A number of high profile organisations are now taking applications for grants and scholarships aimed at giving talented and innovative entrepreneurs a leg up.
Facebook Small Business Accelerator program
Open to Australian and New Zealand small businesses, the program is designed to help small businesses fast track their path to success using Facebook.
The program offers small businesses the chance to take part in a two-day workshop where Facebook and partners will provide tailored guidance to help enterprises succeed. The program also offers businesses three months of support from the Facebook team, as well as ads credits so they can put into action what they learn at the workshop.
12 businesses will be selected to take part in the program after being assessed by a panel of judges who will award places to businesses.
Judging will take place on 16th August and winners will be announced on 19th August.
For the chance to take part in the program, businesses are invited to submit their application here.
Love Our Local Business grant scheme
To help Aussie SMBs embrace the benefits of online and mobile technologies, Intuit has launched its Love Our Local Business grants scheme.
Grants of $1,000 each are on offer.
The grants follow research by Intuit which found one in four (27%) SMBs could not run their business without access to mobile devices. When surveyed, Australian small businesses said that if given an extra $1,000 to help them embrace online, a quarter (24%) would spend the money on mobile tech tools to help manage their business administration tasks.
A further third said they would spend the money on developing a new or existing website to improve their online presence.
Australian small businesses interested in entering to win the grant can find out more here.
Creative Innovation 2013 scholarships
Emerging leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs are invited to apply for scholarships to attend and participate in Creative Innovation 2013 (Ci2013).
The Ci2013 is an event which brings together big and small business, entrepreneurs, educators, creative and government leaders and the next generation of leaders and thinkers.
10 scholarships are on offer for 10 emerging innovators. Recipients will receive free attendance to the event as well as the opportunity to take to the stage and present a 60 second presentation to event delegates on their vision of the future.
Creative Innovation 2013 producer Tania de Jong AM said the scholarships are given to emerging leaders to prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow and help them access decision makers across the economy and broader society.
“We’re searching for the most outstanding emerging leaders and innovators from across Australia who are taking action to influence our future. They are game-changers in society who are not content to just let the future happen, but are actively working to implement ideas that make a real difference,” she said.
Applications close 15 August 2013 and more information, as well as details on how to enter are available here.
Scholarship winners will be announced by the end of September.
Where: Sofitel Melbourne On Collins, 25 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000
When: 27-29 November 2013
