Industry and Economic Development Fund

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be based within the boundaries of the Cairns Regional Council Local Government area;
• be a properly constituted not-for-profit organisation that has the majority of its members living/based in the Cairns Regional Council Local Government area; and
• have a valid public liability certificate to a value considered appropriate with regard to the organisation’s operations.

and provide Council with:

• the organisation's previous two years financial statements (as submitted to the Office of Fair Trading) or the latest treasurer's report covering previous 24 months;
• evidence of the organisation’s current bank balance at the time of application;
• copy of Public Liability Certificate;
• proof of your not-for-profit organisation status;
• a three-year financial forecast;
• details of all other external funding (e.g. Approved or application pending); and
• a budget for the project detailing how Council's proposed contribution to the project (and contributions from others) will be spent.

The project must be for:

• a discretely identifiable project;
• a project resulting in clear development outcomes for a particular industry/ies and/or must result in clear positive impacts for economic growth and/or economic diversification for the Cairns region; and
• a project that is consistent with and complementary to Council's Economic Development Strategy.

Applicants must not:

• must not be an individual;
• must not be a political group or political organisation;
• must not be a discriminatory group or discriminatory organisation;
• must not have outstanding Council grants that have not been acquitted within the required timeframes or Council grants that have not previously been satisfactorily acquitted;
• must not have overdue outstanding payments to Council for rents, rates, fees, council guarantor loan repayments etc; or
• must not be an organisation that own, lease, manage or operate premises with poker machines.

Applications must not be for:

• ongoing salaries/wages for staff however if a position is created for the length of a project, funding may be
• considered;
• recurrent costs associated with day-to-day operations of the organisation/group;
• items/programs that are the core business of a Government Department;
• projects involving the construction of infrastructure or purchase of capital equipment; or
• training.

1. The application will be prepared by the applicant using the appropriate Application Form whilst liaising with liaising with Council’s Economic Development Team. By signing the application, applicants will be agreeing to the Funding Agreement terms and conditions in line with the Community Grants Policy and Industry and Economic Development Fund Grant Policy. Application’s must be lodged prior to the project date and allow time for the approval process.
2. The completed application will be submitted by the applicant to the Council Grants email address.
3. Applications will be received and collated by the Business Support Team. After the application is received, the Business Support Team will acknowledge receipt of application.
4. Applications will be reviewed by the Business Support Team to determine eligibility as per the Community Grants Policy.
5. The application will be submitted for assessment to the Economic Development Unit. Recommendations will be submitted to the full Council for approval or rejection. This process may take up to two months to complete so please factor that in to your project timeline.
6. Economic Development Team will inform applicant of the approval or rejection of their application once final decision has been made.
7. The Business Support Team will complete arrangements for successful applications.

Grant recipients will be required to acquit the assistance received within two months of the completion of the project and will be required to provide:

• proof that the project took place;
• proof of project revenue and expenditure (IEDF monies and other contributions, copy of receipts);
• proof of the acknowledgment of Council assistance; and
• an evaluation report demonstrating the success or otherwise of the project relative to its initial objectives including evidence to support these statements.

Successful grant recipients will be required to:

• submit an invoice for the agreed amount or agree to an Recipient Created Tax Invoice (RCTI);
• complete the project within 12 months of the approval date;
• funds will be paid as a 75% instalment upon commencement of the project, with a final 25% instalment paid upon evidence of the completion of agreed milestones;
• submit the agreed grant acquittal documents within the agreed time-frame (as specified in the funding agreement) to demonstrate that the grant has been utilised for the intended purpose;
• Applicant will reimburse Council with any unspent Grant funding. Council will issue an invoice to your organisation if applicable at the time of acquittal report assessment;
• conduct a risk assessment and obtain Public Liability Insurance cover;
• ensure that all relevant permits, permissions and statutory and legislative requirements are met; and
• understand that no changes to the approved project will be made without the prior agreement of Council.