funds can also be used on digital technology to aid with COVID safety.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for this grant, you need to:
- operate a business located in Victoria, but not the City of Melbourne (there is a separate grant for that)
- operate from commercial premises (not residential or mobile)
- be an employing business registered with WorkSafe Victoria operating a licensed/unlicensed hospitality venue
- provide details of relevant permits and licences (e.g. Class 2 or 3 Service Sector Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984)
- operate a designated space in venue for customers to receive food or alcohol service as at 13 September 2020
- have access to outdoor areas for outdoor dining and food service
- hold (or have applied for) the relevant permits for expanded or enhanced outdoor dining and food service
- have an annual payroll of up to $3 million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis
- be registered for (GST) and hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) as at 13 September 2020
*pls note, this is just an outline of the eligibility criteria. For a comprehensive understanding of criteria please refer here.
Other things to note
If you have multiple businesses under the same ABN, you may be eligible for one grant per premise but each premise would require a separate application.
Deadline: 11th December 2020 or earlier if funds are exhausted.
Application: You can apply for the Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package here.
3) CBD Small Hospitality Grant
$20 million has been dedicated to businesses in the Central Business District (CBD) due to the large and sustained impact of the restrictions on hospitality venues.
If your business is eligible, you can apply for a one-off grant from $5,000 to $15,000 (depending on the size of your venue). The funds can be used to meet business costs such as rent and salaries, developing your business/seeking advice on business continuity planning or other supporting business operation activities.
Eligibility criteria
You can only apply for the CBD Small Hospitality Grant if you’ve previously received the Business Support Fund – Expansion grant.
You also have to:
- run a business in the Melbourne CBD, including the postcodes 3000 (Melbourne), 3005 (World Trade Centre), 3006 (Southbank) and 3008 (Docklands)
- operate a hospitality venue with food service seating capacity of at least 11 seats
- hold a Class 2 or 3 Service Sector Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984 (Vic).
*pls note, this is just an outline of the eligibility criteria. For a comprehensive understanding of criteria please refer here.
Things to note
If you have previously received funding from either the Night-time Economy Business Support Initiative or the Victorian Live Music Venues Program, you won’t be eligible for the CBD Small Hospitality Grant.
Deadline: There is no stipulated deadline for this grant at the time of writing.
Application: You can apply for the CBD Small Hospitality Grant here.
4) Hospitality Business Grant Program
$30 million has been dedicated towards the hardest hit hospitality businesses that were impacted by the ‘Stay at Home’ restrictions.
The grant is a one-off $25,000 to help cover business costs. There are, however, some additions that your business may be able to receive on top of the $25,000.
– You can get an extra $5,000 if you have additional premises located within metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire (capped at a total of $20,000)
– You may also receive another additional $20,000 for premises in Melbourne CBD (postcodes 3000, 3005, 3006 and 3008)
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the Hospitality Business Grant Program, you need to:
- operate a business in Victoria
- operate a hospitality venue that serves customers and hold a Class 2 or 3 Service Sector – Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984 (Vic)
- have an annual payroll of greater than $3 million and lower than $10 million in 2019-20
- be registered for GST on 30 June 2020
- hold an ABN and have held it at 30 June 2020
- be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator
*pls note, this is just an outline of the eligibility criteria. For a comprehensive understanding of criteria please refer here.
Things to note
If you have received any funding under the Victorian Live Music Venues Program and/or the Business Support Fund – Expansion program, you will not be eligible to apply for this grant.
Deadline: There is no stipulated deadline for this grant at the time of writing.
Application: You can apply for the Hospitality Business Grant Program here.
Third round of the Business Support Fund
In addition to the hospitality-specific grants above, the Victorian Government has also announced the third round of the Business Support Fund.
If your business is eligible, you can receive anywhere between $10,000 to $20,000 (dependent on your annual payroll).
The deadline for this programme is 23rd November 2020 or earlier if funds are exhausted. Find out more about the grant, eligibility criteria, and application process here.
We hope this helps, and we’ll continue to update our content as more grants and programmes are open for application.
Lightspeed Point of Sale
Do you know that POS systems fall under business operations and can be claimed under almost all of the grants above?
If you’re looking for a POS system that centralises all your key business operations and offers COVID safe (and COVID-proof) features like integrated delivery and safe check-in app, try out Lightspeed POS at no cost.
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