The Regional Job Creation Fund (RJCF) Round 3 provides opportunity for existing businesses to diversify into new markets and innovate in regional NSW.
Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: From $100,000 to $10,000,000
- Application opened: 13 January 2023
- Application closes: 6 March 2023, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The $100 million Regional Job Creation Fund (RJCF) Round 3 will support existing regional NSW businesses, or those seeking to relocate to regional NSW as they adapt to technological change, meet evolving supply chain distribution demands and leverage their strengths to drive ongoing productivity and regional economic development.
Funded projects will create and maintain regional jobs, diversify regional economies, and provide skills, and training opportunities, including for young people, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals and people with disability.
This investment will lead to more sustainable employment and stronger and more resilient regional economies.
Under Round 3, grants will range from $100,000 to $10,000,000 to help businesses create and retain jobs, including for young people and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals and people with disability, to support ongoing economic prosperity in regional NSW.
This round will involve a two-stage application process. The first, an Expression of Interest (EOI) which is to be completed using the SmartyGrants Portal. All EOIs will be assessed against the Eligibility and Assessment criteria and suitable projects will be invited to progress to Stage 2.
Stage 2 of the application process is the completion of a Detailed Application where further project information is required. Only Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a Detailed Application.
Unsuccessful Applicants will be informed in writing from 8 May 2023.
This program is administered by Department of Regional NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible to apply for funding, applicants must:
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be one of the following:
- a company incorporated in Australia
- a company incorporated by guarantee
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- an incorporated association or co-operative
- a partnership
- a sole trader
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.
- be registered for GST
- be financially viable and able to demonstrate that they are likely to remain so over the duration of the project
- have at least $20 million public liability insurance or be able to secure before entering into a Funding Deed if successful.
Applicants can be based internationally, interstate or in metropolitan or regional NSW. International businesses will need to have an ABN, to be registered for GST, have at least $20 million in public liability insurance and be an eligible entity (as listed above), to enter into a Funding Deed if they are successful.
Joint Applicants
Applicants can submit a joint application, but a lead applicant will need to be nominated. If the application is successful, the lead applicant will enter into the funding deed and be responsible for delivering the project.
The lead applicant must complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) application form and identify all other joint applicants in the application. If invited to submit a Detailed Application, a letter of support from each organisation listed in the grant application is required.
Each letter of support should include:
- details of the joint applicant
- an overview of how the joint applicant will work with the lead applicant and any other joint applicants (if applicable) involved in the project
- an outline of the relevant experience and/or expertise the partner organisation will bring to the project
- the roles/responsibilities of the joint applicant and the resources they will contribute
- the amount and source of any co-contribution to the project (if applicable)
- details of a nominated contact for the joint applicant (at the management level).
Who can’t apply
Ineligible applicants include:
- Australian or NSW Government agencies, State Owned Corporations or statutory authorities
- Local Government Areas or their Section 355 Committees
- organisations that do not have an ABN or are unable to obtain an ABN to enter into a Funding Deed
- unincorporated associations
- other unincorporated organisations
- businesses that are insolvent
Ineligible entities (except for insolvent companies) can be part of a joint application, but not the lead applicant.
Businesses whose primary operation is in the following industries are not eligible for funding:
- hospitality, except where a proposal is unique to the existing market and considered regionally significant and/or iconic (for example, a brewery expansion focused on production enabling out of state sales, with a small hospitality element such as a kitchen/bar)
- retail
- localised trades
- healthcare, childcare, and social services
- residential housing construction that only serves the immediate local or regional community of the applicant
- waste services, except where a proposal is providing unique services, such as an un-serviced or underserviced waste stream, and where the project provides services beyond the local or regional area
- abattoirs, except where the project is to increase value-adding or diversification of product ranges, or processes unique livestock types and is not expected to have a significant impact on the livestock supply chain of other NSW businesses
- administrative services that serve only the local or regional community.
The Department of Regional NSW, at its sole discretion, may take any other factors into account to determine that a business is ineligible for funding. These factors include but are not limited to:
- personal or business issues that could cause reputational or other risk to the NSW Government
- poor past performance of the applicant or key project personnel.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Eligible projects could include the:
- replacement, upgrade or adaptation of plant and equipment including technology or energy efficiency upgrades
- establishment of an additional production line for an existing regional NSW business
- onshoring in a regional NSW location of activity currently done overseas
- development of new regionally significant and/or iconic tourism experiences and visitor attractions creating new inter-state or international demand in the region (without impacting other NSW tourism businesses)
- relocating or expanding a business operation from out-of-state or internationally to regional NSW
What can’t you apply for
Ineligible projects include:
- projects located in Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Wollondilly), and Newcastle or Wollongong LGAs
- projects funding the day-to-day operations of an organisation not related to an eligible program or focusing primarily on marketing and promotion of the organisation
- projects requiring ongoing funding from the NSW Government
- projects not aligned to the objective of the Regional Job Creation Fund
- projects that have already received NSW Government or other funding for the same outputs and outcomes.
