Six Small Business Grants You May Not Be Aware Of
Businesses in the UK, small and large, are feeling the pinch at the moment. Whether it’s inflation, the cost of living or increased energy bills many small businesses are having to tighten their purse strings at the moment. What many may not be aware of is that there are a number of grants that you may be entitled to but just don’t know about it yet. Here is a short list of 6 UK based grants that you may be able to apply for:
The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme
This grant is available to anybody aged 16-30 and is generally available to cover training costs. You must be a UK resident and you must be currently unemployed or not in compulsory education. The awards are not designed to cover living expenses or training courses you have already undertaken.
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
This scheme has been running for a good number of years now and is geared towards start ups that are looking to raise money in order to grow their business. You can receive a maximum of up to £150,000 including state aid awarded in the three years running up to the date of investment. The grant money needs to be spent within 3 years of the issue of the funds.
This scheme is a voucher based scheme which contributes to some of the upfront costs of installing electric vehicle charging points. It is available to businesses, charities and public sector organisations and covers up to 70% of the total costs involved.
Retail Improvement Grant Scheme
This scheme offers small grants of up to £4000 in order to support businesses make key improvements to their premises and retail operations. You must be registered with HMRC and it cannot be used to cover wages etc.. Application can be made through a number of local applicable schemes.
National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations
This fund is mainly geared towards supporting the creative industries such as designers, studios and artists etc.. The fund is open all year round and you can apply for grants between £1000 and £100.000. The grant is often given for specific research and development projects along with specific creative productions.
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
This grant is designed to help small businesses pay towards the cost of installing gigabit enabled broadband connections. SME’s can claim £4500 against the cost of connection. There are a number of qualifiers which are available upon application.
So there you have it, 6 schemes that you may be eligible for to help you with different aspects of your business. This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many grants that are geographically specific, so you’ll only be able to apply for them if you’re based in a specific location. Pick one and apply to see if you qualify for any financial assistance.