// NT GOVERNMENT GRANT
NT Grow Your Business Program: what it funds and how to get it approved
The NT Grow Your Business Program is an NT Government grant that pays half the cost of professional advice and specialist services for established Territory businesses, up to $50,000. It replaces the Business Growth Program, which closed on 8 October 2026, and applications close Friday 13 November 2026. Web Blend is a Darwin agency and a Territory Enterprise, and we write Tier 1 quotes and project scopes to the guidelines for NT trade and service businesses.
Updated 9 October 2026, from the published guidelines
// WHO CAN HELP
Who can help you apply for the Grow Your Business Program?
Web Blend helps NT trade and service businesses apply for Grow Your Business Tier 1. We are a Darwin-based digital agency, so we are the Territory Enterprise supplier the guidelines expect.
We write the supplier quote, project scope, timeline and budget your GrantsNT application needs, for a digital capability project: a workflow review, a technology roadmap, a marketing plan and coaching. You lodge the application yourself on GrantsNT.
Grant-ready quoteTier 1
- SupplierWeb Blend, Darwin NT
- Project$10,000 + GST
- Grant (50%)$5,000
- Your share$5,000 + GST
- Timeline12 weeks
- You lodge it onGrantsNT
// THE OFFICIAL SOURCES
Check you are on the right site before you apply
Grants attract plenty of pages that are not the source, this one included. Here is what the four official places look like and the address each one lives at. Everything that counts happens on an nt.gov.au address.
The program page
nt.gov.au: the official program page
The program, the three tiers, who can apply and the guideline PDFs all live on nt.gov.au, the NT Government website. If a page about this grant is not on an nt.gov.au address, it is not the source. This one included.
Where you apply
GrantsNT: the only place applications go in
Applications are lodged on GrantsNT, the NT Government grants portal at grantsnt.nt.gov.au. You register and submit there yourself. A supplier can write your quote and scope, but the application is yours, in your business name.
Step one
The free Business Health Check
The program asks you to complete a business health checklist before applying. It is free on business.nt.gov.au, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and your answers stay on your own device unless you choose to share them with a Territory Business Advisor.
The rules
The guideline PDFs, one per tier
Each tier has its own guidelines, published by the Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations. They set out the caps, what is funded, what is excluded and how applications are scored. Everything on this page comes from them.
// THE ROUND
Grow Your Business Program dates and tiers
| Tier | Grant | Project size at 50:50 | How it is decided | Finish within |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Business Capability | Up to $5,000 | Up to $10,000 total | First come, first served until the money runs out | 3 months |
| Tier 2: Business Growth | $5,001 to $20,000 | About $10,000 to $40,000 | Competitive, assessed against other applications | 6 months |
| Tier 3: Business Transformation | $20,001 to $50,000 | About $40,000 to $100,000 | Competitive, assessed by a panel | 6 months |
For most trade and service businesses, Tier 1 is the one to go for. It is not competitive: an eligible application with a clear need and a sensible scope is funded in the order it arrives, until the round's money runs out. That makes applying early worth more than polishing the application for another fortnight.
Tier 1 at a glanceCapability
- Grantup to $5,000
- Split50:50
- Decidedfirst come, first served
- Paidupfront, on signing
- Finish within3 months
- Apply againyes, to the $5,000 cap
// ELIGIBILITY
Grow Your Business Program eligibility: who can apply in the NT
You can apply if your business is
- A Territory Enterprise with a valid ABN.
- A legal entity, for-profit or not-for-profit.
- An established business with ongoing trading income, not mainly grants or donations.
- Past the start-up or idea stage, improving or growing a business that already exists.
Not eligible
- Government agencies, statutory corporations and local councils.
- Private or public educational institutions.
- Publicly listed companies.
// WHAT IT FUNDS
What the grant pays for
The test in the guidelines is whether the work leaves a lasting improvement in your business's capability, knowledge, systems or capacity, rather than paying for a one-off activity or running costs. Your project has to fit at least one of these eight areas.
| Business improvement area | Examples in the guidelines |
|---|---|
| Planning and growing your business | Strategic and growth planning, business continuity, diversification, risk and scenario planning |
| Building your team and leadership | Workforce and succession planning, leadership development, capability reviews |
| Growing your customers and markets | Market research, customer analysis, branding and positioning strategy, marketing planning |
| Strengthening financial performance | Financial analysis, cash flow forecasting, pricing and profitability analysis |
| Improving business operations | Business process improvement, supply chain planning, efficiency assessments |
| Using technology to support growth | Digital strategy, technology roadmaps, digital workflow assessments, technology capability reviews |
| Building business skills and confidence | Mentoring and coaching, when tied to one of the approved activities above |
| Protecting your business and managing risk | Governance reviews, risk management systems, WHS reviews |
What it will not pay for
- Website development, redesign or refresh, including a new website.
