Program overview
Grants of $5,000 are available for business associations (including trader groups, business chambers and industry organisations) to help multicultural small business owners and their workers build their business skills.
Funding can be used to deliver projects that provide business advice, training and mentorship.
The Multicultural Business Skills Fund Grant Program will support business associations to:
- educate, inform and upskill multicultural small business owners and their workers
- enable improvements in business and operational capability
- build the connectedness of multicultural businesses.
Successful projects must be completed by 26 February 2027. As part of their application, applicants must provide project dates that fit within this timeframe.
Eligible applicants may apply for one grant under this program.
The Multicultural Business Skills Fund is an initiative under the Victorian Government’s Supporting our Multicultural Traders and Precincts commitment.
Applications will close at 4pm on Monday 28 September 2026,or earlier if all funds are allocated. Late applications and drafts will not be accepted.
Program guidelines
Multicultural Business Skills Fund Grant Program - Guidelines WORD (DOCX 397.99 KB) 
Multicultural Business Skills Fund Grant Program - Guidelines PDF (PDF 338.46 KB) 
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- be a business association, such as a trader group, business chamber or industry organisation
- be based in Victoria, operating only within Victoria, or be the Victorian chapter of a national organisation
- be a not-for-profit member organisation that is inclusive of members that are multicultural businesses
- have the core purpose of acting for its members
- hold a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be registered with the responsible federal or state regulator.
Eligible activities & expenses
Each funded project must engage at least 10 participants from Victorian multicultural small businesses.
Eligible projects should help multicultural small businesses develop one or more of the following business skills:
- Strategic skills, such as business planning, governance, succession planning and business resilience.
- Knowledge skills, such as bookkeeping, legal and regulatory requirements, contracting, supply chain logistics, project management, marketing and advertising.
- People skills, such as customer service communications, conflict resolution, recruitment, staff development and hybrid working practices.
- Technology skills, such as digital systems, cyber security and artificial intelligence (AI).
Funding must be spent on eligible activities and expenditure that directly help to deliver the funded project. Eligible projects must not have already received government funding.
Eligible activities may include business skill and capability development. This may include:
- training, short courses, and facilitated business learning, including in-person workshops and online webinars
- information sharing, including in-language resource development
- business mentoring and mentor/mentee introductions.
Eligible expenses may include:
- expert trainer or speaker engagement
- in-language services
- new resource development including digital content development costs
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Click here to read frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How to apply
Applications will close at 4pm on Monday 28 September 2026, or earlier if the funding allocation has been exhausted.
Before you apply, please read all the information on this page, including the Program Guidelines and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
To apply, click the 'Apply now' button and complete the application form. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email to your nominated email address.