Screen Queensland is set to introduce a $3 million, three-year business enterprise fund to bolster the state’s screen businesses and build capacity for local IP.
The Business Enterprise program will provide grants of up to $150,000 per year for both emerging and established screen businesses. It is designed to provide broad range support, covering things like employing more staff, engaging consultants, investing in innovation, domestic or international expansion, or securing new financing and partnership opportunities.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Queensland screen businesses generated more than $484 million in 2021–22, which is an increase of 129 per cent since 2015–16, while employment across the state’s screen sector grew by more than 226 per cent in that time.
“Queensland has seen enormous growth in the number of screen businesses in the state, more than doubling between 2016 and 2022,” said Queensland Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch.
“The Business Enterprise grants will support the sector to focus on scalable expansion over the next three years, creating additional employment opportunities and increased economic outcomes for the state’s economy.”
Screen Queensland previously ran an enterprise fund, SQ Enterprise, in the pandemic, which had a pool of $1 million.
Applications for Business Enterprise are now open on the Screen Queensland website and close on Friday 22 March. An introductory webinar will be held on Thursday 15 February for screen practitioners interested in applying. Practitioners from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, are encouraged to apply.