NT Government Cyber Security Grant: access up to $20,000 to protect your business

NT Government Cyber Security Grant: access up to $20,000 to protect your business.

Your business has probably changed a lot in the last few years. More clients, bigger jobs, larger contracts and more people relying on your systems every day. With that growth comes more responsibility: more client information to look after, more questions about how you keep data safe and more to lose if something goes wrong.

Yet for many Territory businesses, cyber security is still the job sitting at the bottom of the list. It feels expensive, it feels technical and while nothing has gone wrong, it's easy to put off until next year.

Right now there's a strong reason not to wait. The NT Government Cyber Security Grant, officially the Cyber Invest Business Program, gives eligible small to medium Territory businesses access to up to $20,000 per financial year to improve their cyber security. Round 2 is open now and closes on Friday 15 January 2027, unless funding runs out earlier.

Find out more about the program visit the official website: Information for grant applicants | CyberNT

Why cyber security matters more as your business grows

Cyber criminals don't only go after big organisations. In the Australian Signals Directorate's latest Annual Cyber Threat Report (2025/26), ASD's Australian Cyber Security Centre received more than 82,000 cybercrime reports, about one every six minutes. The average self reported cost of cybercrime was $55,400 for a small business and $141,300 for a medium business, a 45% rise for medium businesses on the year before.

Behind those numbers are real businesses. An email account taken over and used to send fake invoices to clients. A staff member tricked into handing over a password. Files locked or lost with no backup that actually works. For a growing business the cost isn't only financial. It's time your team can't work, jobs that stall and clients wondering whether their information is safe with you.

And as contracts grow, so do the expectations. Larger clients want confidence that the businesses they work with will look after their information and keep delivering if something goes wrong. Strong cyber security protects what you've built and helps you go after the work you want next.

What is the NT Government Cyber Security Grant?

The Cyber Invest Business Program is a Northern Territory Government initiative that helps small to medium Territory businesses improve their cyber security and resilience. Approved businesses are reimbursed 50% of the cost of eligible cyber security services, up to $20,000 per financial year, and the business covers the other half.

Full program criteria apply, and all funding is subject to NT Government assessment and approval.

All details about the program can be found on the official website: Information for grant applicants | CyberNT

What the grant can help fund

The program supports professional services that strengthen your protection and reduce the risk of disruption. Eligible activities include uplifting your cyber security controls along with the policies and processes around them, including software as a service and cyber assurance; moving to a managed service provider or cloud services; developing or reviewing a business continuity plan that covers cyber incidents; developing a cyber security incident plan; and running a cyber incident exercise to test how your team would respond.

In practical terms, that could mean tightening how staff sign in to your systems with multi factor authentication, making sure your data is backed up and can actually be restored, strengthening your Microsoft 365 security settings or putting a clear plan in place so everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong. The right project depends on your business, and every activity and cost needs to fit the program guidelines.

How to apply

The process is straightforward when you take it one step at a time.

Start with an honest look at where you are now. The program asks businesses to complete a cyber security threat or risk assessment of their current environment.

Next, work with an approved service provider, like New Future IT to develop your Cyber Invest Plan proposal. This sets out the security problem you want to solve, the work involved and the cost.

Then submit your application through GrantsNT. The NT Government assesses each application and makes the funding decision.

Give yourself time. With the holiday break in between and applications closing on 15th  January 2027, the businesses that start now will be in the best position.

Why now is the time to act

Funding in each round is limited, and Round 2 closes on Friday 15 January 2027 or earlier if the funding is used up. Between now and then sits the Christmas and new year break, when many businesses, and the people who would help you, slow down.

If cyber security has been on your list, this is the moment when up to half the cost of doing it properly could be covered. Miss it, and you're either waiting for a future round or paying the full cost yourself, while carrying the risk in the meantime.

How we can help

We're a Territory based IT team working alongside businesses across the NT every day. We know security isn't about ticking boxes. It's about keeping your people working, your information protected and your clients confident in you.

We can help you understand where your business stands today, talk through the security priorities that make sense for you and prepare a clear Cyber Invest Plan proposal and quote for your application. Once your project is approved, we help you put it in place.

If you've been putting cyber security off, let's use this grant to make a start. contact us today for any questions.

Find out more about the program visit the official website: Information for grant applicants | CyberNT