Grants of between $100,000 up to $480,000 are available to support female founders of startup businesses to scale their business into domestic and global markets.
Current status of program
CLOSED
To register your interest in future rounds or discuss alternative grant opportunities please contact us here.
What is the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
The Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 program is part of the 2018 and 2020 Women’s Economic Security Statements, which help to support more Australian women into work and Australia’s international obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The program will provide targeted grant support on a co-contribution basis to female owned and led startups to scale into domestic and/or global markets. The program will also offer expert mentoring and advice to a select number of eligible applicants.
The grant opportunity will be delivered through a two-stage selection process. You will first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) at Stage One. If successful, you will be invited to submit a Stage Two grant application.:
- Stage One: Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Stage Two: Grant application (for invited EOI applicants).
What is the level of support of the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
The grant amount will be capped at 50 per cent of eligible project expenditure, and
- the minimum grant amount is $100,000 (eligible project expenditure of $200,000).
- the maximum grant amount is $400,000 (eligible project expenditure of $800,000).
Grants for priority groups will be capped at 70 per cent of the total eligible project expenditure, and
- the minimum grant amount is $100,000 (eligible project expenditure of $142,857).
- the maximum grant amount is $480,000 (eligible project expenditure of $685,714).
You must meet at least one of the following criteria to be eligible for additional funding available to priority groups:
- Your head office is located in a regional area
- Your business is considered as located in a regional area if your head office is in a regional area as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure. For this grant opportunity the Department of Health Workforce Locator tool is used to confirm classifications.
- Your business is Indigenous-owned.
- A business that is registered with Indigenous Business Direct (Supply Nation).
- A business which has at least one founding team member (owners and leaders) of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage.
- At least one of your founding team members (owners and leaders) is a person living with a disability
- At least one of your founding team members (owners and leaders) has migrated to Australia as a refugee or humanitarian entrant.
Where you are applying for a greater than 50 per cent grant percentage, you must provide evidence to support your claim to the specified criteria (refer to section 7.1 of the guidelines).
You are responsible for the remaining eligible project expenditure plus any ineligible expenditure. Your contribution to eligible project expenditure must be cash, not in-kind.
You cannot use funding from other Commonwealth government grants to fund the balance of your share of project expenditure not covered by the grant. You may use funding from other State, Territory and local government grants, to fund a maximum of 10 per cent of the balance of your share of project expenditure.
What are the Important dates for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
- This program is currently closed
- Register your interest here with GrantHelper
GrantHelper Success 
| GrantHelper has a proven track record in assisting companies win grants from the Boosting Female Founders Initiative program, having assisted Meditati Pty Ltd receive Round 3 funding of $330,000 towards the commercialisation of a tampon innovation to disrupt the FemCare market. Check out more success stories on our client showcase page. |
What are the objectives and outcomes of the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
The objectives of the program are to:
- stimulate private sector investments into innovative startups led by women
- help women entrepreneurs overcome barriers to accessing finance and support necessary to scale their startups
- enable female founders to scale-up, expand into domestic and/or global markets, and become self-sufficient
- boost the economy through increasing the diversity of startup founders.
The intended outcomes of the program are:
- increased number of startups founded and sustained by women
- new products and services are brought to market by startups founded by women
- increased financial investment in startups founded by women
- women improve their earning potential through entrepreneurship
- facilitate mentor relationships to support entrepreneurial development
- increased job creation and economic growth.
How to get the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
First and foremost, your business must be founded or majority owned by a female.
Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 provides funding for female founders to scale their startup businesses into domestic and global markets. There is expected to be high demand for the program, so a very comprehensive and compelling business case will increases your chances of success.
Check out our How to Prepare Before You Apply insight.
Successful applicants will be able to articulate how funding support will help their startup to overcome barriers to scaling, expand into domestic and/or global markets and become self-sufficient.
You must demonstrate a genuine need for funding and articulate how the project will leverage additional partnerships or support, as well as benefit Australia, your region and/or community. You must include all mandatory documentation to support your application such as ‘female owned and led declaration’, evidence of cocontribution funding.
You also need to convince the assessment committee that you have a well-defined project plan, appropriate implementation resources, financial cocontribution, project management capability and expertise to successfully delivery the project in its entirety within the proposed project implementation timeline.
