Small Business Grants WA 2026: What's Open Now

Grantsights' own grant tools cover United States funding only, so this page sells nothing to WA businesses, and every application link below goes to a government site. If you'd like to hear when Australian coverage is ready, leave your email on the Australia list.

WA Small Business Grants Open on 30 October 2026

Only 1 WA Government grant open on 30 October 2026 was available statewide to an ordinary small business, and it's a $2,000 rebate. Grantsights checked each program's own page against the SBDC's grants list and the DPIRD portal; here's everything we found, open and closed.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's grants portal also listed several narrower rounds as open: Cyclone Narelle Category B and Category D assistance (to 31 March 2027), the Building Better Aboriginal Business Bushfood Supply Chain Voucher round 2 (to 30 April 2027), the Gnangara Horticulture water use efficiency voucher (to 31 December 2026) and the Collie Futures Small Grant Program (to 30 June 2027). Read each round's guidelines on the portal before assuming you qualify.

What the "$20,000" Grants Actually Are

Two WA Government grant programs paid up to $20,000 to small businesses in the past year, and only one is open.

Cyclone Narelle recovery grants (open, up to $20,000). The WA Government activated this program after Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle and the flooding that followed in March 2026. According to the SBDC's program page (last updated 10 June 2026), it has two parts:

• Economic loss grants (Exmouth only): $10,000 or $20,000, depending on how many people you employ, for businesses directly connected to tourism that lost trade between 27 March and 10 April 2026 because of airport, road and accommodation closures. Bakeries, cafes, pubs, clubs, supermarkets, recreational goods retailers and laundry services to accommodation are among the examples given.
• Clean-up, repair and reinstatement grants: up to $20,000 for businesses with significant damage and out-of-pocket repair costs, including insurance excess, in Ashburton, Carnarvon, Exmouth and Upper Gascoyne.

You need fewer than 200 full-time equivalent staff at the time of the event, an active ABN and GST registration before the event, and (as a sole trader) more than 50% of your income from the business. National chains (other than franchises), super funds, personal investment vehicles and farm businesses (other than their retail outlets) can't apply, and you can't claim the same costs from another scheme such as the STC Narelle Tourism Business Support Package. Applications close at 5pm AWST on Monday 14 December 2026, and the SBDC advises submitting 24 to 48 hours early.

Local Capability Fund rounds (closed, up to $20,000). The 2025-26 Regional Supplier and Standards Compliance rounds each paid 50% of eligible costs up to $20,000. Both closed on 4 September 2025 and the fund's page says it's under review, so there's no date for another round.

The CCTV Rebate, Explained

The CCTV rebate is the only WA grant most shopfront businesses can apply for today. The WA Government's 6 October 2026 media statement (opens in a new tab) put $1.15 million into it, and applications opened on 19 October 2026. That's enough for at least 575 rebates at the full $2,000, and the SBDC splits the money 75% to metropolitan and 25% to regional applicants.

What you get. 50% of the cost (excluding GST) of a new or upgraded internal, hard-wired CCTV system, up to $2,000. The SBDC's own example: a $2,300 system earns a $1,150 rebate. The system needs at least one camera on the customer entrance and point of sale, 5-megapixel cameras, a 3-terabyte recorder, night recording, date and time stamps and USB export.

Who can apply. A WA business with fewer than 20 employees by headcount (owners and contractors aren't counted), an active ABN, GST registration and a physical shopfront, counter or reception where the public comes in: shops, service stations, cafes, salons, clinics, real estate agents, repairers and similar. Online-only, mobile, home-visit and home-based businesses can't apply.

How it works. Get a quote dated after 6 October 2026 from a licensed security installer or agent, apply for pre-approval on SmartyGrants, and don't install anything until you have the pre-approval email. Then install within 60 days, register the system on WA Police's Cam-Map WA and submit the completion form within 14 days. Your accountant or supplier can't apply for you.

The catch. Assessment is first come, and an incomplete application doesn't get a place in the queue. If the SBDC asks for more information, you have 5 working days. The SBDC's FAQ says a SmartyGrants waiting room manages high traffic, so expect to queue.

RED Grants Round 9 for Regional Businesses

RED Grants are the biggest WA grant a regional small business can apply for now, but they need real co-investment. The Minister's 27 October 2026 statement (opens in a new tab) made $5 million available in round 9 and said the program has supported 470 projects worth $50.3 million since 2018.

