Where an Australian small business should look first for AI funding — realistic options, not hype.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
Small businesses have fewer but real options for AI funding in Australia. Here is where to look first.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First stop | business.gov.au Finder (open, eligible programs) |
| R&D | R&D Tax Incentive if there is genuine experimental work |
| State | State commercialisation grants (e.g. NSW MVP Ventures) |
| CSIRO | Kick-Start for a small R&D project |
Where small businesses should look
Start with the business.gov.au Finder, filtered to open, eligible programs. For genuine R&D, the R&D Tax Incentive can refund a share afterward (refundable under $20M turnover); CSIRO Kick-Start can co-fund a small R&D project; and your state may have a commercialisation grant (such as NSW MVP Ventures). Note there is no single Commonwealth small-business ‘AI adoption grant’.
Set expectations
Most small-business ‘AI funding’ is an after-the-fact tax offset or a competitive matched grant rather than a simple up-front cheque — plan accordingly. Program parameters, amounts, rates and round windows change frequently — confirm the current details on the official program page before relying on them.
How to start
Important: these are programs a business applies for directly with the government agency or, for the R&D Tax Incentive, claims through a registered tax adviser. dgm is an independent AI-integration agency — not a registered or approved program deliverer, an Industry Growth Program adviser, or a registered R&D tax agent. dgm can help scope and build the AI project; eligibility and any claim are determined and lodged by you or a registered adviser. dgm can help scope a small, affordable first project.
Where dgm fits
dgm is an independent integration partner that helps Australian businesses adopt osFoundry — scoping a first use case, handling the build, and connecting AI to the systems you already run. dgm can help you scope the AI project that a program would fund — but you apply to the program (or claim the R&D Tax Incentive with a registered adviser) directly. dgm is independent of osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC) and has no completed client integrations yet, so everything described here is a service offered, not a past result. If you want to scope a practical first project, dgm can help you map it out.