Submit Applications for Community Business Grant Programme (UK)

Funding Information

• Applicants can be awarded one grant of up to £7,500.
• Projects must be completed before 31st March 2026.

What can be funded?

• For existing projects, they will not fund ‘business as usual’. Your application must demonstrate how the funding will help you to significantly increase your trading income, secure an asset or significantly reduce your costs (such as the installation of net zero infrastructure that will enable you to be more energy efficient).
• For new projects, you can apply for funding to develop your idea.  You will be asked to demonstrate your commitment to becoming a community business and be able to explain how the grant will help you move along this journey. Funding could be used to develop the governance structure of the organisation or conduct consultation or feasibility studies.
• All projects must be able to demonstrate at least one of the seven core impact areas below. If your application is successful, you will be asked to report against the impact area(s) you selected.
  • Reduce social isolation
  • Improve health and wellbeing
  • Increase employability
  • Create better access to basic services
  • Improve local environment
  • Enable greater community cohesion
  • Foster greater community pride and empowerment

Eligibility Criteria

• The scheme is open to community businesses based in the Uttlesford district.
• What is a community business?
  • Community businesses are run by local people for local people.
  • There are many types of community businesses, but what they all have in common is that they are inclusive and give decision-making power to local people. Profits generated must flow back into the community to deliver a positive local impact.
• The project can either be new or an existing business.
• The Community Business Fund will only fund incorporated organisations. This means that your organisation is recognised as a legal entity in its own right, rather than as a collection of individuals.
•  to be a charity, as they will fund a variety of legal structures, but they cannot fund activities which don’t further a charitable purpose.
• They cannot accept proposals that promote the advancement of religion or that are party political. This does not prevent faith groups from applying for funding for activities which have a charitable purpose other than the advancement of religion.

For more information, visit UDC.