If you run a business in the City of Perth and you have been putting off that shopfront repaint, that new awning, or that outdoor dining upgrade because of the cost, there is a council grant designed exactly for this. The Business Improvement Grant 2026-27 is matched funding from the City of Perth that helps businesses and property owners pay for physical improvements that make their premises more attractive to customers and more active for the local economy.
This guide walks you through what the grant actually covers, who can apply, how much you could receive, what you will need to prepare, and the mistakes that trip up a lot of first-time applicants.
What Is the Business Improvement Grant?
The Business Improvement Grant is a City of Perth council program that provides matched funding to businesses and property owners within the City of Perth local government area. “Matched” means the council will contribute a dollar amount toward your project, and you need to contribute an equal amount yourself. The grant exists to encourage visible, on-the-ground improvements to commercial premises that make Perth’s streets and precincts more vibrant and more likely to attract foot traffic.
Unlike a lot of government grants that fund abstract things like “capability building” or “strategic planning,” this one funds things you can physically see: a new mural, a refreshed facade, better outdoor lighting, upgraded awnings, laneway improvements, or a new rooftop activation space. It is a practical grant for a practical problem: your premises look tired, or they are not making the most of the space you have, and fixing that costs money you would rather not spend entirely out of your own pocket.
How Much Funding Is Available
The Business Improvement Grant provides funding between $5,000 and $20,000 per approved project.
Because this is matched funding, you need to put in the same amount the council contributes. In practice, that means your total project needs to cost somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000, since the council will only ever cover half. If your project costs less than $10,000 in total, you will not be able to draw the full $5,000 minimum grant amount in matched terms, and if your project is larger than $40,000, the grant will only cover a portion of it up to the $20,000 cap.
One detail that catches people out: this grant works on a reimbursement basis. That means you pay for the work first, and the council reimburses its share after the project is finished and verified. You need to be financially prepared to fund the whole project upfront and then recover half of it, rather than expecting any money in advance.
Who Can Apply
To be eligible for the Business Improvement Grant, you generally need to meet the following criteria:
You must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or be a legally constituted entity. This rules out individuals operating informally without a registered business structure.
You must lease or own property within the City of Perth local government area, and if you lease, you need a minimum of two years remaining on your lease at the time of application. The City of Perth wants to see that a business will be around long enough to make the improvement worthwhile, not pack up and move six months after receiving funding for a new shopfront.
You need to be able to demonstrate financial viability, which typically means the council wants to see that your business is a going concern capable of managing its share of the project cost and any cash flow gap while waiting for reimbursement.
Before you submit a formal application, you are required to discuss your project with the relevant City of Perth departments. This is not a box-ticking exercise. The council wants to understand what you are planning before you commit, partly to flag any planning or heritage issues early, and partly to make sure your project fits what the grant is designed to fund.
You must also submit your application before the project starts. If you have already started work, or worse, already finished it, you are not eligible. This grant funds planned improvements, not after-the-fact reimbursements for work you decided to do anyway.
Who Cannot Apply
The City of Perth has set out several categories of businesses and situations that are not eligible for this grant.
Businesses that already received a Business Improvement Grant in the 2025-26 financial year cannot apply again this round. This is designed to spread the available funding across more businesses rather than letting the same recipients draw on it every year.
Government departments and political parties are excluded, as is standard for most commercial-focused grant programs.
“Large” businesses are excluded, and the City of Perth uses the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) definition of a large proprietary company. In broad terms, if your business has $50 million or more in annual revenue, $25 million or more in gross assets, or 100 or more employees, you fall outside the scope of this grant. This grant is specifically aimed at small and medium businesses, not large corporate occupiers.
If your business has outstanding debts owed to the City of Perth, or if you are currently in a legal dispute with the council, you will not be eligible until that is resolved.
Home-based businesses and online-only businesses are also excluded. Because this grant specifically funds visible, physical improvements to commercial premises that the public can see and interact with, a business without a public-facing physical location in Perth does not fit the purpose of the grant.
What the Grant Covers
The Business Improvement Grant is designed around projects that improve the public-facing, physical experience of a business premises. Eligible project types include:
Facade upgrades, which cover the visual appearance of your shopfront or building frontage. Outdoor dining improvements, supporting businesses that want to create or enhance alfresco seating areas. Murals and public art installed on or around your premises. Awnings, including new installation or significant repair. Lighting upgrades that improve how a premises looks and feels, particularly at night. Rooftop activation, turning underused rooftop space into something functional and inviting. Acoustic improvements, which can matter a great deal for hospitality venues trying to manage noise while staying open later. Laneway enhancements, for businesses that front onto or use laneway spaces as part of their customer experience.
It is just as important to understand what the grant will not fund. Signage on its own is specifically excluded as an eligible cost, as are security systems. Internal-only works, meaning renovations that only affect the inside of a premises and are not visible or experienced by the public, do not qualify. Temporary or pop-up style projects are excluded, since the grant is designed for lasting improvements. Wages and staff costs cannot be funded through this grant, nor can general consumables. Relocatable equipment, meaning anything that is not a permanent fixture or improvement to the premises itself, is also excluded.
