Marketing Grant (Fully Funded) for SMEs and Tourism Businesses

On Tuesday 15 September 2020 at 12 noon, a new funding stream is opening for the Coast to Capital areas of West Sussex, Greater Brighton and East Surrey – on a first come first served basis!

Visit the pre-application information page – https://www.coast2capital.org.uk/erdf-grants

Businesses can apply for fully funded Government grants of between £1000 – £3000 (up to £5000 in exceptional circumstances). This can be used towards professional services (including marketing!) to help you adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, or to purchase new equipment.  See a long list of examples of eligible expenditure here.

The grant must cover 100% of the cost of the service or product – not part-fund expenditure.

Your business doesn’t have to contribute any money – this is a fully funded scheme from Government (although you pay out first and then claim back 100%)

The grants are for businesses (including third sector organisations, social enterprises and trading charities) with less than 250 employees and a turnover below 50m Euros, that fit one of two categories:

• SME – for the “Restart and Recovery Grant” (excluding nuclear, tobacco, airport infrastructure, fishery and aquaculture, primary production (and processing and marketing) of agricultural products)
• Visitor Economy – for the “Kick-start Tourism Grant”

Applicants for both must have been impacted by COVID-19 and must satisfy all eligibility criteria.

Find out more about what you’ll need to complete the gateway diagnostic tool and what you’ll be asked to provide within this PDF.  Have this information ready at 12 noon so that you can express interest as quickly as possible. Visit the pre-application information page – https://www.coast2capital.org.uk/erdf-grants

ACT NOW! You snooze you lose!

Coast to Capital say: Funding is extremely limited and we expect the scheme to be very popular, so you should complete the gateway diagnostic tool as soon as possible after the scheme opens. We are not operating a waiting list so decisions will be made on a first come, first served basis. The gateway diagnostic will close when the limit has been reached. 

There is an equivalent scheme to the above for the M3 area too (Hampshire and Surrey) – find out more here from Enterprise M3.

Other local areas should be launching applications – probably in September – so check out your local Growth Hub/LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) now via this map. We’ll let you know about East Sussex asap!

FAQ’s regarding the two schemes can be found here.

Read the original Government announcement about the funding scheme in July 2020.

More funding available…

If you are in West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, East Surrey, Croydon, or the Lewes District and have a capital outlay to make, the ‘Business Recovery Grants’ scheme could be for you. Grants range from £10k – £170k (for projects of £20k ato £340k).  Grant funding must be matched by the business (at least 50%). Find out more from Coast to Capital about this grant.

Plus:

• SME’s in East Sussex can get 9 hours of marketing support completely free of charge – read more
• SME’s in East Sussex, Kent and Essex can gain SEBB grants for up to 30% of the cost of a marketing project – read more
• If you’re a manufacturer there is also some dedicated marketing funding to cover 30% of a marketing project – find out more.
• If you sell eco/green-related products and services in East Sussex, Essex and Kent, there’s funding  specifically for you, read more.