Frequently Asked Questions - Algal Bloom Resilience Grant

Applications open Tuesday, 21 October 2025 and close 31 March 2026, or when funding is exhausted (whichever occurs sooner).

Applications will be assessed and approved subject to a merit-based process, on a rolling basis, in the order as they are received (i.e funding will be awarded on a first come first served basis). Once funding has been fully allocated, the program will close.

A total of $3 million is available, with grants ranging from $25,000 up to $150,000 per eligible business.

No, there is no requirement for applicant co-contributions towards projects under the Algal Bloom Resilience Grant Program. However, assistance provided through the grant is not intended to be ongoing and is designed to meet only the transitional costs associated with any submitted project proposal.

To be eligible, you must be a South Australian fisheries and/or aquaculture licence holder. The full list of eligibility criteria is listed in the grant guidelines.

Yes. To be eligible for this grant, your business must be impacted by the algal bloom and be able to demonstrate this by either:

• having been approved to receive/received a grant under the Algal Bloom Fisheries and Aquaculture Assistance Grant program; or
• had your licence fees waived by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions under the Algal Bloom Fee Relief Program.

The Algal Bloom Resilience Grant must be used on an eligible project that builds business resilience, take advantage of new opportunities or help protect jobs. Funding may be used towards project-related costs, including:

• the purchase of new equipment, including freight and installation costs
• the replacement or upgrades to existing equipment which substantially improve resilience, expand business capabilities/operations or support algal bloom clean-up and repairs
• mentoring, research and development
• research providers and other service providers for capability development
• training and re-skilling existing staff
• payments to consultants (e.g. designers, engineers and technical specialists)
• algal bloom clean-up or repair of harvest area infrastructure.

This funding is not intended to support businesses seeking to exit current industries completely or cease operations in South Australia.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide a Resilience Plan. The Resilience Plan template will help you reflect on your business and implement a project that will assist you with your long-term resilience and ongoing viability.

The Resilience Plan is a document that outlines details of the project you are applying for funding, including:

• details of your business and strategy/vision
• details of the project scope
• details of how the project will deliver any/all of the following:
  • improve and develop new capabilities, processes, products and/or services
  • improve the productivity and efficiency of existing operations
  • expand business capabilities/operations to create new revenue streams or to mitigate risks
  • retain or create employment opportunities within the business
  • maintain or increase business turnover/profitability
• market analysis (including opportunities, trends, size, competitors, barriers to entry)
• detailed project budget and costs, including in-kind or other financial contributions
• profit and loss and cash flow projections (including key assumptions) for:
  • the project construction/implementation phase
  • operational phase for at least three years
• details of other project financing (if relevant)
• project timeline
• key risks to delivery/project dependencies.

The amount of detail provided in a Resilience Plan should be relative to the project size, complexity, and grant funding amount requested.

You can download the Resilience Plan project template.

If you have any questions or need further assistance in completing this template, please contact the Office for Small and Family Business by calling the Business Grants Infoline on (08) 8429 0700 or emailing us at algalbusinesssupportgrants@sa.gov.au.

Projects must have commenced and be substantially progressed within six months and completed within twelve 12 months of the grant agreement being executed, unless otherwise agreed.

Payments will only be made to successful applicants on achievement of agreed milestones, to the satisfaction of the Department of State Development, as the project is progressed. Applicants will be required to submit a financial acquittal following completion of their project to confirm that the grant has been properly applied in accordance with the guidelines.

Only one application can be submitted per licence and ABN at any time. If you are unsuccessful in your application, you may submit an additional application for a different project. If your application is successful, you cannot apply for or receive another Algal Bloom Resilience Grant.

Funding cannot be used for business-as-usual activities. A more extensive list of ineligible expenditure is in the Program Guidelines.

Yes, as long as the project meets the required objectives and criteria for the program and both companies meet the eligibility requirements.

