The 2026 round of Local Government Fund (LCF) grants is now open, and many business owners throughout Western Australia will be eligible to apply. At Smith Thornton Accountants, we have a dedicated Business Services Advisor available to assist clients in preparing grant applications. However, for business owners who want to prepare their own LCF grant applications, the following are some key points to consider.

Grant selection

There are various grants to choose from, including Aboriginal Business, Digital Transformation, Regional Suppliers, Standards Compliance and Supplying Key Projects. Read through each of the grant guidelines and choose the grant that your business can best qualify for, as this will give you the best chance at having a successful application. If your project fits within the Regional Suppliers grant as well as another grant, your best chance of success will typically be applying for the Regional Suppliers grant. Under this grant, you will only be competing with other businesses in your region.

Eligibility

Before you proceed and spend time on your application, check that your business meets the eligibility criteria of your chosen grant. In addition to all the general business eligibility criteria, take note that the project needs to commence after you have received confirmation of your successful application, and must be completed by 30 June 2026.

Meeting objectives

Read and get a good understanding of the objectives of the grant and how your project will meet these. For example, the Regional Suppliers grant objective is:

“This round of funding is specifically designed to support eligible regionally based Western Australian SMEs to improve their business capability, capacity and competitiveness to supply goods, services and works to export markets, Western Australian State or Local Government, the Australian Government, and the private business sector.”

To meet this objective, the business owner will need to show that their business:

• It is regionally based (see the guidance on regional locations).
• Has a project that will improve business capabilities (e.g. more goods/services, improved goods/services, new markets/customers), capacity (e.g. improvements that will enable the business to service more/different customers) and competitiveness (e.g. improved efficiencies, differentiated from other suppliers, improved customer service, more competitive pricing).
• Makes supplies of goods or services to export markets, WA State or Local Government, the Australian Government, and the private business sector. A key point for this is that the business does not need to make supplies to all these markets.

Eligible Expenditure

Read and understand the types of activities and spending that will be eligible and ineligible before applying. These are found in the Appendices of the grant guidelines.

Review the Application Form

Download and read through the application form. There are questions that will require some thought and explanation. It is often useful to pre-prepare responses in a separate document to make the actual online application easier.

Plan

Once the application form has been reviewed, plan the application process so that the deadline can be easily met.

Supporting Documents

Compile all supporting documents so they are saved and at hand when you complete the online application. This might include quotes for activities being claimed, declarations (template usually provided online by grant provider), bank statements and financial reports.

SmartyGrant Login

LCF grant applications are made online via the SmartyGrants portal. Set up a profile and log in early to ensure that there are no login issues and that key documents can be accessed. 

Understand Commitments

The grant guidelines outline the commitments that the business owner will need to make if successful in a grant application. This does involve some reporting once the project is completed, as well as signing a financial agreement with the grant provider. It is important that business owners read and understand these commitments.

Sufficient Funds

The LCF grants are typically on a reimbursement arrangement. This means that the business owner will need to fund 100% of the project spend and then submit proof of purchase to be reimbursed for the grant-funded component. Business owners need to ensure that they have access to sufficient funds to deal with this timing difference.

Start Application Early

Grant applications can take longer than anticipated, and it is always a good idea to have the application lodged early to avoid any last minute technology issues. SmartyGrants does not accept applications that are even seconds past the deadline, so it's best to get in early. It is also important to note that some of the LCF grants are on a “first-come, first-served” basis until funds are exhausted, so those business owners who apply earlier are more likely to be successful.

Seek Assistance 

Smith Thornton can help with the whole grant application process or components, as well as ad-hoc queries. If there are certain sections of the application that business owners need some help with or would like feedback on, please reach out, and we will be happy to assist.