Business Grants in Western Australia: A Guide for Founders and Small Business Owners

Western Australia's grant landscape runs from small matched-funding grants for established local businesses through to six-figure innovation grants, with a layer of federal programmes sitting on top of both. Knowing which business grants are available in Western Australia and which one fits your stage of growth, gives founders and small business owners a real head start over competitors who are still working this out from scratch.

This guide walks through the main small business grants WA has on offer in 2026, who each one is built for and how to put together an application to increase your chances of successful application.

Why WA Businesses Have a Strong Case for Grant Funding

Western Australia's economy is actively diversifying with the state government's Diversify WA framework is directing substantial money toward innovation, new industries and SME capability building. 

The New Industries and Innovation Fund, a A$40 million commitment running from 2025 to 2029, funds the innovation-focused grants aimed at startups and scaling SMEs. 

The Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) administers the grant aimed at more established small businesses that need to invest in core capability rather than product innovation.

On top of these two region specific grants, there are also Federal programmes that a WA business can access even if they have already used a state grant.

The Main Business Grants Available in Western Australia

Here’s a quick look at what is available at a glance.

Small Business Growth Grants (SBDC)

The Small Business Growth Grants programme helps established WA small businesses invest in professional services they might not otherwise have the budget to develop. It is a straightforward matched funding grant, which makes it the most accessible of the three state programmes.

Funding Available: Up to A$10,000, matched dollar-for-dollar by the business.

Administered By: Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), on behalf of the WA Government.

Who It's For: Established small businesses that need outside professional expertise rather than product innovation funding.

What It Covers:

• Strategic business planning
• Digital marketing
• Financial planning
• People management
• Governance, procurement and risk

Eligibility Criteria:

• Held an ABN and been registered for GST continuously since on or before 1 January 2024
• Australia-wide annual payroll under A$4 million
• Between one and 20 full-time equivalent staff, including owners and directors

Innovation Booster Grant (IBG)

The Innovation Booster Grant funds the work of getting an early-stage innovation market-ready. Rather than covering general business costs, it exists for founders with a product or technology that needs refining, testing and validating.

Funding Available: Up to A$50,000 per application, for projects completed within 12 months.

Administered By: Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED), funded through the A$40 million New Industries and Innovation Fund (2025 to 2029).

Who It's For: Early-stage founders, innovative SMEs and startups commercialising a product, service or technology.

What It Covers:

• Refining or testing a prototype
• Protecting the intellectual property behind an innovation
• Validating a technology
• Securing certification the market requires

Matched Funding:

• 15 per cent for businesses headquartered in regional WA, First Nations-founded businesses and female-founded businesses
• 20 per cent for all other applicants

Commercialisation Bridge Grant (CBG)

The Commercialisation Bridge Grant is built for a later stage than the IBG. It exists for businesses that already have a working, validated product and need funding to bridge the gap between early commercialisation and scalable, sustainable revenue.

Funding Available: Up to A$250,000, increased from A$200,000 in 2025.

Administered By: Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED), also funded through the New Industries and Innovation Fund.

Who It's For: Innovation-driven SMEs and startups with a validated product moving toward scalable revenue.

What It Covers:

• Strengthening a commercialised product or service into a sustainable, scalable business
• Building a globally-focused business based in WA
• Creating jobs and supporting the diversification of the WA economy

Matched Funding:

• 25 per cent for businesses headquartered in regional WA, First Nations-founded businesses and female-founded businesses
• 35 per cent for all other applicants

Federal Programmes

Besides state grants, a WA business can also look into exploring these federal programmes for extra funding.

• R&D Tax Incentive: A refundable tax offset for eligible companies with annual turnover under A$20 million, administered jointly by the ATO and AusIndustry. 
• Export Market Development Grants (EMDG): Austrade reimbursements for eligible export promotion expenses, relevant for any WA business with international growth ambitions.

The Right Base for a Grant-Funded Business

A business using grant funding to grow needs a workspace that can scale alongside it.

The Work Project's coworking space in Perth sits inside a Grade A address at 240 St Georges Terrace, giving WA founders and SMEs a premium CBD presence along with hospitality-inspired service and the kind of professional environment that supports the credibility a growing business needs, whether the immediate priority is hosting a first enterprise client or simply having somewhere reliable to work through the next stage of a grant-funded project.

For businesses establishing or formalising a Perth presence without yet needing a full physical footprint, a virtual office in Perth gives a registered CBD address and mail handling without the cost of space the business is not ready to use.

Book a tour of The Work Project's Perth location to see what a Grade A base looks like for a business that is ready to put grant funding to work.