- projects that have already commenced prior to an offer of grant funding being made for the scope requested in the application
- projects that will have significant negative competitive impacts on other NSW businesses legitimately competing in the same market and/or competing for resources in the NSW supply chains.
Competitive Impacts
The provision of financial assistance to businesses will require consideration of the impact on NSW competitors and NSW supply chains. Competition issues will be reviewed as part of the assessment process to avoid advantaging or disadvantaging businesses legitimately competing in the same market.
The Assessment Panel, at its sole discretion, may determine that a business is ineligible for funding if the provision of government financial assistance will have a significant negative impact on NSW competition and NSW supply chains.
How to apply
RJCF Round 3 applications are a two-stage process. An Expression of Interest followed by a Detailed Application.
Expression of Interest (EOI)
- All applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest using the SmartyGrants portalduring the EOI application period.
- Expression of Interest applications open 9am (AEDT) Friday 13 January 2023
- Online Information Session for applicants at 2pm (AEDT) Monday 30 January
- Expression of Interest applications close 5pm (AEDT) Monday 6 March 2023
- An assessment panel will review all EOI applications for eligibility.
- The assessment process will take approximately eight weeks from submission
- Successful EOI applicants will be invited via email to submit a Detailed Application as part of Stage Two.
- Unsuccessful EOI applicants will be notified in writing from 8 May 2023.
Detailed Application
- Detailed applications open by invitation only from Monday 8 May 2023
- Successful applicants will be invited to submit a Detailed Application through a SmartyGrants link provided by email from the Regional Job Creation Fund team.
- Detailed applications close 5pm (AEST) Monday 26 June 2023
- Detailed Applications will be assessed by a dedicated assessment panel
- Notification of assessment outcome: Monday 9 October 2023 or as soon as possible after a decision has been made at the NSW Government’s discretion.
What your application needs to include
The EOI stage provides an initial entry point for organisations seeking funding under RJCF. Applicants may submit more than one EOI for eligible projects.
Applications to RJCF Round 3 must include the following documents for Stage 1 or Expression of Interest Stage:
- organisation eligibility details as listed on page 7 of the Guidelines (PDF 5.85MB), primary activities of the organisation, industry sector, business ownership structure and project contact details
- financial statements (trading, profit & loss statements and balance sheets) for three continuous years starting from the latest available year or other evidence of financial viability if statements are not available (for example a signed statement from an external accountant and shareholder financial statements where available).
- a short description of:
- project scope and proposed use of the grant, including the aim, objectives, deliverables/outputs, timeframes for delivery, and location
- proposed governance arrangements to manage the project
- organisation’s experience in delivering projects similar in scope and scale to the proposed project
- (if applicable) status of any permissions or approvals relevant to the project or pathway to achieve all relevant permissions and approvals within the proposed project timeframe, for example development approval, landowner’s consent, other regulatory approvals such as Therapeutics Goods Administration approvals
- key competitors in the industry, including whether the project will be competing against out-of-state goods and services, or substituting out of state inputs in the production process or supply chain, or primarily competing against other NSW businesses for markets or supplies
- a short description of the project’s expected benefits, including:
- expected share of project revenue from interstate or international sales at full capacity
- how the project will contribute to employment and training outcomes for young people, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals and people with disability
- other expected benefits
- project budget including:
- estimated total cost of the project
- grant amount requested
- cash co-contribution amount and source
- estimate of the number of new and retained FTE jobs created by the project
All EOIs must be submitted online via the EOI Application Form in the SmartyGrants portal.
EOIs must be submitted with all required documentation prior to the closing date and time specified in these Guidelines (PDF 5.85MB) to be eligible for further assessment. Acceptance of late submissions will be at the sole discretion of DRNSW.
EOIs must meet the Eligibility Criteria and demonstrate compliance with the Assessment Criteria outlined in the guidelines to be considered suitable for progression to the Detailed Application stage.