Most importantly, and before you start an application, you need to ensure your business is eligible for the funding. Organisations that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below will not be considered.
Check out How to write a successful grant application to learn more about how to win government grants for your small business. Our in-depth eBook is the single most valuable resource you will find that helps small business owners to truly understand how to win government grants. Follow the link to get your copy of the Guide to Winning Grants.
Is my business eligible for Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
Eligible applicants must:
- be a startup that is scalable:
- ‘Startup’ is defined as an early stage, innovative or disruptive business that is scalable and working on a new or novel product, service or has a different business model.
- ‘Scalable’ is defined as a startup which can grow quickly and has the potential to address large national and international markets such as entering new markets, sales or organisation.
- be a female founded startup that is at least 51 per cent owned and led by women, as per the Australian Business Register (ABR), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and/or organisational records by: sole trader registration; partnership agreement; equity, beneficiaries or shares; officeholders / trustees
- have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
- have a combined annual turnover of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to the lodgement of the application
- be one of the following entities:
- an entity incorporated in Australia
- a partnership
- a sole trader
- trust or trustees.
You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- an unincorporated association
- a not for profit organisation
- a registered charity
- a Commonwealth, State, Territory or local government body (including government business enterprises)
- a previous recipient of grant funds through the Boosting Female Founders Initiative.
What additional requirements ensure my eligibility for funding from the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
Eligible projects
To be considered a startup which is scalable, at least two of the following indicators of innovation and high growth must apply:
- You are applying to register, or have registered intellectual property rights
- You have registered for, and are undertaking eligible research and development activities for the Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) scheme
- You are applying for, or have been granted, required regulatory approval for your product, process or service
- You have attracted third party investment
- You have a minimum viable product that has been tested with customers, is ready for market, or for which you have had first sales
- You have completed or are undertaking an accelerator or incubator program that provides time-limited support for entrepreneurs with a startup
- You have a written agreement to co-develop and commercialise an innovation with:
- An institution or body listed in Schedule 1 to the Higher Education Funding Act 1988, or
- An entity registered as a Research Service Provider under section 29A of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.
- You would meet the early-stage innovation company (ESIC) requirements under the Tax Incentives for Early Stage Investors scheme
- You have been incorporated or registered with the Australian Business Register within the last five years.
What activities are eligible for funding from the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
Eligible activities can include, but are not limited to:
- launching and scaling products and/or services
- developing and marketing software and apps
- development and marketing of products and/or services
- purchase of equipment specific to project to support growth
- expansion to other markets
- access to independent management (for example C-suite, advisory board)
- expanding management teams and/or establishing a board
- access to relevant professional development.
Other activities may be approved.
What expenditure is eligible for support from the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
For guidance on eligible expenditure, see Appendix A in the guidelines.
For guidance on ineligible expenditure, see Appendix B in the guidelines.
Eligible expenditure may include:
- direct labour costs of employees you directly employ on the core elements of the project and on-costs to 30% of the total eligible labour costs. The maximum claimable salary for an employee, director or shareholder, including packaged components, is $175,000 per financial year.
- eligible contract expenditure for agreed activities that you contract others to do
- eligible domestic and overseas travel limited to the reasonable cost of accommodation and transport required to conduct agreed project and collaboration activities in Australia and in cases where the overseas travel is material to the conduct of the project in Australia
- costs of acquiring technology including servers or machines to support scalability of your business
- reasonable fit out expenditure directly and specifically related to the project
- staff training that directly supports the achievement of project outcomes
- financial auditing of project expenditure (only if requested by us)
- costs you incur in order to obtain planning, environmental or other regulatory approvals during the project period. However, associated fees paid to the Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments are not eligible
- contingency costs up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the eligible project costs. Note that we make payments based on actual costs incurred
- expenses additional to those routinely incurred during business-as-usual operations, directly attributable to the conduct of your project.
Not all expenditure on your project may be eligible for grant funding.
