Are you ready to transform your shopfront?

Hume City Council is keen to support local retail and hospitality businesses to create fresh facades and improve the presentation of their shopfronts to add to the overall streetscape visual appeal.

Recognising the importance of supporting small businesses, Hume City Council is offering $100,000 to be allocated for a Shopfront Improvement Grant Program. The maximum amount that a business can receive is $5,000 (plus GST)

Applications can be made by owners of retail and hospitality businesses. The shopfront must be in a shopping strip in Hume and not located inside of a shopping centre.

To give your application every opportunity, please read our guidelines and this document in full before starting your application.

You will need to provide the following as part of your application:

• a brief summary of your project – this should include 'before' photos of the shopfront
• quotes for the work – preferably by local Hume Contractors
• any relevant permits and/or licenses
• financial reports – last 12 months minimum required

Regularly save your application by clicking the 'Save Progress' button which appears at the top of your screen.

File Upload allows applicants to upload one or more file attachments in their application.  The recommended size of a file must be no bigger than 5mb.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Shopfront Improvement Grant the business must:

• be located within Hume City
• hold a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be a shopfront in a shopping strip and not located inside a shopping centre
• hold all appropriate permits and licenses; this will include but is not restricted to building and planning permits, liquor licenses, health, bankruptcy, and any other statutory permits or licenses that are required for the business to be legal
• have fully paid Council rates
• hold current public liability insurance
• not be in breach of any state/territory or local government law or regulation
• have a minimum of 12 months remaining on the lease for the premises

Ineligibility

The Hume City Shopfront Improvement Grant Program will not support applicants that:

• are political organisations or are deemed to have a political purpose
• are government departments of agencies, foundations or grant making bodies
• are charities and have a primary focus of fundraising
• own or operate electronic gaming machines (EGM) or receive funding or in-kind support from EGM venues
• are franchise businesses i.e., large corporations such as supermarkets
• do not meet the requirements or do not provide the relevant documentation
• incur revenue relating to alcohol, tobacco and tobacco-related products i.e., e-cigarettes, shisha, hookahs and pipes
• denigrate, exclude or offend parts of the community