According to the Peel Round 9 guidelines (opens in a new tab) (dated 21 October 2026), applications opened on 27 October 2026 and close on 14 January 2027. The 9 Regional Development Commissions each run their own round: the DPIRD portal showed closing times of 5pm AWST in most regions, 3pm in the South West and 12 noon in the Great Southern. Grants go up to $250,000 a project, but the Great Southern Development Commission (opens in a new tab) offers up to $200,000.

Who can apply. Any legal entity with an ABN and an Australian bank account, which includes businesses. Government agencies, government trading enterprises, schools and hospitals can't.

What it takes. At least 50% of the project cost in cash from you, and other State Government money doesn't count toward it. Not-for-profits and Aboriginal-owned organisations may be considered case by case. Projects must create or sustain jobs, expand or diversify an industry, build skills, attract investment or raise productivity, and each region weights its own priorities (Peel favours manufacturing). Retrospective spending, running costs, existing salaries and overheads aren't funded.

How long it takes. Assessment and decisions can take up to 6 months, the Peel guidelines say, and the Minister approves the final list. Round 8 closed on 9 January 2026 and was announced on 14 April 2026. Grants over $50,000 need an independently audited final report.

The competition. The Kimberley Development Commission (opens in a new tab) reported that its round 7 drew 52 applications asking for $8,606,215, and that round 8 had $558,000 available for Kimberley projects. Most applicants will be disappointed, so talk to your commission before you apply, as the Peel guidelines ask you to.

Who Got WA Business Grants: Grantsights Analysis

The 2025-26 Local Capability Fund approved 236 grants worth $5,616,874 across its 5 rounds, according to Grantsights analysis of the recipient tables the WA Government publishes. The median grant was $20,000. The WA Government's January 2026 statement (opens in a new tab) put the 4 non-digital rounds at $3.15 million for 136 businesses; our row total for those 4 rounds is $3,135,913, with the same 136 businesses.

Grantsights analysis of the WA Government's Local Capability Fund recipients collection (opens in a new tab) on wa.gov.au, read 30 October 2026. Amounts are approved grants. The Digital Transformation round had 81 stream 1 grants ($1,661,146) and 19 stream 2 grants ($819,815).

The Digital Transformation round lists suburbs, not regions, so it's left out of this table. Its most common suburbs were Perth (15), Welshpool, West Perth, Malaga, Osborne Park and Wangara (5 each).

What the lists show:

Regional businesses got the $20,000 grants. Just over half of the 50 Regional Supplier grants (26) were for the full $20,000. Recipients were spread across all 9 regions, led by the South West (9 grants). For example, Agrisource Agencies received $20,000 in the Wheatbelt, Augusta Bakery Café $18,600 in the South West, Blue Ridge Marron $20,000 in the South West and Exmouth Bus Charter $7,319 in the Gascoyne. A case in point is Exmouth Bus Charter: a small Gascoyne operator can win here, but only when the fund is open.

Certification money stayed in Perth. Of 47 Standards Compliance grants, 43 went to metropolitan businesses, such as 4Rubber ($19,275). If you're a regional business chasing ISO or similar certification, few regional firms were funded, which suggests there's room for more regional applicants.

The biggest grants went to suppliers of big projects. The Supplying Key Projects and Aboriginal Business rounds both had medians close to $50,000. Asset Reliability Inspections in the Pilbara received $50,000 and Advance Laser Cutting in the South West $45,192 for supplying key projects, and Bilung Civil Contracting in the Goldfields-Esperance received $50,000 in the Aboriginal Business round.

Digital grants were a Perth story. The Digital Transformation round went mostly to metropolitan suburbs. RemSense Pty Ltd in Perth received $25,000 under stream 1, and SQP Engineering in Bibra Lake $50,000 under stream 2 for advanced technology.

The scale is small next to WA's business count. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, WA's number of businesses grew by 12,248 in 2025-26, the largest percentage increase of any state at 4.6%. A fund that approves a few hundred grants a year reaches a small fraction of them, so don't build a business plan around a grant. The LCF itself has supported more than 870 businesses with more than $30 million over 15 years, according to the January 2026 statement.

What the SBDC Doesn't Tell You

The SBDC is clear about each program, but a few things only show up when you compare its pages with other WA Government sources.

There's no general grant for small business right now, and the CCTV rebate isn't worth chasing unless you were buying cameras anyway. The CCTV rebate is open to any shopfront business, but it's worth at most $2,000. The Growth Grants closed in October 2025 and the LCF has been "under review" since its 2025-26 rounds closed. Neither page gives a date for another round, and a common mistake is lining up quotes for a round that may not open.

