Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program

To be eligible for grant funding, an applicant must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be one of the following entity types:

• a company incorporated in Australia
• an incorporated association or co-operative
• a legally binding incorporated partnership
• Incorporated trustee of an Australian-based trust
• an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.

Applicants must:

• be registered for GST
• be able to demonstrate that they are financially viable by providing the most recent 2 years of financial statements
• hold or commit to obtaining Public Liability Insurance of not less than $20 million per occurrence prior to executing a funding deed with the department
• be a fit and proper person/legal entity
• not be insolvent, bankrupt or subject to ongoing legal proceedings
• declare in the application form that the applicant is not aware of any issues which could cause reputational or other risks to the NSW Government.

Projects must be located in one of the 95 regional NSW Local Government Areas, the Unincorporated Far West region or on Lord Howe Island (refer to Appendix A of the program guidelines for a detailed list of eligible locations).

Projects located in the Sydney metropolitan area are ineligible.

Applicants may submit a maximum of one application.

Location that are eligible include Albury City, Armidale Regional, Ballina, Balranald, Bathurst Regional, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Berrigan, Bland, Blayney, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Byron, Cabonne, Carrathool, Central Coast, Central Darling, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Coolamon, Coonamble, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional, Cowra, Dubbo Regional, Dungog, Edward River, Eurobodalla, Federation, Forbes, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume Shire, Griffith, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hay, Hilltops, Inverell, Junee, Kempsey, Kiama, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Leeton, Lismore, Lithgow City, Liverpool Plains, Lockhart, Lord Howe Island - Unincorporated Area, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Mid-Western Regional, Moree Plains, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Muswellbrook, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Narrandera, Narromine, Newcastle, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional, Richmond Valley, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro Regional, Snowy Valleys, Tamworth Regional, Temora, Tenterfield, Tweed, Unincorporated Far West, Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan Shire, Uralla, Wagga Wagga, Walcha, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, Weddin, Wentworth, Wingecarribee, Wollongong, Yass Valley

Eligible project examples include:

• Partnership between cotton gin and growers to purchase new equipment that enables better integration and improved efficiency
• Construction of new future fuels processing facility that enables scalability and ability to take product to market
• Purchase of equipment for juice processing and bottling facility that enables product to reach new export markets
• Production of new higher efficiency fertilisers that improve outputs and deliver improved environmental outcomes
• Installing new equipment that used bio-fuel technology that can be supplied to multiple users within a cooperative
• Installation of new hazelnut processing technology that reduces wastage and improves output for growers
• Equipment to increase production of new feed additives developed and designed to contribute towards reduced emissions in the beef sector
• Development of new packaging line for winery that will enable growth in demand for a new varietal
• Installation of essential equipment that enables the production and packaging of plant-based protein products or new crops.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate partnerships with growers and primary producers that will benefit from the project.

Eligible project costs include:

• construction costs for infrastructure development, expansion, upgrades, and/or the purchase of equipment and non-fixed assets
• up to 10% of costs from the grant funding requested towards project management and project assurance support, including employment of project managers either directly or through outsourcing to an external organisation
• up to 25% of costs from the grant funding requested towards project contingency to allow for any cost escalations
• the employment of staff or service providers to deliver the project.

Applicants should contact the department on regionaldevelopmenttrust@dpird.nsw.gov.au with any questions regarding the eligibility of certain costs prior to submitting an application.

Ineligible applicants include:

• individuals
• sole traders
• unincorporated associations
• Australian or NSW Government agencies, state owned corporations, or statutory authorities.

Applicants will be assessed as ineligible if they cannot provide sufficient evidence to meet the requirements of the eligible applicant criteria.

The following costs are ineligible for funding:

• any costs for works or improvements that are not directly related to delivering the project
• costs that are not essential to the success of the project
• costs relating to the purchase of mobile equipment including vehicles, boats, trailers, motorhomes, or other modes of transportation, with the exception of equipment or vehicles that are essential to the success of the project
• purchase of land or buildings
• financing, including interest and debt financing
• costs relating to depreciation of plant and equipment
• staff training costs not directly related to the project
• funding for ongoing staff or operational costs beyond the scope and timeframe of the funded project
• advertising costs, including marketing campaigns
• business cases, plans or strategies
• general maintenance, repairs or business as usual activity not directly related to the project
• retrospective costs for the project
• project management or contingency costs that exceed the eligibility requirements.

A project will be assessed as ineligible if: 

• it does not meet the compliance, eligibility and project feasibility criteria or provide information required to assess these criteria
• it is not located in an eligible LGA
• it does not meet the minimum and maximum funding amount requirements
• it has received funding from the NSW or Australian Government for any part of the project scope that duplicates deliverables to be funded by this program
• it has more than 50% of the funding request allocated to ineligible project costs
• it is for planning purposes only
• projects that would be considered business-as-usual activities and operations
• it requires ongoing funding from the NSW or Australian Government to be financially viable.

Eligible applicants must make a financial contribution towards the project of at least 50% of the total project cost.

Applicants will be required to provide evidence to demonstrate that:

• the required co-contribution of at least 50% is available as cash at the time of submitting an application
• project delivery or viability must not be dependent on co-contributions or other grant funding that has not been secured.

Financial contributions from other grants received from the Australian Government can be included, however grants from the NSW Government cannot be included in the required co-contribution amount.

Exemption from the mandatory contribution requirement will not be considered in any circumstances.

In-kind contributions

In-kind contributions may be included in addition to the minimum financial contribution, however they cannot be provided in place of or as part of the required financial contribution.