Applicants are required to submit the following documents to support their application – failure to submit any of these documents may make your application ineligible for funding:

• a Resilience Plan for the proposed project using the supplied template;
• the most recent two years of financial statements and reports (displaying financial outcomes for at least three (3) full years), including a Profit and Loss Statement and a Statement of Financial Position, which identifies both assets and liabilities, prepared by a registered tax agent;
• copies of project quotes;
• details of all State and Commonwealth grants and loans received in the past two (2) years and any pending applications for grants and loans;
• any other supporting project preparation documentation (e.g. cost-benefit analysis, project scoping, options studies, design and other relevant work) demonstrating compliance with the Eligibility Criteria; and
• any other information requested from time to time by the Department of State Development or Department of Treasury and Finance through the application process.

Eligible Project expenditure includes direct project-related costs, including any third-party service providers engaged to implement a solution. This includes payments to consultants (e.g. designers, engineers and technical specialists), training organisations, research providers and other service providers for capability development, mentoring and research and development work undertaken on the project.

Each application will be considered on a case-by-case merit basis, against the Eligibility Criteria, objectives and other program/evidence requirements.

Eligible applications will be assessed and scored against the following merit criteria:

The Project

• Overall alignment with ABRG Program objectives;
• Robustness of Resilience Plan i.e. extent to which it addresses elements outlined at section “What to submit”;
• Benefits to the South Australian economy, and specifically the fisheries and aquaculture industry; and
• Competitive neutrality – that is, the project will not be to the economic detriment of other South Australian commercial fisheries and aquaculture licence holders.

Financials

• Robustness of project costs and likelihood project can be delivered on budget;
• Reasonableness of financial assumptions/projections;
• Financial viability/sustainability of the business proposition over the long term without further government assistance; and
• Value for money (justification of the requested grant amount against the projects expected benefits and results).

Project Delivery

• Likelihood the project will commence, and be completed, within twelve months of any funding agreement;
• Managerial capability and financial capacity to implement the project without further assistance; and
• Business capability or expertise in relation to new business opportunities.

Applicants should note that irrespective of eligibility and merit, there is no guarantee that an offer of funding will be made. The Treasurer and/or their delegate, reserves the right to award a lower grant funding amount than sought by the Applicant.

Applications will be assessed continually until the program application closing date on 31 March 2026 or when funding is exhausted.

Additional information may be sought from applicants during the assessment process. This may impact assessment timeframes.

Only in special circumstances - please email algalbusinesssupportgrants@sa.gov.au or call 8429 0700 for further information.

Feedback is available by request once the evaluation process is complete, and you have been notified of the outcome.

Please email algalbusinesssupportgrants@sa.gov.au for further information.

The Department is required to treat your personal information in compliance with the Government’s Information Privacy Principles. The Department may provide the personal information collected from you to Government employees, advisers or third parties so that the Department can manage, monitor and assess the program.

The Department or the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science may publicly announce details of successful applications including but not limited to, the name of applicant, project summary, estimated and actual economic outcomes and amount of funding, and publish personal information on the Department’s social media and websites.

Projects may commence any time after a funding agreement has been executed or such other time as agreed with the Treasurer, and must commence within the timeframes published for the program.

However, an Applicant may, entirely at their own risk, choose to incur expenditure towards their proposed project from the date the applicant applies for funding from the program. Eligible expenditure incurred from that date will remain eligible for reimbursement should the applicant’s project be approved.

Yes. The Department must ensure the funding is spent according to the Program Guidelines, and requires updates from the successful applicant to do this.

If you anticipate potential project delays, please raise this with the funding agreement government contract manager or the Department as soon as these issues arise.

Eligibility for future programs will be determined by each individual program, and applicants should consult the Program Guidelines for the programs they are interested in.

Should you have further questions regarding this program, please contact the Office for Small and Family Business by calling the Business Grants Infoline on (08) 8429 0700 or emailing us at algalbusinesssupportgrants@sa.gov.au.