Need help to secure small business grants in the UK? We’ve got you covered…

If you are looking to secure small business grants in the UK, we can help. The UK offers a range of grants to small business to aid in their progress and business development. Knowing which small business grants are available to you is the first step in the process.

Firstly, you need to identify what your business if offering. Look at what you hope to achieve long-term and see how funding can help you get there. Grant applications can be extensive. Funders want to know what the money is funding and what outcome it will achieve. Be prepared to answer these questions and more when you start your application.

Planning is always recommended before you even begin an application. So, once you have those initial questions answered, you can move on to looking at grant opportunities.

In this blog, we have broken down some of the grants available to you and where to find them.

Who is eligible for small business grants in the UK?

Small business grants are for businesses looking for funding to aid their business growth. The money goes towards a specific project the business intends to do undertake. This could be a project that will be beneficial to them or the local area. This could be:

  • Training
  • Employment opportunities
  • Research
  • Property development
  • Revitalisation projects.

Each small business grant will come with a different application process. There will be specifications for each that businesses will be expected to follow, with eligibility requirements in place.

There are several small business grants currently available in the UK. Here is a breakdown of six of the live grants (blog written April 2022) you can apply for.

  1. Covid support for small businesses

You would undoubtably be aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted business across the UK. Therefore, to help with restoring the economy, there is support and funding available to help businesses recover.

Business & Covid-19 Government Support is currently offering two types of grant funding:

  • £10,000 Grant Funding – is for all businesses that receive small business rate relief or rural rate relief.
  • £25,000 Grant Funding – is for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses with property that has a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.

There is also an Employee Retention Scheme in place. This means, employers who are a part of the PAYE scheme can get access to support. Meaning, they can get part of their employee’s salary paid for.

  1. Environmental grants

There is currently a grant in place for businesses that offer improvements to the environment. This could include:

  • Projects that improve the local environment
  • Projects ensuring involvement of local communities
  • Delivering a sustainable and measurable difference
  • Supporting people in need.

This Environmental Grant is available for not-for profit small businesses. You can receive a grant up to the value of £2,000.

Another environmental initiative is the Green Fund. This grant is available for small businesses with under 10 employees, charities, and schools. You can receive a grant up to the value of £2,000. This can support with projects that deliver ‘green’ proposals to reduce the impact on the environment.

  1. Innovate UK

If you have applied for grant funding before, you probably would have heard about Innovate UK. They are one of the biggest grant funders in the UK. They offer a range of funding opportunities to support businesses with their growth and development plans.

Just one of their current grants is their Bespoke Support Grant. This funding is to enable small businesses to scale up. They will identify the most effective strategy for you to scale your business. They can also provide support to you when applying for funding to aid in scaling your business.

  1. The Prince’s Trust Young Person Enterprise Programme

The Prince’s Trust Enterprise grant scheme is available for people aged 18-30 who want to set up their own business. You can get a grant up to the value of £5,000, plus support in the following forms:

  • Business training and mentoring
  • Help with writing your business plan
  • Support to apply for a low-interest loan if required.

It can be daunting applying for national grants like this. But don’t let that put you off. There are four stages you need to go through when applying for The Prince’s Trust grants. Make sure you are well prepared with everything you need beforehand.

  1. The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is a scheme available to businesses to fund projects that encourage community developments. Funding can go towards:

  • Activities that engage the community
  • Repairs and conservation
  • Digital outputs that market the projects – this could be a film, an app or even website content
  • New employment or employee training if they are involved in the project
  • Professional fees relating to outsourcing work that is required for the project.

There are three funding options available, each with their own specifications. These are:

  1. The first National Lottery Grants for Heritage is, £3,000 to £10,000 – there are no deadlines
  2. National Lottery Grants for Heritage, £10,000 to £250,000 grant – there are no deadlines, however, you need to subsidise some of the cost
  3. The National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £250,000 to £5million – deadlines are quarterly, and you must subsidise some of the cost.

Before diving into these grant applications, you need to look at what is best for you. You also need to know what the project is you are wanting to fund and the outcomes it will achieve. Most small businesses will fall under the first option. Applications for this funding can be done at any time throughout the year.

  1. Small business apprenticeship grants

You can get financial help from the government to train an apprentice in your small business. The funding includes the cost of training an apprentice. You pay 5% of the funds to the apprenticeship provider, the government will then pay the remaining 95%.

There is also an incentive cost if you hire new apprentices. You could get up to £3,000 for hiring new apprentices. This is because you will be providing new employment opportunities that benefit the community. So, hiring an apprentice not only provides you with funding to develop, but it also allows you to grow your team.

In summary

Looking for small business grants in the UK can be daunting at first. But once you know where to look and what you’re looking for, then you have made the first step. The UK government is eager to see businesses grow and develop, especially after the chaos caused by the coronavirus. Look at what is available to you nationwide, but also locally. If you fall into a niche sector, see what your industry funding opportunities are. For example, looking to implement green initiatives? Then consider environmental grants.

Plan ahead, ensuring you have all the relevant information for your application, paired with a strong business plan. Keep yourself up to date with grants, doing your research can really help. Applying for grants as close to their launch date as possible gives you a better chance of success. Also, remember that if you are unsuccessful the first-time around, don’t give up. Try again and ask for feedback after each unsuccessful application. With this information, you can build on the points made, for better success next time.

How we can help

Now that you are familiar with the small business grants available in the UK, have you seen any of interest? Our range of services can aid you in your application for funding. We also have a tracker to help you in your search.

Grant Writing can support you with your grant applications

Our Grant Writing service is for businesses who want to start applying for grants, but don’t know where to begin. We can support you at any stage of the process. We are also on hand to help businesses who have been applying for grants but aren’t seeing success.

With over 60 years of experience, our Grant Writing Consultants  can help with bidding for funding and grants. From start-up business grants to small business grants. They can take care of the whole process for you – they’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Want to know more? Get in touch today to find out how we can help your business grow!

Our free Grant Tracker helps you find opportunities

Looking for a grant? Our Business Grant Tracker has thousands of live grants and funding opportunities. Our team have manually tracked 1,500+ data streams searching for business grant opportunities. Each one is then uploaded to one central system, streamlining the process.

All you need to do to gain access is sign up for free.

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