Open Call: Small Business Grant Scheme (United Kingdom)

Free Business Support is offered for those looking to start up a new business. Through South Cambridgeshire District Councils partner relationships with Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) and The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Growth Hub, resources will be available to help support a new start up business to help ensure that a new business is viable, to provide advice on creating a business plan, and to support on how to market a business. Only when a new business is registered as trading, will they become eligible to apply for funding.

Funding Information

• The maximum grant available to any successful applicant is £5,000. The Council reserves the right to award funding depending on the merit of the supporting detail provided with each application. As the funds end, awards will be apportioned based on the remaining funds available. The Council reserves the right to close the scheme at any time and will do immediately upon 100% fund allocation.

What the scheme can support?

• Grants of up to £5000 are available to fund:
  • Website development
  • Brand development
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Training for upskilling existing staff
  • Commissioning of research
  • Purchase of machinery and associated tooling
  • Purchase of office or technical equipment
  • Electric vehicles for solely business use
  • Purchase of IT hardware
  • Renovating buildings or businesses premises including furnishings – subject to any planning consent required

Eligibility Criteria

• The scheme is open to applications from businesses with 0 – 9 employees who are in South Cambridgeshire and have a business plan demonstrating:
  • An innovative and ambitious business plan for growth over the next two years with evidence of the businesses ability to grow.
  • Evidence of how any funding received will be used.
  • Where applicable, evidence of how any funding received may be used to adopt new technologies and changing market conditions.
  • Number of jobs safeguarded
  • Number of new jobs created
  • Benefit to the local economy.
  • Steps your business is taking towards achieving net zero carbon and decarbonisation of your business activity and your supply chain

Exclusions

• The following are ineligible for the programme:
  • Business that have already received grant payments that equal the maximum permitted levels for Subsidy Control.
  • Business intermediaries acting on behalf of other businesses.
  • Partnerships that only exist to operate investment or where a striking off notice has been made.
  • Those intending to use funding as a wage support mechanism.

For more information, visit South Cambridgeshire District Council.