What is the grant available for?
UKSPF Rural England Prosperity Fund
This fund aims to address challenges faced by our local rural areas, supporting rural businesses within North Lincolnshire that operate within the visitor economy sector, such as accommodation, food & drink, retail, entertainment, and leisure.
UKSPF Supplier Readiness Grant
North Lincolnshire has been allocated funds through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) as part of the Levelling Up agenda. The fund will target where there is a need to create and build pride in place, support the business sector, and increase life chances through personal development and training to access employment. The fund will invest in three investment priorities: communities and place, support for local businesses, and people and skills.
North Lincolnshire Council is aiming to support our local economy to access funding designed to enable businesses within the region to obtain the relevant accreditations (such as ISO) needed to be prepared to tender for local government or central government contracts and/or to support with new developments locally. In turn this fund supports businesses to diversify and access new business opportunities leading to economic growth.
The proposed scheme will offer Revenue aid to businesses to help them invest in the relevant accreditations to create further growth leading to safeguarding existing jobs as well as seek new skilled employment opportunities for residents.
UKSPF Energy Audit Voucher Scheme
The Energy Audit Voucher (EAV) Scheme is designed to support micro and small businesses in North Lincolnshire by providing 100% funding for an energy audit. This initiative aims to address the challenges posed by rising energy costs, energy consumption, and climate change impacts.
Through the EAV, eligible businesses can engage an energy consultant procured through North Lincolnshire Council to conduct an audit of their premises. This audit will assess current energy usage and offer tailored recommendations to reduce consumption, replace inefficient energy sources, and implement interventions that achieve both immediate and long-term cost savings.
Business Capital Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
The Business Capital Grant aims to provide financial assistance to businesses with the primary goal of supporting their investments in capital assets. Capital assets typically include long-term assets such as machinery and equipment, that are essential for business operations and growth.
The program is designed to help businesses future proof their operations by facilitating the acquisition of key assets that contribute to increased productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness.
Business Sustainability Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
The Business Sustainability Grants prime objective is to support businesses in reducing their energy related overheads whilst also seeking to reduce the regions CO2 emissions as a direct result. This will allow businesses to increase their profit margins, protect employment for residents of North Lincolnshire and the localised economy. Its aim is to support those businesses seeking to invest within the region; in technologies and products that will directly reduce their energy consumption, reducing their overheads and CO2 emissions by offering financial incentives directly to support and promote these investments. This grant scheme is designed to allow businesses to invest in the short term for their longer-term sustainability and support the UK government to achieve a Net Zero economy by 2040.
Digital and Marketing Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
The proposed scheme will offer revenue aid to businesses to help them invest and safeguard existing jobs but also seek to create further growth leading to new skilled employment opportunities for residents. The grant can cover businesses purchasing digital marketing campaigns, use of consultants to assess how to improve the reach of the business and/or the installation of new technologies as part of the wider project.
Any eligibility criteria
UKSPF Rural England Prosperity Fund
- Eligible Activities:
Subject to UK Subsidy Allowance Rules, funding can contribute to the following activities:
- Investment in Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations that are accessible to visitors, staff, and the public.
- Costs associated with diversifying existing products/services or expanding facilities.
- Examples of Eligible Projects:
- Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Points for Visitors
- Purchase and Installation of Log Cabins for Visitor Accommodation
- Expansion of an Outdoor Dining Area for a Rural Café or Restaurant
- Creation of a New Adventure Play Area for a Rural Attraction
UKSPF Supplier Readiness Grant
Typical projects could include the acquisition accreditations, such as:
- ISO9001 Quality Management
- ISO45001 Health and Safety Management
- ISO14001 Environmental Management
- ISO22301 Business Continuity
- Cyber Essentials
To be eligible, the business activity must be based within North Lincolnshire, the business must have been trading for a minimum of 12 months and prove that they have a UK based bank account in the name of the entity applying for funding.
UKSPF Energy Audit Voucher Scheme
Eligibility criteria include:
- The applicant must be a Micro or Small Business.
- The business must have a commercial premise in North Lincolnshire.
- The business must have been trading for a minimum of 12 months.
Business Capital Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
This Capital grant can cover businesses investing in tangible and intangible assets, diversification of the output of an asset into new additional products, or a fundamental change in the overall production. This may include capital expenditure on the acquisition or creation of fixed assets.
Typical projects could be:
- CNC Machines & Laser Cutters
- Spray Paint Equipment
- Industrial Printers and printing equipment
- Shot Blast units & Compressors
- Warehouse racking and Forklift trucks
- Drones & Specialist video equipment but not software
- Capital costs associated with building expansions, such as materials associated with new expansion or buildings (not acquisitions of new freehold or leasehold properties and/or refurbishment of existing land and buildings).
Business Sustainability Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
Eligible Activities:
- Energy production infrastructure – solar PV, biomass boilers etc.
- Energy Efficient Products – LED lighting and associated energy saving technologies.
- Building Improvements – Replacement boilers to more efficient or heat source pumps, improving insulation etc.
Typical projects could be:
- Purchase of LED lights throughout the business property.
- Purchase of solar panels on roofs for generation on behalf of the business.
- Upgrade of inefficient boiler to a modern, hydrogen ready boiler.
- Upgrade of inefficient heating systems to more eco-friendly solutions.
- Purchase of supplementary battery storage systems associated with renewable energy production.
- Purchase of EV charging stations.
- Building Management systems to reduce energy consumption.
Digital and Marketing Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
Eligible Activities
- Digital Marketing – google ad words campaigns, consultant costs looking at digital improvements across the business. (Revenue)
- Marketing Campaigns &/or marketing consultancy (Revenue)
- Business growth consultancy support (Revenue)
Typical projects could be:
- Purchase of new software to improvement customer management journey
- Investment into AI technologies/software (please note – no support will be available for investment into any associated hardware for AI technologies).
- Purchase of bespoke software to deliver a new service/product.
- Contribution towards a digital marketing campaign
- Procurement of marketing consultants to develop a new marketing strategy for a business looking at growing its client reach.
- Moving a current website from regional / nation to international market – to increase existing export potential.
What grant amounts are available?
UKSPF Rural England Prosperity Fund
Maximum grant amount: £7,000
Intervention rate: Up to 60% of eligible project costs
UKSPF Supplier Readiness Grant
The minimum grant level that can be applied for is £500.
The maximum grant level is £5,000 per applicant with applicants only able to make one application per fiscal year.
One application can include more than one accreditation/certificate if necessary.
The investment ratio for the grant is set at 50%.
UKSPF Energy Audit Voucher Scheme
100% funding towards an energy audit
Business Capital Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
Small and Micro Businesses – Maximum amount of funding £5,000 up to a 40% intervention rate
Open to All Sized Businesses – Maximum amount of funding £50,000 up to a 30% intervention rate
Business Sustainability Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
Small and Micro Businesses – Maximum amount of funding £5,000 up to a 40% intervention rate
Open to All Sized Businesses – Maximum amount of funding £30,000 up to a 30% intervention rate
Digital and Marketing Grant - This grant is currently closed for new applications
Open to All Sized Businesses – Maximum amount of funding £10,000 up to a 40% intervention rate
How to apply for the grant?
To find out more please click here.
