Navigating the funding landscape can be daunting for startups. In New Zealand, several grant options are available to help you kickstart and grow your venture. Here’s a summary of key grants you should consider, along with links to apply:
1. Waka Kotahi Innovation Fund: Set up by Waka Kotahi to support the private and non-government sectors to develop and accelerate solutions to help solve the nation’s biggest transport challenges.
2. AGMARDT: Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) strategically invest in initiatives to encourage innovative thinking, research capability and collaboration and to develop emerging leaders in New Zealand’s primary sector.
3. Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund: Invests in developing skilled people and organizations that plan to undertake research that aims to unlock the science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people.
4. Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Funds: Investing in Science through contestable funding rounds. MBIE invest and supports programs which build high – Performing science and innovation systems that will transform NZ into a more diverse, technologically advanced and smart nation.
5. Agribusiness Innovation Grants: Up to $30k Seed funding, and for projects greater there is up to $200,000 available for businesses, researchers and industry groups to develop and evaluation innovative ideas.
6. Plastics Innovation Fund: Supports projects that will minimise plastic waste and its harm on the environment. Feasibility or scoping studies will be minimum grant of $20,000, for other project types will be a minimum grant of $50,000.
7. Poutama Investment Support: Supports innovative business development ideas, Purchase products and/or services that will help with business growth and sustainability. Also supports those wanting to obtain business development training to upskill management and staff. Poutama is reasonably flexible on the types of activities they support and is more interested on how the grant can positively impact and help you grow your business.
8. NZ Product Accelerator: Helps connect industry with research expertise, solving industry problems, building productivity and supporting the transformation of the economy through diversification and improving knowledge intensity.
9. Flexi-wage for self employment: The Work and Income NZ (WINZ) Flexi-Wage supports you to start your own busines by helping with costs whil you get things up and running. You can get up to $600 a week for up to 28 weeks, totalling $16800 which can help you with costs of setting gup your business from purchasing equipment of paying your living costs.
10. Self-employment start up payment: You need to be starting a new business and have essential startup costs that you need help with. depending on your situation, you can get up to $10,000 to help pay for things like: your first month’s lease and bond, materials for prototyping, legal costs to establish your business.
11: Business Training and Advice Grant: This grant gives you access to expert advice on all the nuts and bolts of setting up your business. Up to $1,000 every 52 week period to pay an expert who’ll help you with skills training, developing business plan, advice before and when starting your business.
12: R&D Tax incentive: The Callaghan Innovation R&D Tax incentive (RDTI) is government tax scheme that helps you invest more in R&D. It is a 15% tax credit on the money you invest in eligible R&D with a minimum R&D Expenditure of $50,000 per year.
13: New to R&D Grant: Thanks to Callaghan Innovation, this fund offers support to help startups develop their capability for long-term R&D for up to 2 years. Maximum cap of $400,000, half of which can be spent on R&D, and the other half on Capability Development.
14. Student Grants: There are two types of Student Grants. R&D Experience Grants and R&D Career Grants.
15. Ārohia Innovation Trailblazer Grant: This is a contestable grant to support non-R&D innovation activities not covered by other Government funding initiatives. Successful applicants must be at the “getting ready to go to market” stage, and can get up to $4 million in co-funding. See also Ārohia Trailblazer Innovation Seed Grant.
By leveraging these grants, your startup can secure the necessary funding to innovate, grow, and succeed in today’s competitive market. Explore these options and find the right fit for your business needs. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to elevate your startup!
