Funding up to $5 million through participating banks, with larger zero-interest loans available directly from the NRFC to support manufacturers and logistics businesses facing disruption.
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What is the Economic Resilience Program (ERP)?
The Economic Resilience Program (ERP) provides zero-interest loans to eligible Australian manufacturing and logistics businesses affected by significant market disruption.
The $1 billion program is delivered through the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), with loans provided by participating banks or directly by the NRFC.
- Support targets critical supply chains, including freight, fuel, fertiliser and plastics.
- Loans can help businesses manage disruption or strengthen Australia’s strategic and economic resilience.
- All funding is repayable.
Economic Resilience Program level of support
Funding amount
- Total program funding: $1 billion.
- Bank-administered loans: no minimum loan amount; maximum $5 million per business across all ERP bank facilities.
- NRFC-administered loans: more than $5 million, with no published maximum loan amount.
- Businesses may seek additional bank funding after an initial loan, subject to the combined $5 million limit and application requirements.
- Loan approval and the amount offered depend on eligibility and lender assessment.
Co-contribution
- No fixed co-contribution amount or matching-funding percentage is specified.
- Applicants must repay the loan principal and meet applicable lender fees and conditions.
- Security and any additional financing requirements should be confirmed with the lender.
Loan terms
- Bank-administered loans provide a zero-interest period of up to two years from first drawdown.
- The principal must be repaid within that period unless the bank agrees to a longer commercial loan arrangement.
- Commercial interest may apply beyond the two-year zero-interest period.
- NRFC-administered repayment terms are tailored to individual business needs.
- Standard bank fees and charges may apply.
Economic Resilience Program objectives
- Help manufacturers and logistics businesses respond to material market disruption.
- Support continuity and recovery in critical Australian supply chains.
- Reduce the impact of sharp increases in fuel and other input costs.
- Maintain and strengthen domestic industrial capability.
- Support national economic security and resilience.
- Enable key manufacturers to increase production of essential supply-chain products.
Projects and expenditure eligible for Economic Resilience Program support
Bank-administered funding
- Increased operating costs caused by material market disruption.
- Sharp increases in fuel or related input costs.
- Business continuity or recovery following supply-chain disruption.
- Eligible purposes financed through new overdrafts, term loans, revolving facilities or working capital facilities.
NRFC-administered funding
- Costs incurred because of market disruption.
- Recovery from economic damage caused by market disruption.
- Increased production of critical products, including fuel, food, fertiliser and plastics.
Ineligible expenditure and uses
- Refinancing existing loans under the bank-administered program.
- Property development or building works unrelated to eligible production or logistics.
- Coal or natural gas extraction.
- Pipeline infrastructure primarily supporting natural gas extraction.
- Native forest logging.
- Card-based credit products under the bank-administered program.
- Spending outside the approved qualifying purpose.
Other Economic Resilience Program important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Economic Resilience Program support
Bank-administered loans
- Australian entities with a valid Australian Business Number.
- Businesses primarily operating in Australia.
- Manufacturing or logistics businesses in eligible industries.
- Businesses whose majority activity falls within an approved ANZSIC industry code.
- Businesses materially affected by market disruption.
- Businesses aligned with at least one NRFC priority investment area.
- Businesses seeking no more than $5 million across ERP bank facilities.
- Businesses meeting the participating lender’s credit requirements.
NRFC-administered loans
- Businesses seeking loans above $5 million or otherwise outside the bank-administered parameters.
- Eligible manufacturers and logistics businesses affected by disruption or supporting national industrial resilience.
- Businesses meeting relevant NRFC eligibility, investment and financing requirements.
- Applicants should confirm their industry classification against the NRFC’s published eligible ANZSIC codes.
Economic Resilience Program assessment criteria
Applications are assessed against eligibility, funding-purpose, disruption-evidence and credit requirements. No percentage weightings are published.
1. Applicant and industry eligibility
- Confirm Australian operations, ABN and eligible manufacturing or logistics activities.
- Demonstrate that the majority of business activity falls within approved industry codes.
- Establish alignment with NRFC priorities and avoid prohibited activities.
2. Eligible funding purpose
- Explain precisely how the loan will be used.
- Connect proposed spending to disruption, continuity or recovery.
- For direct NRFC funding, explain any proposed increase in critical production capacity.
- Exclude refinancing and other prohibited uses from bank-funded expenditure.
3. Evidence of material market disruption
- Demonstrate significant input-cost increases, changed trading terms or supply shortages.
- Explain cancelled, reduced or deferred orders and disruption-related demand reductions.
- Show increased short-term financing needs or reduced production capacity.
- Explain additional costs from retooling, accelerated capital spending or supply-chain relocation.
- Support claims with invoices, quotes, fuel accounts, demand notices or customer attestations.
4. Credit assessment and due diligence
- Satisfy the lender’s usual credit assessment and due diligence requirements.
- Provide financial information sufficient to assess the proposed debt.
- Establish how repayments will be funded.
- Confirm any security and other loan conditions with the lender.
5. NRFC-administered proposal
- Explain the business’s operations, management experience and funding needs.
- Describe disruption impacts and proposed use of the loan proceeds.
- Provide the requested loan term, repayment structure and proposed security.
- Supply financial results and existing debt information for NRFC assessment.
- Direct NRFC loans are considered individually; no separate weighted scoring framework is published for this pathway.
How do I get the Economic Resilience Program support?
Applicants should demonstrate:
- A clear fit with eligible manufacturing or logistics activities.
- Material disruption supported by credible evidence.
- A specific and eligible use for the requested funding.
- A loan amount proportionate to the documented business need.
- Sufficient financial capacity to meet repayment obligations.
- Alignment with Australia’s industrial capability and supply-chain resilience.
- Compliance with lender requirements and prohibited-use restrictions.
- Accurate business, financial and supporting information.
Information to prepare for the Economic Resilience Program support
- ABN, legal entity details and Australian operating locations.
- Industry classification and evidence of the business’s main activities.
- Overview of operations and management experience.
- Explanation and evidence of market disruption.
- Itemised proposed use of funding.
- Requested loan amount, term and repayment structure.
- Financial statements and cashflow information requested by the lender.
- For the NRFC enquiry, revenue, EBIT and net profit for the latest completed and preceding financial years.
- Current banking relationships and outstanding debt facilities.
- Proposed security and assets available as collateral, where relevant.
- Evidence supporting repayment capacity.
Applying for the Economic Resilience Program support
Applications will be submitted directly to a participating bank for loans up to $5 million, or via the NRFC’s online enquiry form for loans above $5 million.
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Economic Resilience Program resources
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