³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾

A record number of organisations pitched for this year’s second round of Small Business and Social Enterprise Grants.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was fantastic to see 274 small businesses and social enterprises put forward their ideas.

“This round we’re contributing $500,000 to help grow small businesses and social enterprises in Melbourne,” the Lord Mayor said.

“From new ideas that need investment to get off the ground, to established businesses wishing to expand, these grants help foster our city’s strong culture of enterprise and innovation across many sectors.”

The Lord Mayor said one of the more unusual ideas from this round was using Yarra River water as an ingredient in a new boutique gin.

“The team from Little Lon Distilling have proven before that they have the right ingredients for success and we are proud to be supporting the development of this new distinctively Melbourne product,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The proposal to create a bespoke football boot for women is another great idea developed in Melbourne that will also help to encourage more female participation in sport.”

This round of grants includes $300,000 for small businesses, $100,000 for social enterprises, and $100,000 for businesses with a waste minimisation proposal, as part of the Council’s Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030.

In total, City of Melbourne will contribute $700,000 in grants to small businesses and social enterprises this year. The first round was awarded in July this year with nine recipients sharing in $200,000.

Now in its 24th year, the Small Business Grants program is one of the City of Melbourne’s most successful and has awarded $8.9 million in funding to more than 400 small businesses since 1996.

Chair of the Small Business, Retail and Hospitality portfolio, Councillor Susan Riley said the grants programs provide an important boost to help turn great ideas into benefits for the whole community.

“Small businesses make up 80 per cent of Melbourne’s total businesses and play a vital role in strengthening our economy and creating products and services that Melburnians need,” Cr Riley said.

“We’re helping fund exciting projects across a range of industries, including hospitality, technology, arts and design, heath care and education – it’s exciting to see such breadth and diversity.”

Past Small Business Grant recipients have gone on to become household names, such as KeepCup (2008), Koko Black (2003) and Sukin Organics (2009).

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2019 FINALISTS:

Little Lon Distilling Co

$28,500 proposed (expansion)

Little Lon Distilling Co is sourcing inspiration from Melbourne’s past to create two products that capture the spirit of Melbourne in a bottle: a gin made with water from the Yarra River and kelp from Port Phillip Bay, and a whiskey aged in in Australian red wine barrels stored in tunnels under the CBD.

Ida Sports

$28,500 proposed (startup)

Ida Sports has worked with experts in podiatry, biomechanics and physiotherapy to create the first football boot specifically designed for women’s feet. The boots have been developed for women who play AFL, soccer or rugby, and are available after 18 months of testing.

Fitted for Work

$20,000 proposed (expansion)

Fitted for Work helps women experiencing disadvantage to prepare for, gain and keep employment. Fitted for Work is expanding its SheWorks recruitment program to match work-ready women with suitable roles and provide mentoring during the recruitment process.

First Nations Blockchain

$15,000 proposed (startup)

First Nations Blockchain is a platform to authenticate Indigenous art, artefacts and design, and trace a work’s origins. The platform helps artists to protect their cultural IP, and facilitates fair trade giving buyers confidence they are purchasing genuine works.