Grants are a type of funding awarded to a business or an individual to help support them with their business goals.
What are Small Business Grants?
Let us start from the beginning: What are small business grants? Grants are a type of funding awarded to a business or an individual to help support them with their business goals. For instance, artists can apply for arts funding grants, manufacturers can apply for manufacturing grants, etc. This helps them pay for supplies, energy, rent, food, etc. The grants allow them to focus on their business rather than juggling it with a side job/income.
Most importantly, this funding does not need to be paid back; it is awarded to help businesses grow and succeed.
Some grants are small, and some are worth a lot, as you will have grants ranging between £1000 and £100K. It all depends on the size of the business, the needs of the applicant, and the sector. So, a grant for sectors such as green investment and security and defence will be significantly higher than others.
A grant for a small business will be less than those above, but it can be a massive help for those who really need it. So, if you are a small business and need funding, it is worth exploring this route. This could be used for hiring more resources, getting equipment, or paying off bills.
What types of small business grants are available
Grant opportunities are available to SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). Often, they are segregated by the geographical area of your business, the specific industry sectors that it covers, and/or the objectives that need to be achieved through the grant program. So, these objectives could range from lowering carbon footprint emissions to net zero decarbonisation, job creation/employment opportunities, or renewable energy installations. It could be anything.
What are the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) criteria for these grant programs (most of the time)
- An organisation should have employees between 5 – 250
- Annual turnover of less than £36million
- An organisation that is based in the UK (No foreign-owned company)
How to apply
So, now that you have made up your mind slightly that you want to apply for grants, which is great, you are wondering what ones are available for your business or who can help you get them.
First of all, don't think it is out of your hands to get the grant funding! Stop here and fret not, we understand that the process is not easy, but you have lots of help available to get your grant!
People often drop out wondering who will apply or fill in their application form, not knowing we are here to support them throughout the process and we know we can get them the grant.
Our confidence comes from our 30 years of experience and a success rate of 88%. So, we know a thing or two about small business grants and more about getting your carbon footprint on track. Our professional energy experts and grant writers are here to support you and take you through the entire process. We have everything that you need to know as a small business and what grants to apply for. We will do it.
How can small business grants benefit your business
Small business grants can be of massive help to businesses. Often, businesses give up and think of shutting down due to rising operating costs, which is sad for them and the economy. All they need at that point is a little push that could help them survive and move to the next step of their business. As stated above, the funding can be used in various ways. You need equipment replacement, or you need to hire more labour, or you need up-to-date technology and software. These grants can help with productivity, creativity and it can help your employees get work done faster. It could even help you secure new office space for your staff.
However, if you decide to spend money on it, it will undoubtedly help your business. Since they don’t usually have to be repaid, they are even more suitable than a loan. The last thing you want is to struggle to pay back a loan, not to mention that this will often be with added interest.
Where to find small business grants
We have covered a fair bit about small business grants and how they can support your business. Now, let's see where you can find them.
Small business grants are available on the Internet. We at Pro Enviro Limited have been contracted to register small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into various government grant programmes. We are currently working on various grant opportunities for Black Country, Worcestershire, Marches, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, and Northern Ireland.
Having access to such a variety of grant programmes is great, but scrolling through countless sites for hours can get tedious. Not all sites will offer you valuable information, and you will have to look through long documents to find the correct information you need and whether you are eligible to apply for certain grants or not. Spending a lot of time searching for grants is tiring, especially if you are a business owner without time or resources.
So are you ready to move forward and apply for your grant application?
Well, visit our grants available page and apply for the grant that you are interested in and if you are eligible for it