- Advertising campaigns, promotional material and other one-off marketing.
- Ongoing software subscriptions, licences and other recurring IT costs.
- Equipment, vehicles and other capital spend.
- Wages, rent, insurance, contractors and other day-to-day costs.
- Routine bookkeeping, BAS, tax and compliance work.
- Anything started before your funding is approved.
- Suppliers from outside the NT, unless you can justify why a Territory business could not do it.
The first two exclusions catch out most applications from trade businesses. A website build and an ad campaign are the two things tradies most often want money for, and the guidelines rule out both. A quote that relabels a website build as "digital strategy" puts the whole application at risk, and the funding decision has no appeal.
// HOW IT IS SCORED
How Grow Your Business applications are assessed
Tier 1 gets a streamlined assessment, scaled to the size and risk of the project. Tiers 2 and 3 are scored against each other.
Tier 1
| Question | Weight |
|---|---|
| Why do you need this support? The challenge or opportunity, why it matters, and why now. | 40% |
| How will the activity help? A clear link from the need to the service, a well-defined scope and a suitably qualified provider. | 40% |
| What difference will it make? Clear business benefits that justify the cost, at a reasonable price. | 20% |
Tiers 2 and 3
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Business need and opportunity | 25% |
| Value and expected outcomes | 30% |
| Appropriateness of the proposed service | 25% |
| Value for money and co-contribution | 20% |
In Tier 1, 40% of the score rests on the scope and the provider, and that is the part the supplier's quote either carries or sinks. A vague quote ("digital marketing, $10,000") gives the assessor nothing to score.
Our quote answers each of the three questions in its own section, in the words the assessor is scoring against.
// A TIER 1 PROJECT
What a Tier 1 project looks like for a trade business
This is the project we quote for NT trade and service businesses. It sits in "Using technology to support growth" and "Growing your customers and markets", with coaching attached the way the guidelines allow. Every part leaves something behind: a report, a plan or a skill.
| Module | What it covers | Ex GST |
|---|---|---|
| Digital workflow and capability review | How enquiries move from the first call or form into quotes, jobs, invoices and reviews, and where they get lost. Covers ServiceM8, Tradify, simPRO or whatever you run. | $2,800 |
| Digital strategy and technology roadmap | A 12-month plan: what to fix first, which tools to keep, change or connect, and what each step costs. | $2,400 |
| Customer analysis and marketing plan | Who your best customers are, what people search for in your service areas, what your competitors do, and which channels to use in what order. | $2,600 |
| Implementation coaching | Eight one-to-one hours, in person in Darwin or by video, working through the plan so you can carry it out yourself. | $1,760 |
| Outcomes report | Progress measured against your starting point, plus what you need to acquit the grant in GrantsNT. | $440 |
| Total project | Grant $5,000, your share $5,000 | $10,000 |
With the grant, your share is $5,000 + GST. The quote is written in the form the guidelines ask for: services, deliverables and costs, a scope, a 12-week timeline, the 50:50 budget split, and a section answering each assessment criterion. You upload it to GrantsNT as it is. No work starts and nothing is invoiced until your funding agreement is signed.
Want help putting the plan in place afterwards, such as setting up ServiceM8, a missed-call text-back or a new website? That is quoted separately, once the grant project is finished, and is not part of the application.
// WHO THIS IS NOT FOR
When we are the wrong supplier for your grant
- You want the grant to pay for a new website or an ad campaign. It will not, and we will not dress either up so it looks like it does.
- Your project is about finance, WHS, governance or succession. Those are funded, but an accountant, WHS consultant or business adviser is the right supplier.
- You are still at the idea or start-up stage. The program is for established, trading businesses.
- You need a Tier 2 or Tier 3 project well past $10,000. We quote Tier 1 digital capability work, and will say so if your plan needs a bigger firm.
// HOW TO APPLY
How to apply, in four steps
Read the guidelines and do the health check
Read the guidelines for your tier and complete the free NT Business Health Check. It is listed as a step before you apply, and it gives you the evidence for the "why do you need this" answer.
