Council launches grants for rural Harborough business

Eligible applicants can benefit from grants between £5,000-£20,000 to support their business to diversify, innovate and grow. A total of £120,000 is available.

The council is keen to support exciting projects that will help local businesses and the wider economy and community.

The scheme spans across four themes:

• Farm Business Diversification

Supports farm businesses to diversify their business activities outside of agricultural activities. Such projects should improve business resilience, development, and revenue

• Innovate and Grow

Support micro and small enterprises in rural areas looking to deliver innovative projects. Funding will support projects that change the way businesses do something, to improve efficiencies and to generate more income. Projects will need to demonstrate how they are helping to overcome a rural issue or barrier they face in order to grow

• Green Technology

Support businesses to invest in energy efficient and low carbon technologies. This means businesses can invest in green technology that will improve their carbon footprint. Businesses could also use this funding to develop their own green technology which can be used to improve the carbon footprint of their business and/or other businesses

• Rural Tourism

Capital grants to develop local tourism attractions, facilities, or infrastructure to enhance the rural visitor economy and increase opportunities to attract visitors to our rural areas.

Applicants must be based in rural areas in the Harborough district which can be identified in the grant policy. Before applying, businesses must review the full policy which includes the eligibility criteria.

Applications will open on Wednesday 21 June 2023 and will close on Monday 11 September 2023. Find out more and find the policy here: www.harborough.gov.uk/rural-grants

Cllr Geraldine Whitmore, Harborough District Council’s Cabinet lead for Culture, Leisure, Economy and Tourism, said: “In challenging economic times we are delighted to use funding from the UKSPF to support rural businesses in the Harborough district with growth and development. We want rural businesses to do well so I encourage them to have a look online and apply.”

The grants are being managed and distributed by Harborough District Council using funding received from the government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund which is an extension of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

This project has received £120,000 for year 1 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus