STOP PRESS 22/4/2025

Some Local Authorities have recently been awarded funding by Govt to extend UKSPF and Rural programmes, which will enable them to offer grants until March 2026. Where available, schemes should soon formally open for business. Schermes will be different in each local area, but we'd expect them to be able to fund growth in all sectors, offering grants of around 50% of "eligible costs" and may well be conditional on new job creation. Each authority will have its own timeline, and some will react much faster than others. For insights on your local area, call PHMC. 

North East Derbyshire has opened applications for a Shopfront Enhancement Scheme. This grant can cover 75% of the costs of upgrading your commercial street-facing property, throughout the district, but especially in town centres and on high streets.  Grants can range from £500 to £10,000. 

You can apply for funding toeards the cost of new signage, windows, doors, and canopies,

external lighting and access improvements,

energy-efficiency upgrades, stonework repairs and historical reinstatement, external planters, seating, and appropriate artwork. 

More details on NEDDC's webpage.

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS FUND ARE NOW CLOSED.

Well done to HIgh Peak Borough Council, one of the quickest off the mark in launching a new tranche of grants. Among them the High Peak Business Development Grant, which offers up to £10k of grant to support the adoption of new technologies and processes and/or the adoption of new or improved products or services that have the potential to lead to business growth. 

The scheme is open to applications from businesses in the High Peak with fewer than 250 staff, and businesses that previously accessed funds from UKSPF or REPF can also apply. 

Applications close on 15 June, so be quick! Get in touch with PHMC to find out how I can help you prepare a winning application. 

If you have a capital expenditure project in mind that can be completed by March 2026 and are in a rural area of West Yorkshire, your business may be eligible for funding of up to 50% of the cost, up to a maximum grant of £100,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund.


Grants are available to support three themes:


Business Development - Support for eligible businesses with investment in capital equipment (including new technologies) and improvements to buildings/premises to facilitate expansion, improve productivity, bring new products to market, create and/or safeguard jobs.  Only businesses with fewer than 50 employees can apply.

 

Food Processing - As above, but restricted to food processing businesses/organisations, including farming businesses, where there is no duplication with other sources of public sector support, for example Defra. Only businesses with fewer than 50 employees can apply.

 

Tourism - Visitor Economy - Supports development of tourist attractions and infrastructure to increase the range of attractions available within a locality, which in turn will encourage tourists/visitors to stay longer, increase spend and extend the tourism period beyond April to October. Businesses with fewer than 250 employees can apply.


A detailed and competitive application process is involved. PHMC can help by working with you to prepare a high quality application, maximising chances of success. Ask PHMC for more details- no obligation!

Derbyshire Dales District Council has launched three business grant schemes as part of its allocation of £1m from the UK Shared Prosperity Sheme. Applications are now open, and the scheme closes in March 2026 (or when finds are exhausted if earlier).The schemes are:


Small Business Adaptation Grant -Businesses with fewer than 50 employees only. A maximum grant of £6,500, covering up to 65% of eligible project costs.  Costs can include equipment and technology solutions, training and consultancy. Your project must  result in a reduction in running costs, improved use of digital technology, new product or service launched, energy consumption reduced, existing jobs safeguarded or new jobs created.


Business Development Grant - Businesses with fewer than 50 employees. A maximum grant of £25,000 covering up to 50% of eligible costs.  Your project must stimulate enterprise and innovation; enhance business resilience; improve business productivity; or encourage green business growth/carbon reduction; and

enable the creation of higher paid / higher skilled roles. Eligible costs can include all listed above, plus capital expenditure to adapt/ extend existing premises.


Business Growth Grant - Manufacturing or Engineering businesses only, with between 2-249 full time staff. A maximum grant of £40,000 against expenditure of £100,000 to £150,000.  Your project must stimulate enterprise and innovation; enhance business resilience; improve business productivity, encourage green business growth/carbon reduction; or enable the creation of higher paid / higher skilled roles.


A two-stage application process is involved, and competition for funds is expected to be high. For more information and to explore how I can boost your chances of success talk to PHMC in the first place!

The Workplace Charging Scheme issues vouchers to eligible business projects that can be used to subsidise the costs of installing EV charging points at places of work. The voucher is worth £350 / 75% of the cost of purchase and installation per charge point, and can cover up to 40 charge points.  This grant can cover costs of providing charge points for staff, not for customers. Details including a list of authorised installers are included in official Guidance. Vouchers must be spent with authorised installers only. Apply here.
See details on government Innovation Funding Service website

If you're into developing new technology and innovative ideas for commercialisation, Smart grants could be appropriate. This is a major fund (£25m in the current round), available for cutting-edge, game-changing innovation. Forget it if you've just got a great commercial idea- this is about genuine disruptive R&D innovation, so long as it is commercially viable. Funding of up to 70% (depending on company size and the project's stage of development) can be accessed- 70% for micro businesses (fewer than 10 staff), 60% for SMEs (fewer than 250 staff) or 50% for larger businesses. Development projects can be in any area of technology, but the scheme particularly favours those in the "grand challenge areas", which are Artificial Intelligence and data; ageing society; clean growth; future of mobility.


Projects could be for feasibility (including market research), through to technology or prototype testing and development stages, but falling short of commercialisation support. The duration of the project must be between 6 months and 2 years, and funding is up to a maximum of £2million. Your project must have a total cost of between £100k and £1m (yes, I know, this can hardly be said to target small companies).


This is a highly competitive and selective programme, and the application process is tough. For example,(based on an FOI request)10% of applications were successful in the Jan-May 2021 round, but fewer than 6% of applications were successful in the two earlier rounds- demand still massively exceeds available funds. Using the services of PHMC will improve your chance of being offered a grant. The current window for applications opened on 25 April 2024 and closes on 24 July 2024. Take a look at this short video.

East Midlands businesses: This capital grants programme is continuing, making use of funds recirculated through previously offered loans. There is a strong preference for loans rather than grants , especially where premises are being purchased or extended, and applications that seek a lower value of grant than loan have the best chance of success. This is a complex application process, consisting of an Expression of Interest and Full Application with detailed supporting documentation and financial projections. Your minimum spend against which you could get funding of 20% (this has been 30% in previous years) needs to be £50,000. You'll be expected to create at least one new full-time job per £10k of funding, and it's likely that your funding offer will comprise a loan and a grant, with the loan accounting for around 60% of funding, and if the project is a property purchase, this could be considerably higher. Interestingly, this scheme can be used in conjunction with asset finance for equipment purchases. There will also be a fee payable externally for a Due Diligence report if an offer is made.


Invest to Grow does not support any companies which are business to consumer (B2C) focused, or professional services, agriculture and retail businesses​.


Ask about PHMC's support if you are considering an application to this fund. 

Government Start-Up Loans Scheme is now accessible not only to new starts, but to businesses trading up to 3 years. Loans up to £25,000 are available with fixed interest rates of 6% and terms of 1 to five years, in the form of an unsecured perssonal loan. Second loans are also available to businesses that are 3-5 years old. See details on website.


Launched in 2025 (after a limited pilot in 2024) businesses can also access a new Growth Guarantee Scheme. In this scheme, government guarantees 70% of a loan of up to £2m. Businesses can use the finance for any legitimate business purpose – including managing cashflow and investment, but  must be able to afford to take out additional debt finance for these purposes. The scheme was designed to address challenges brouth about by global tariffs. Loan applications can be made to most business banks- see details at the British Business Bank.