An EOI that is unable to meet all Eligibility Criteria at the time of application may be considered suitable for progression to the Detailed Application stage at the sole discretion of DRNSW. To be considered, the applicant must be able to provide supporting evidence for why their EOI application should be considered despite being unable to meet the requirements.
Applications for Stage 2, Detailed Application, are by invitation only and will not be accepted if an EOI has not been submitted. Please visit the Guidelines (PDF 5.85MB) for more information on the Detailed Application stage.
Documents that will be required for Stage 2 or Detailed Application are as follows:
- any updates to the information provided in the EOI such as organisation details, project scope, proposed use of the grant, governance arrangements, financial statements, etc
- detailed Project Plan which includes a detailed scope and identifies all elements of the project (template provided)
- completed data sheet (template provided) which includes:
- a detailed budget identifying all project costs including contingency
- information required for calculation of quantifiable benefits including incremental business revenue and costs from the project, incremental wages, intermediate input costs, profit margin, incremental employment from the project, and share of employment from unemployed or disadvantaged groups.
- business plan or other supporting documents explaining the underlying assumptions across the project’s lifecycle (demand, sales channels, value proposition and risks), for example:
- justification for undertaking the project
- evaluation of the costs, benefits, risks and assumptions of alternative options to deliver the project
- financial analysis to demonstrate the project is financially feasible and supports the information provided in the Data Sheet
- commercial analysis to identify the preferred procurement and delivery strategy management analysis to demonstrate the preferred option can be successfully delivered (governance, resourcing, schedule, risk, benefits, change etc).
- cost estimates and/or quotes (dated in the previous six months) and technical documents supporting the detailed budget and project plan
- evidence of at least $20 million in public liability insurance or be able to secure it before entering into a Funding Deed if successful
- signed Probity Declaration Form
- experience in delivering projects similar in scope and scale to the project or otherwise demonstrates capability and capacity to deliver the project
- evidence of project readiness, including status of development applications, landowner’s consent and/or regulatory approvals where required or applicable
- confirmation of co-contribution to the project, including from the applicant, partners and other sources, that demonstrates to DRNSW that the applicant has sufficient funds available for the required co-contribution amount (for example, bank statements, shareholders financial statements, loan documentation or financial approvals)
- details of other expected benefits of the project and how they will be measured, including how the project aligns with NSW Government strategic priorities.
The level of information provided should be proportional to the scale and complexity of the project. Applications with insufficient evidence or detail will be disadvantaged in the assessment process.
For more information about the Regional Job Creation Fund Round 3, including key dates, eligibility, funding streams and assessment criteria, please see the Program Guidelines. (PDF 5.85MB)
For Expression of Interest
- RJCF Round 3 Program Guidelines (PDF 5.85MB)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Application EOI checklist (DOCX 59.64KB)
- An information webinar will be held on 30 January at 2.00pm.
The Department of Regional NSW hosted an Online Information Session for the Regional Job Creation Fund Round Three on Monday 30 January at 2.00PM.
The session included an overview of the Guidelines (PDF 593.34KB), eligibility and assessment criteria and participants were able to ask questions about the program and the application process.
If you would like to revisit any aspects of the presentation, a recording of the session is now available.
Start the application
Expression of Interest applications for the Regional Job Creation Fund Round 3 are required to be completed and submitted using the Smarty Grants online portal.
EOI applications close at 5pm (AEDT) on Monday 6 March 2023.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their EOI from 8 May 2023, and successful applicants will be invited to progress to the Detailed Application (Stage 2) and provided information on how to apply for this stage.
After the application is submitted
The Department of Regional NSW will assess EOI applications against the Regional Job Creation Fund Eligibility and Assessment Criteria. During the assessment process, applicants may be asked to provide additional information. Advice may be sought from other NSW Government agencies, industry experts or other sources to assist in the assessment of projects. An Assessment Panel will be convened comprising representatives from the Department of Regional NSW, Investment NSW, Training Services NSW and an independent Probity Advisor. The Assessment Panel will consider the relative merits of each program against the Assessment Criteria, including if the program is suitable and recommended for funding. The Assessment Panel may recommend part-funding of programs if there is insufficient funding available for the whole program or where only a component of the program is considered suitable/eligible.
Applications who are assessed as suitable at the EOI stage, will be invited in writing to submit a Detailed Application.
Successful applicants will be notified via email and/or letter. Applicants may be requested to keep the grant confidential for a period if an announcement is likely to be made by the NSW Government.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application and will be provided with the opportunity to arrange a virtual feedback information session.
Support and contact
Department of Regional NSW staff are available to support you with the application process.
Phone: 1300 679 673