The Queensland Government‘s Rural Economic Development Grants program has reached the 2000-job mark after investing over $12 million in four rounds since 2018.
The fifth round of grants is now accepting expressions of interest, with a total of $3.9 million in grants available.
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to help boost primary production industries and create good jobs in rural and regional communities.
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to help boost primary production industries and create good jobs in rural and regional communities.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the latest round, worth $3.9 million, will aid in creating good jobs, expanding agricultural supply chains, and providing economic benefits to rural communities.
“Since the first round in 2018, the RED Grant scheme has already delivered over $12 million in funding and created more than 2,562 good jobs in rural and regional areas to date,” Minister Furner stated.
According to the Minister, the Palaszczuk Government included an additional $6.6 million in this year’s State Budget for two more rounds of the RED Grant scheme over two fiscal years to drive excellent job development and boost investment in agricultural supply chain projects.
“This takes the total commitment for the RED Grant program to $16.6 million over 5 years,” Minister Furner added.
Grant money can be used for things like capital expenditures on buildings, plants, equipment, and project consumables.
Additionally, it may be used to cover the cost of project-specific training and technical assistance, as well as the salary and related expenses for staff members and experts engaged in activities related to the financed project.
The deadline for submitting interest statements for the fifth round of the RED Grant programme is 30 January 2023. Final funding will be distributed by the end of June 2022 for the most successful EOIs.
The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) manages the RED Grant scheme on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
