Sydney, May 14: American Express has announced the return of its “Backing Small” grant programs for 2025, committing US$3.95 million in support for small and independent restaurants globally.
The initiative, which includes the Backing International Small Restaurants and Backing Historic Small Restaurants programs, is designed to help preserve culinary heritage and boost local economies through direct funding and operational support.
In collaboration with the International Downtown Association (IDA) Foundation and local partners such as Mainstreet Australia, the 2025 program has expanded to include restaurants in France, New Zealand, and Spain. This is in addition to existing participating countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
In Australia, 15 grants valued at AU$23,000 each will be available to small restaurant owners in Sydney and Melbourne.
Meanwhile, five restaurants in Auckland, New Zealand, will be awarded grants of NZ$25,000 each. Since its local inception in 2022, the initiative has already provided over AU$522,000 in funding to Australian establishments.
In 2024, Bojak Brewing in Dandenong was among 13 Australian recipients, using their grant to upgrade kitchen facilities, add outdoor heating, and streamline packaging processes.
Applications are now open and will close on July 1.
The grant programs were launched during the pandemic to aid struggling businesses and have since evolved into long-term support systems.
Since 2020, American Express grants have helped nearly 5,000 small businesses across six countries and all U.S. states and territories.
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