Examples of expenditure items that are not eligible include:
- research not directly supporting eligible activities
- activities, equipment or supplies that are already being supported through other sources
- costs incurred prior to us notifying you that the application is eligible and complete
- financing costs, including interest
- capital expenditure for the purchase of assets such as office furniture and equipment, motor vehicles, computers (excluding servers), printers or photocopiers and the construction, renovation or extension of facilities such as buildings and laboratories
- costs involved in the purchase or upgrade/hire of software (including user licences) and ICT hardware (unless it directly relates to the project)
- costs such as rental, renovations and utilities not specifically required for the project
- non-project-related staff training and development costs
- insurance costs (the participants must effect and maintain adequate insurance or similar coverage for any liability arising as a result of its participation in funded activities)
- debt financing
- costs related to obtaining resources used on the project, including interest on loans, job advertising and recruiting, and contract negotiations
- depreciation of plant and equipment beyond the life of the project
- maintenance costs
- costs of purchasing, leasing, depreciation of, or development of land
- opportunity costs relating to any production losses due to allocating resources to the agreed grant project
- routine, ongoing operational expenses, including communications, accommodation, office computing facilities, printing and stationery, postage, legal and accounting fees and bank charges, which you would normally be liable for outside of your project
- costs related to preparing the grant application, preparing any project reports (except costs of independent audit reports we require) and preparing any project variation requests
- travel or overseas costs that exceed 10 per cent of total project costs except where otherwise approved by the Program Delegate.
How do you apply for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
You can apply for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3: Stage One when it opens on 6 May by using the secure online portal for business.gov.au
Click the ‘Book a Discovery Call’ button now to schedule a no-obligation virtual meeting if you need assistance.
What information do I need to prepare for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program registration?
The following information must be prepared and submitted with your EOI (Stage One):
- project description, key activities and expected outcomes
- project budget
- a signed declaration that your startup is at least 51 per cent female founded (majority owned and led by women)
- evidence to meet the additional requirements for your claim for a higher grant percentage (if applicable, refer section 7.1.1 of the guidelines).
The following additional information must be prepared and submitted with your Grant application (Stage Two) if invited:
- evidence to support your source of funding
- pitch deck (a PDF or PowerPoint presentation, max 10 slides)
- link to a video pitch from your CEO/founder to support your response to the assessment criteria
- company’s profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow statements for the current year, and three years past where applicable
- your business plan, and how you will measure the success of the project
- where applicable, a copy of your shareholder register
- trust deed (where applicable).
What is the assessment criteria and process for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program registration?
Applications will be assessed against the following Assessment Criteria:
| Expression of Interest (EOI) (Stage One) | ||
| Ref | Criteria | Weighting |
| 1 | How grant funding will help you to scale-up, expand into domestic and/or global markets | 40% |
| 2 | Capacity, capability and resources to grow | 30% |
| 3 | Impact of grant funding | 30% |
| Grant application (Stage Two) – by invitation only | ||
| Ref | Criteria | Weighting |
| 1 | How grant funding will help you to overcome barriers to scaling, expanding into domestic and/or global markets and becoming self-sufficient | 30% |
| 2 | Capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project | 40% |
| 3 | Impact of grant funding | 30% |
Refer to the EOI sample application and Grant sample application for more details of each assessment criteria.
Do you need assistance applying for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program?
Is your business eligible for the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program opportunity?
Or maybe you aren’t sure and want to know more?
There’s a lot to keep in mind whenever you apply for a grant, and ultimately, whatever approach you take, the process is going to be time consuming. These tips are based on some of the methods we use at GrantHelper, and they will help you create a stronger application, but there’s no getting away from the workload, whether you do it yourself, or choose to use a grant writing service.
Click the ‘Book a Discovery Call’ button now to schedule a no-obligation virtual meeting with an experienced government grants consultant. Or make an enquiry by filling in the form below. You can also call 0409 478 850 for a no obligation discussion. We’re here to help your business better understand grants, submit your best possible application, and get you in the winners’ circle.
Whatever kind of business you operate—or want to in future—there’s a grant opportunity out there that could make a big difference for you. But winning grants takes a lot of time, and that’s time we know many small business owners just don’t have. GrantHelper works with businesses of all sizes, helping them apply for and win game-changing government funding.
Want more insights on how to increase your chances of success?
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I want to learn more about the Boosting Female Founders Initiative Round 3 Program
Check out the previous rounds’ recipients:
