Grants and Funding Programs Resources for RTOs

Whether you are a new RTO starting out, or an RTO that has been dominating the VET industry for the past decade, here are some resources to help you find education or training-related grants that may be available for your RTO.

Here are some general grant websites:

  • Australian Government’s Business platform – as there are hundreds of grants and programs at any one time, I recommend that you filter them by industry. On the left-hand side of the page, you can click on the Industry drop-down box and choose the Education and training option. This way you are shown only grants and funding programs available for education institutions and organisations such as yours!
  • Australian Government’s Grant Connect platform – unfortunately this platform isn’t as user-friendly as the Australian Government’s Business platform in terms of filtering down available options, however, what I do like about this website is that you can search for previous grant applications and find out information such as to whom they were awarded to, what the grant amount was, the selection process, etc. This can be useful to help you understand the grant process and how they’re awarded, as well as gives you the opportunities to scope your potential competitors. 

Grants that we have helped our clients with:

  • Export Market Development Grants – if you are a CRICOS-approved RTO, and you have marketing expenses to attract your international students even if you are just starting out, you may be eligible for this grant (this does not include the commission payments you make to your Education Agents). Click on the link here to learn more about this grant program.
  • Market research intelligence for Victorian exporters – if you are a CRICOS-approved RTO in Victoria, this 2-week program can help you gain market research intelligence from student teams at Victorian universities. Click on the link here to learn more about this program.
  • Funding for business projects that help develop regional communities in WA – if you are an RTO in Western Australia that works with regional communities, you may be able to apply for this grant where you can be awarded up to $250,000. Click on the link here to learn more about this grant program.
  • Concessional loans for Tasmanian businesses to help them recover and adapt to COVID-19 – if your RTO has been operating profitably pre-covid and based in Tasmania, you may be able to access this loan program of funds between $20,000 to $3,000,000 to help your business take on challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on the link here to learn more about this loan program.
  • JobMaker Hiring Credit – if you are an RTO that are hiring new employees between the ages of 16 to 35, you may be able to receive up to $200 per week for each new role. Click on the link here to learn more about this hiring credit program.
  • Tax rebtes for businesses that employ apprentices and trainees – if you are a Tasmanian RTO that hires apprentices / trainees (or service that sector – this information would be useful for your employer clients), you may be eligible for a rebate for a period of 1-year from the commencement of their employment with you. Click on the link here to learn more about this rebate program.
  • NewAccess for Small Business Owners – if you are a small business owner of an RTO and aged over 18 years old, this program provides you with free and confidential mental health support. Click on the link here to learn more about this coaching program.
  • Financial counselling and related services for small regional businesses facing hardship – if you are a small business owner of an RTO based in a regional town and facing financial hardship, you may be eligible for free financial counselling services through this program. Click on the link here to learn more about this counselling program.
  • Tailored advice for VIC businesses with high growth potential to access new markets – if you are an RTO who has a proven track record and believe you have a high growth potential, you may be able to receive tailored advisory services from expert Growth Facilitators. Click on the link here to learn more about this advisory program.
  • Funding for construction and building industry worker training – if you are an RTO based in the ACT, you may want to participate in this program, where there are various funding programs available to develop skills that are in short supply within the ACT building and construction industry. Click on the link here to learn more about this funding program.

Please note, the above links and grant programs are active as of the 1st of August 2022, and may no longer be active depending on when you are visiting this website.