Boosting Female Founders Initiative

About the Program

The Boosting Female Founders Initiative is an Australian Government program that helps female entrepreneurs overcome the disadvantages faced in getting access to finance and support to grow their startups. The program provides targeted support on a co-contribution basis to female founders of startup businesses to scale into domestic and global markets.

Please note: Round 2 of the Boosting Female Founders Initiative is currently closed to applications. The program runs for five years and further rounds will be made available. Register your interest with KP Retail to be notified when new rounds open.

What Do You Get?

Grants between $25,000 and $480,000 for female-founded startups to expand into domestic and global markets. The grant amount is up to 50% of eligible project costs (or up to 70% for businesses meeting additional criteria such as being in a regional area, Indigenous-led, or including a founder with a disability).

Total government funding: $52.2 million across the program. Round 2 had approximately $11.6 million available.

Who Is This For?

Female-founded (majority owned and led by women) startups who wish to launch and scale their business into new domestic and global markets.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, your business must:

Be a female-founded startup — majority owned and led by women
Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
Be incorporated in Australia, a partnership, or a sole trader
Provide a signed declaration confirming the startup is female-founded
Commit to remaining majority owned and led by women for the duration of the grant
Have secured or be able to secure matched co-contribution funding (cash contributions required)

Higher Grant Percentage (Up to 70%)

You may be eligible for a grant percentage above 50% (up to 70%) if one or more of the following applies:

Your head office is located in a regional area
Your business is an Indigenous business, or at least one founding team member is an Indigenous Australian
At least one founding team member is a person with a disability
At least one founding team member migrated to Australia as a refugee or humanitarian entrant

Application Process

The program uses a two-stage competitive selection process:

Stage 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI): All applicants first submit an EOI for assessment
Stage 2 – Full Application: Successful EOI applicants are invited to submit a full grant application, including pitch deck, financial documents, and business plan

How KP Retail Can Help

KP Retail's team of grant specialists can help you assess eligibility, prepare your EOI, and build a compelling Stage 2 application. Get in touch today to start planning ahead for when the next round opens.

Boosting Female Founders Initiative