American Express is offering $20,000 grants to Australian small businesses, and applications close 6 September. Corrina Davison explains what qualifies you.
American Express has kicked off its Shop Small Grants program for 2026, and this year the numbers are bigger than usual. Working with Mainstreet Australia, the company is putting up to $2 million on the table for small business owners around the country.
The mechanics are fairly simple. American Express has already put in $1 million to fund fifty grants of $20,000 each. Applications for those are open now and close 6 September 2026, submitted through mainstreetaustralia.org.au. On top of that, there’s a second pool: for every eligible transaction made on an Amex card at a participating Shop Small business between 1 and 7 August 2026, the company will tip in another dollar, up to a further $1 million. If that second pool fills up, it funds fifty more grants.
Corrina Davison, Managing Director of American Express Australia, framed the goal simply. “This year, together with our Card Members and participating businesses, we’re aiming to provide up to $2 million in Shop Small Grant funding,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for up to 100 small businesses to access funds that can help them invest in their future and continue making a difference in the communities they serve.”
Davison also made the case for why this matters beyond the dollar figure. “Small businesses help shape the character of our communities,” she said. “They create local jobs, bring people together and make our neighbourhoods more vibrant, resilient and distinctive.” She pointed out that Shop Small has now run for 14 years, adding that “every time someone shops small, they’re backing the passion, hard work and ambition of a local business owner.”
Alongside the grants announcement, Amex released something new this year: the Shop Small Destination Index, built from a survey of more than 4,000 Australian consumers. It’s designed to show which places people most associate with discovering and supporting small businesses, and the results lean toward somewhere with good food and a genuine sense of community, rather than just somewhere convenient to shop. South Melbourne came out on top nationally.
Some of the other findings are worth sitting with if you run a small business. Ninety-three percent of those surveyed said supporting small business matters to them, and 88 percent agreed small businesses make local areas more distinctive. Eighty-six percent said small businesses help build more connected communities. Just over half said they shop small specifically to support their local area, while 45 percent said they’re motivated by backing family-owned operators. On discovery, people mostly find new small businesses by walking past them (58 percent) or hearing about them from friends and family (52 percent), and hospitality remains the entry point, with 72 percent saying cafés, restaurants and bars are where they engage with small business most often.
Joyce Watts, President of Mainstreet Australia, connected the survey findings back to the grant program itself. “Small businesses are the heart and soul of Australia’s main streets,” she said. “They create jobs, bring character to our communities and give people a reason to shop, dine and connect in local neighbourhoods.” She added that the program is meant to support “the ideas and passion to strengthen those places, whether that means a refreshed shopfront, new equipment or a new experience that brings a precinct to life.”
For business owners weighing whether it’s worth applying, this isn’t the first time Amex has run a version of this scheme. Back in 2023, the company offered smaller Shop Small grants worth $10,000 each, so this year’s $20,000 grants and $2 million total pool represent a meaningful step up in scale.
If you’re considering it, the practical details matter more than the sentiment. Applications open today and run until 11.59pm AEST on 6 September 2026, submitted through Mainstreet Australia’s website. Amex Card Members who want to help top up the second funding pool can do so simply by shopping at participating small businesses between 1 and 7 August. Full eligibility criteria and terms sit with Mainstreet Australia, so it’s worth reading those closely before applying rather than assuming you qualify.
Learn more about Shop Small and find participating Shop Small businesses at amex.com.au/shopsmall and follow the campaign using #ShopSmall.
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