If you are unsure whether your specific project idea fits, this is exactly what the mandatory pre-application consultation with the City of Perth is for. Raise your idea with them before you spend time on a full application.
Key Dates
The 2026-27 round of the Business Improvement Grant opened on 2 March 2026 and is scheduled to close on 27 February 2027, or earlier if the allocated budget is fully committed before then. Because this grant is assessed on a rolling basis rather than a single once-a-year deadline, getting your application in earlier in the round genuinely improves your chances, since funding is limited and allocated as applications are approved rather than held back for a final assessment date.
Once you submit a complete application, the City of Perth’s stated decision timeline is up to eight weeks. If your project is approved, you then have twelve months from the date of approval to complete the project and submit for reimbursement.
What You Will Need to Prepare
Before you contact the City of Perth to discuss your project, it is worth having the following ready so the consultation is productive:
A clear description of what you want to do and why, written in plain terms. Photos of the current state of your premises, especially the areas you want to improve. An estimate of the total project cost, ideally with at least one quote from a contractor or supplier. Proof of your lease or ownership, including confirmation of how much time is left on a lease if you are a tenant. Evidence that your business is financially able to fund its half of the project and manage the wait for reimbursement, which might include recent financial statements or bank records depending on what the council requests. Your ABN and basic business registration details.
Once your pre-application consultation is complete and the council has indicated your project is a good fit, you will be directed to submit your formal application through the City of Perth’s SmartyGrants portal.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A significant number of applications run into trouble for avoidable reasons. Starting work before submitting an application is one of the most common and most costly mistakes, since it makes the project ineligible outright, no matter how good the improvement itself is. Skipping the mandatory consultation step and going straight to a formal application is another, since it means you have no early warning if your project does not fit the grant’s intent or runs into a planning issue.
Underestimating the project budget is another frequent issue. Remember that the grant only covers half the cost, so if you only budget for the amount you want from the council, you will be short by the time the real invoices arrive. Applicants also sometimes misjudge the “large business” exclusion, assuming it only applies to multinational companies, when in fact a successful multi-site local business can sometimes cross the ASIC thresholds without realising it.
Finally, because this is a reimbursement-based grant, applicants sometimes assume they will receive funds upfront to help cash flow the project. That is not how it works. You need to be able to fund the full project cost yourself first and then be reimbursed your half afterward.
How Competitive Is This Grant
Because the Business Improvement Grant is assessed on a rolling basis within a fixed annual budget, competitiveness depends heavily on timing rather than a single comparative judging round. Applying earlier in the financial year, when more of the annual budget is still available, generally gives you a better chance than applying close to the February 2027 closing date, by which point funds may already be exhausted. A well-prepared, clearly scoped project that fits squarely within the eligible categories and has a realistic budget with supporting quotes will generally move through assessment more smoothly than a vague or oversized proposal.
Related Funding Worth Knowing About
If your business sits in a different part of Perth, or your project does not quite fit this grant’s scope, it is worth knowing that other City of Perth programs exist for related purposes, including sponsorship for sustainability projects and support for businesses relocating into the City of Perth area. It is also worth looking more broadly at what else is available to small businesses across Western Australia, since state-level programs sometimes complement what councils offer at the local level.
A Quick Way to Check Where You Stand
If you are not sure whether this grant, or another current program, is the right fit for your situation, Grants Assist’s online eligibility assessment tool gives you a quick, roughly one-minute check against the broad scope of current programs. It is a useful first step before you invest time in a full application, though it is a general preliminary check rather than a detailed assessment of your exact circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply if I am still deciding on my final project budget?
You should have a realistic cost estimate, ideally supported by at least one quote, before you apply. The grant assessment relies on understanding the true scope and cost of your project, so a rough or incomplete budget will likely slow down or weaken your application.
Is the Business Improvement Grant available to businesses outside the City of Perth boundary?
No. You need to lease or own property within the City of Perth local government area to be eligible. Businesses located in neighbouring council areas are not covered by this particular program.
What happens if my project costs more than $40,000?
You can still apply, but the grant will only ever contribute up to its $20,000 maximum. You would need to fund the remaining cost above the matched threshold yourself.
Can I apply again if I already received this grant last financial year?
No. Businesses that received a Business Improvement Grant in the 2025-26 financial year are not eligible to apply again in the 2026-27 round. This rule exists to spread funding across more businesses each year.
Does the grant cover new signage for my shopfront?
No. Signage is specifically listed as an ineligible cost under this program, even though it is a common part of a broader shopfront upgrade. You would need to fund signage separately from any other eligible improvement works.
Want to keep exploring your options? Grants Assist’s online portal gives you access to detailed, regularly updated information on grants and assistance programs across Australia. Explore the Grants Assist portal to browse more programs like this one, or call us on 1300-005-999 to speak with one of our advisors.
