Six new grants for businesses and communities now open

Published on 1 September 2023

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has launched six new grants for local businesses and communities and is now inviting applications.

The funding, totalling £1,373,328, 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.                                              

Councillor Mike Gledhill, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Board that oversees distribution of the funding, said: "These new grants that are now available are aimed at tackling issues at a local level to help businesses and communities across the Moorlands thrive.

"The grant streams cover a range of funding opportunities from investing in community infrastructure and social enterprises, to helping existing high street businesses boost footfall and profitability and grants for micro and small businesses.

"We want the Moorlands to be a place where people choose to live and work and these grants have been tailored to help meet local needs. I'd encourage voluntary and community groups and businesses across the District to take a look at what's available and put in an application so that we can get this money out to those that will make the best use of it."

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

·       Staffordshire Moorlands innovation SME grant - to increase private-sector investment in growth-enhancing activities

·       Staffordshire Moorlands innovation micro growth grant - to invest in growth through innovation which creates new jobs and to encourage new start-up businesses

·       Staffordshire Moorlands 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 grants now available to voluntary and community organisations, town and parish councils, cooperatives, community businesses and social enterprises are:

·       Staffordshire Moorlands innovation community infrastructure grant - capital funding for capacity building and infrastructure support for activities that enhance physical, cultural and social ties and amenities

·       Staffordshire Moorlands innovation community enterprise grant - for new and existing community enterprises that are trading or plan to trade

The funding also includes support for organisations to bid for funding - for more information about all of the grants and the available support please go to our website.

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