This is a final call to apply for a grant of between £1,000 and £25,000 to invest in production, equipment and expansion before the Small Grant Scheme managed by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) comes to an end. Ringing in the new year, it coincides with the approval of the scheme’s 500th award. Since 2014, the LEP has awarded £5 million to firms supporting local development and growth and this has been matched with £21 million private investments. The Small Grant Scheme can now cover up to 40% of your business’s total project costs and all applications must be made by the end of January. “We’re inviting small to medium-sized businesses to contact New Anglia Growth Hub if they have a project in the pipeline to grow their company,” says the LEP’s Programmes Manager Jason Middleton. The scheme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, with support for interested businesses provided by New Anglia Growth Hub. A team of Business Advisers can help develop your application. For further information, contact New Anglia Growth Hub direct on 0300 333 6536 or email [email protected]. Start 2023 by investing in your business and making a leap in development. 500 success stories Vital funding for growing small to medium-sized businesses has made a huge difference, enabling them to drive up production, buy essential equipment, and move into bigger and better premises. Among the Small Grant Scheme success stories is Suffolk Distillery, which scaled up its craft sprits production from 25 to 500 bottles a week using a new still and ancillary equipment. Master distiller and chemist Gary Wilkinson (pictured below) pursued his passion of having his own distillery after a long career as operations manager driving thousands of miles a year for a large distillery. He and his wife Melanie launched the business in 2016 from their garage with production in full swing in 2017. Asked where the business would be today without the LEP grant, he replies: “We would still be in my garage. But also, without the help of Melanie, who is a director, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this.” Trailblazing Norfolk firm SSAF Window Films, which developed the first specialised film that reduces bomb blast and bullet impact, is thriving after a grant injection to upgrade its office technology and buy an industrial printer. Managing Director Steve Ashton found the grant application straightforward and the business advisers at New Anglia Growth Hub supportive. He highly recommends the scheme to other businesses. “If we hadn’t secured the grant, we would have had to potentially close temporarily during Covid.” Sales and Marketing Manager, Olivia Watts, adds: “With the grant, we have installed a new ICT system, including PCs and handheld devices. I can now take a handheld to potential customers and immediately show them examples.” This short video shows a few examples of the types of investment businesses made with Small Grant Scheme and Growth Through Innovation Fund support. For more information, contact New Anglia Growth Hub direct on 0300 333 6536 or email [email protected].