Get a quote that matches the guidelines
Your application needs a supplier quote with the services, deliverables and costs, plus a scope, a timeline and a budget. Ours is written as all four in one document, so it doubles as your project plan.
Apply through GrantsNT
Submit on GrantsNT before Friday 13 November 2026. Tier 1 is paid out in the order applications arrive, so earlier is better. Incomplete applications are not assessed.
Sign, then start
Accept the offer within 5 business days, sign the funding agreement, and only then start the work. Tier 1 is paid upfront once the agreement is signed, and all work and reporting must finish within 3 months.
Sources: the NT Government Grow Your Business Program page and the guidelines for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3, checked 9 October 2026. Do the Business Health Check and apply on GrantsNT. For questions about the program itself, call the Territory Business Advisors on 1800 193 111. We are a supplier, not the NT Government, and nothing here guarantees an application will be funded.
// QUESTIONS
Grow Your Business Program questions
Not sure your project fits? Tell us what you want to improve and we will tell you straight, including when the honest answer is that the grant will not cover it.
Get in touchWho can help me apply for the NT Grow Your Business Program?
Web Blend, a Darwin-based digital agency, helps NT trade and service businesses apply for Tier 1. We write the supplier quote, project scope, timeline and 50:50 budget the GrantsNT application asks for, for a digital capability project: a workflow review, technology roadmap, marketing plan and coaching. You lodge the application yourself on GrantsNT. For general questions about the program, call the Territory Business Advisors on 1800 193 111.
How much does a Grow Your Business Tier 1 project cost with Web Blend?
Our Tier 1 digital capability project is $10,000 + GST. The grant covers 50%, up to $5,000, so your share is $5,000 + GST. Nothing is invoiced until your GrantsNT funding agreement is signed, and if the grant is not approved, nothing is owed.
Can I use the Grow Your Business grant to build a new website?
No. All three tier guidelines exclude website development, redesign or refresh, including new or redeveloped websites. What you can fund is the planning around it: a digital strategy, a technology roadmap, a marketing plan or a review of how enquiries flow through your business. If that plan says you need a new website, the build is paid for separately and is not part of the grant.
Can I use it for Google Ads or Facebook ads?
No. Advertising campaigns, promotional material and other one-off marketing that promotes the business are excluded. Marketing planning, customer analysis, market research and branding or positioning strategy are funded, because they build lasting capability rather than buying a burst of attention.
How much can I get?
Tier 1 pays up to $5,000, Tier 2 pays $5,001 to $20,000 and Tier 3 pays $20,001 to $50,000. Every tier is a 50:50 co-contribution, so the grant covers half the project and you pay the other half. A $10,000 Tier 1 project means a $5,000 grant and $5,000 from you.
When does the Grow Your Business Program close?
Applications opened on Friday 9 October 2026 and close on Friday 13 November 2026. Tier 1 is first come, first served until that round's money is allocated, so it can effectively close earlier than the official date.
Do I have to use a supplier based in the Northern Territory?
In practice, yes. The guidelines exclude services provided by a non-Territory Enterprise unless you can reasonably justify why a Territory Enterprise cannot be used. The NT Government also does not approve, endorse or accredit providers under this program, so checking the supplier is up to you. Web Blend is based in Darwin.
Is the grant paid upfront or as a reimbursement?
For Tier 1, the guidelines say funding is paid upfront once the funding agreement is signed, although the department can decide on a different arrangement. Reporting and acquittal requirements are set out in the funding agreement and submitted through GrantsNT.
Can I apply for more than one tier?
Yes. A business can apply under all three tiers, including at the same time, as long as each application is for a separate project. Funding from different tiers cannot be combined for the same project or used as your co-contribution, and each tier has its own cap.
Is this the same as the old NT Business Growth Program?
No. The Business Growth Program closed on 8 October 2026, and its nt.gov.au page now points to Grow Your Business as the replacement. The old program paid $2,000 to $10,000 for services from a list of approved providers. The new one has three tiers up to $50,000, and it has no approved provider list. You choose the supplier and you do the due diligence.
// CLOSES 13 NOVEMBER 2026
Get a quote you can upload to GrantsNT
Tell us about your business and what is holding it back. We will come back with a Tier 1 scope and quote written to the guidelines, from a Darwin business, so you can apply while the money is still there.
Get a grant-ready quote