On 20 March 2020 Tim Whetstone, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development announced the opening of the third funding round of the Regional Growth Fund has been brought forward to help provide economic stimulus to our regions in the wake of devastating bushfires, drought and ongoing impacts of coronavirus.

This competitive grant round has up to $5 million in grant funding available for regional development initiatives in South Australia from $50,000 up to $2 million on at least a matched dollar for dollar basis.  

The bringing forward of applications for the Regional Growth Fund complements the Marshall Liberal Government’s $350 million stimulus package aimed at safeguarding the economy and protecting jobs.

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone said the $150 million Regional Growth Fund provides an economic boost to our regional communities.

“The Marshall Liberal Government recognises that supporting our regions is crucial to the future prosperity of our state,” said Minister Whetstone.

“The Regional Growth Fund helps unlock new economic activity in our regions and by bringing applications forward we will help fast-track the recovery of our regional economies, who have been hurting as a result of the recent bushfires, drought and the ongoing impacts of coronavirus.

The Fund is designed to unlock new economic opportunities, build and strengthen communities and support more regional jobs.  

The aim is to support new activity that would not occur otherwise and assist regions to grow, become more vibrant and provide rewarding job opportunities.

Projects will be assessed on their ability to:

• drive new economic activity that would not otherwise occur
• demonstrate transformational change for an industry or sector, rather than incremental improvement
• create new or additional sustained economic benefits for the community / region beyond the applicant
• connect to a specific regional community
• ensure that further intervention by government, after the funding is provided, is not required to sustain the project or its benefits.

Local Government bodies, Incorporated Associations and business clusters are encouraged to apply.

Applications for the competitive pool are open and close 12pm on Monday 11 May 2020.

More information, including guidelines, are available now at https://pir.sa.gov.au/regions/regional_growth_fund