Success rates aren't published. None of the SBDC or DEED pages Grantsights read gave application numbers for the CCTV, Growth Grant or LCF rounds. The only competition figure available was the Kimberley Development Commission's RED round 7 count (52 applications asking for $8.6 million).

First-come rounds reward preparation, not quality. The CCTV rebate queues complete applications by submission time, and an invalid quote loses your place. Have the landlord's written consent, a compliant quote and your ABN details ready before you start.

Matched funding rules out cash-poor businesses. The CCTV rebate pays after you've installed and paid, RED Grants need at least 50% cash from you, and most LCF rounds paid 50% of costs. If you can't fund the whole project first, the grant won't help. It's also a red flag if anyone offers to sell you "exclusive" grant information; the SBDC says grant information is free to every business.

WA's business grants are scattered. The SBDC lists its own programs, DEED runs the LCF and innovation grants, DPIRD and the 9 commissions run RED Grants, and the cyclone money comes from DFES through the SBDC. The SBDC points business owners to the Australian Government's business.gov.au grants finder (opens in a new tab), which searches federal, state and local government grants in one place; it's the only single search across them.

Who Shouldn't Apply (and Better Routes)

A brand-new WA business has no state grant to apply for. Nothing open on 30 October 2026 pays start-up costs, and even the closed Growth Grants asked for at least 1 full-time equivalent employee and an ABN held since 1 January 2024. Your best bet is the SBDC's free business advisory service (opens in a new tab) on 133 140 and its workshops instead.

If you're a technology business doing experimental development, the federal R&D Tax Incentive is a tax offset rather than a grant, and it's open all year; read the R&D Tax Incentive guide. If you're a not-for-profit or community group in country WA, business grants are the wrong place: the FRRR grants guide covers rural community grants of up to $25,000, and the Community Grants Hub guide covers federal community rounds.

For comparison with other states, the Queensland small business grants guide has a similar security grant, the NSW guide shows the same pattern of few general grants, and the Victoria guide covers Victorian programs.

How to Apply for a WA Small Business Grant

Most WA business grants run on SmartyGrants and follow the same 5 steps.

1. Check eligibility on the program page. Confirm your ABN, GST registration and headcount, and use the SBDC's regional service map if a metro or regional split applies.
2. Get valid quotes first. The CCTV rebate needs a quote dated after 6 October 2026 with the installer's licence number; RED Grants need costed project budgets showing your 50% cash.
3. Register on SmartyGrants with a shared business email, and upload documents to SmartyFile before the round opens.
4. Submit and keep the confirmation email. Without the automated confirmation, the SBDC treats the application as not received.
5. Don't spend before approval. The CCTV rebate requires pre-approval, and RED Grants won't pay for anything spent before the grant agreement is signed.

For questions, the SBDC grants team is at grants@smallbusiness.wa.gov.au, and RED Grants applicants should call their Regional Development Commission first.

Sources Checked

All pages read on 30 October 2026.

• Small Business Development Corporation, Grants administered by the SBDC (opens in a new tab) (updated 6 October 2026), Business grants (opens in a new tab) and CCTV Rebate (opens in a new tab) (updated 19 October 2026)
• Small Business Development Corporation, Small and Medium Business Recovery Support Program (opens in a new tab) (updated 10 June 2026), Small Business Growth Grants (opens in a new tab), Metro eligibility criteria (opens in a new tab), Regional eligibility criteria (opens in a new tab), Growth Grants FAQs (opens in a new tab) and Electricity Bill Relief Program (opens in a new tab)
• WA Government media statements: Rebates for small businesses to improve workplace security (opens in a new tab) (6 October 2026), RED Grants to drive jobs and economic growth across regional WA (opens in a new tab) (27 October 2026) and Local business grants creating quality jobs and opportunities for WA (opens in a new tab) (16 January 2026)
• Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, Local Capability Fund (opens in a new tab), Key rounds and dates (opens in a new tab), Local Capability Fund: Recipients (opens in a new tab) and the 5 linked 2025-26 recipient pages, and New Industries and Innovation Fund grants (opens in a new tab) (updated 8 April 2026)
• DPIRD grants portal on SmartyGrants (dpird.smartygrants.com.au), current rounds list and South West RED Grants Round 9 page
• Peel Development Commission, RED Grants program (opens in a new tab) and Round 9 guidelines (opens in a new tab); Pilbara Development Commission RED Grants (opens in a new tab); Kimberley Development Commission RED Grants (opens in a new tab); Great Southern Development Commission RED Grant (opens in a new tab)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2022 to June 2026 (opens in a new tab)
• Australian Government, business.gov.au grants and programs finder (opens in a new tab)