Business Grants & Funding

Keep checking this page for details of the latest business grants and funding opportunities.

The grant schemes below are funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/...

High Peak Borough Council

High Peak Borough Council has launched new grants for local businesses and communities and is now inviting applications.
The funding, totalling £969,541, is from the UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Prosperity Funds aimed at levelling up all areas of the UK.
The funding seeks to help businesses and the community to build pride in the place where they live and work and to increase life chances for all residents.

The business grants now available are:

• Capital grant for improvement to high street businesses – to improve accessibility and/or the attractiveness of retail premises to increase footfall and profitability
• Peak innovation SME grant – to increase private-sector investment in growth-enhancing activities
• Peak innovation micro growth grant – to invest in growth through innovation which creates new jobs and to encourage new start-up businesses
• Peak innovation micro growth grant for tourism – small capital grants for the development and promotion of the visitor economy for all businesses including diversification of farm enterprises

The funding also includes support for organisations to bid for the funding – for more information about all of the grants and the available support please go to High Peak Borough's website.

The grants are available until 2025 or until all the funding has been allocated so don’t miss out – apply now!

Derbyshire Dales District Council

If your business in based in the Derbyshire Dales and you are looking to develop your businesses but need help with funding you may be eligible for up to 50% grant funding via Derbyshire Dales District Council's Business Development Grants scheme.

Eligible expenditure includes the following costs where it can be demonstrated that the proposed investment will directly support the objectives of the grant scheme. Proposed expenditure needs to be new to the business and not ongoing costs:

• new equipment or technology required to adapt/develop/diversify the business including new to the firm technologies or processes, more efficient production processes and capital expenditure to enhance energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the business.
• digital adoption including investment in e-commerce and on-line booking systems
• capital expenditure to enable premise adaptations to support business expansion where the occupier is the applicant business. No funding is available for capital improvements to property which is subsequently let to other users.
• buying in specialist consultancy services to adapt/develop/diversify the business*
• buying-in bespoke training necessary to upskill the workforce and address skills shortages including training for business owners, employers, managers or employees*

*unavailable through other provision / capped at £8,000

To apply, first read the Business Development Grant guidance to see if you may be eligible.

If you then wish to apply you must first register your interest. It is advised that prior to application you read DDDC's Registration Form Guidance before starting your registration and also that you read the Grant Process for Applicants which provides an overview of the process.

South Derbyshire District Council

South Derbyshire District Council have launched two grant funds which may be relevant to visitor economy business, the Rural Fund and the Business Grant Scheme, both the grants full details, including eligible activities and organisations can be found in the Guidance Document. Applicants who have read the Guidance Document, can follow the link to submit an Expression of Interest.

Grant intervention rates and maximum grants available are as follows:

Small projects with a total project cost of £1,250 - £6,250 may receive up to 80% of total eligible costs to a maximum of £5,000
Medium projects with a total project cost of £6,251 - £40,000 may receive up to 50% of total eligible costs up to a maximum of £20,000
Large projects with a total project cost of over £40,000 may receive up to 25% of total eligible costs up to a maximum of £50,000

Rural Fund

The Rural Fund is integrated into the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which supports productivity and prosperity in places that need it most. The Rural Fund is a rural top-up to UKSPF allocations. It supports activities that specifically address the particular challenges rural areas face. It is complementary to funding used to support rural areas under the UKSPF.

Any organisation with legal status can apply for funding to deliver a Rural Fund intervention. This may include: local authorities; public sector organisations; higher and further education institutions; private sector companies; voluntary organisations; registered charities; and, arms-length bodies of Government.

The Rural Fund provides capital funding to spend on lasting assets such as a building or equipment that:

• support rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams.
• support new and improved community infrastructure, providing essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.

Example Projects

• capital grants for sustainable kitchens in community hubs which can support food and drink entrepreneurs to get accreditation for food production
• capital grants to establish or enhance community gardens and green spaces
• capital grants to develop, restore or refurbish local natural, cultural and heritage assets and sites
• improving visitor experience and accessibility such as providing all terrain wheelchairs
• capital grants to enable the provision of venues to host creative events
• creation of new footpaths and cycle paths
• capital grants to set up community led cafes or workshops including tools and equipment
• capital grants to purchase equipment for local volunteering groups
• installing EV charging points for the local community
• retrofitting community buildings to reduce energy consumption and emissions e.g., installing insulation, double glazing, or solar panels

• creation of event venues or farm tourism facilities such as accommodation, wedding venues and leisure facilities including pet and equine facilities
• purchase of equipment for food processing for non-farm owned businesses such as brewery equipment, modernising existing kitchen equipment, onsite vending machines
• capital grants for equipment to support showcasing of local food and drink products
• capital grants to equip development kitchens or modernise existing kitchen equipment for increased energy efficiency or increased productivity through automation
• capital grants to develop local tourist attractions such as information boards and visitor centres
• provision of premises for community owned shops
• conversion of farm buildings to other business uses

Business Grant Scheme

The grant scheme aims to encourage business development and job creation by supporting private investment in growth-enhancing activities.

Grants will be targeted at smaller businesses, helping them to increase productivity, purchase equipment, introduce new processes or techniques, start or grow their exports, or introduce new products or services.

The grant scheme aims to enhance business resilience, stimulate enterprise and innovation, enable businesses to access new markets, and encourage green growth.

Grants can part-fund new capital or revenue investment that businesses would like to undertake in South Derbyshire prior to 31 December 2024.

The first competitive call for Expressions of Interest will close on 30 June 2023. Following this, if funds remain available, grants will be offered on a first come-first served basis.

Applicants should demonstrate that grant investment will contribute to one or more of the following
(applicants will be required to quantify these within their application):
• new jobs created
• existing jobs safeguarded
• adoption of new or improved products or services
• adoption of new to the firm technologies or processes
• engagement in new markets
• people trained

Bolsover District Council

Existing businesses within Bolsover District Council can access grant funding to support innovative product and service development resulting in job creation and retention. They can also apply for funding to access specialist consultancy and/or training, a grant to help to adopt digital solutions, carbon reduction solutions and product development. In addition, there is an opportunity for the grant to contribute towards the purchase of capital equipment, including plant and machinery. Grants of up to £10,000 are available to existing businesses via the Business Growth Grant Scheme.

The scheme will fund both capital and revenue expenditure and includes but not limited to:

• Equipment and machinery
• Computer hardware/software - any ICT purchases should form part of an overall investment strategy and a comprehensive rationale will need to be provided for why the investment is required
• Specialist consultancy and/or training
• Relocation/fit out costs of premises (not moving transport costs)
• Improving/extending premises (subject to planning permission approval)
• Websites where this is a critical part of the business model, for example enable international sales, or incorporate additional functions that will increase sales/improve efficiency such as shopping carts
  

Minimum grant: £1,000
Maximum grant: £10,000
Up to 80%* of the total project cost can be applied for up to a maximum of
£10,000; the remaining percentage of the cost of the project must be funded
by the business applying for the grant.

To find out if you are eligible and how to apply read the grant guidance notes