Grants4 Growth
OverviewGrants4Growth is an £11m project delivered through the Local Enterprise Partnerships. It provides: capital grants for SMEs to purchase/install efficient new processes, production facilities and clean tech, helping them to invest-to-grow; revenue grants (East of England only) and other direct technical asistance to support SMEs to promote products/services such clean technology and renewable energy. Its function is to administer simple, straightforward grants and quantifiable action to improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and help your business invest to grow.
Is your organisation eligible?
Grants4Growth is targeted at Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) within the East of England – Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire plus Lincolnshire. In determining an organisation’s eligibility for support, there are five main factors, as follows. If you are in any doubt, just ask us and we’ll help you if we can.
1. Is it an enterprise? This is the ‘E’ in ‘SME’. An enterprise is ‘any entity engaged in an economic activity, irrespective of its legal form’. It is the economic activity that is the determining factor, not the legal form. Companies, partnerships, sole traders, charities, not-for-profits and community interest companies could all, therefore, be eligible provided they meet the other criteria.
2. Ownership structure SMEs need to be ‘autonomous’ and not subsidiaries of multinational conglomerates etc. In general, most SMEs are ‘autonomous’ since they are either completely independent or have one or more minority partnerships (each less than 25%) with other enterprises. If that holding rises to no more than 50%, the relationship is deemed to be between partner enterprises. Above that ceiling, the enterprises are deemed ‘linked’ or subsidiary. In other words, companies can be up to 50% owned by a third party and still be deemed ‘autonomous’. If in doubt, just ask us.
3. Other eligibility issues The EU defines SMEs by the size of their workforce, their turnover and their balance sheet. The current thresholds for SMEs as follows:
- Headcount (annual work unit): less than 250
- Annual turnover: no more than €50 million
- Annual balance sheet: no more than €43 million
SMEs don’t actually have to hit all eligibility criteria/thresholds. Whilst it is compulsory to respect the staff headcount thresholds, an SME may choose to meet either the turnover or balance sheet ceiling. It does not need to satisfy both and may exceed one of them without losing its status as an SME.
4. State aids Grants4Growth couldn’t give your organisation a grant (state aid) if if this would take the total state aid you’ve received during the preceding 3 years over around £150K. Under the EC regulation 1998/2006 (de minimis aid regulation) any de minimis aid (for example, our grant) awarded to a organisation will be relevant if they wish to apply, or have applied, for any other grant aid.
5. Specific sectoral exclusions A number of specific sectors – those which enjoy other non-ERDF subsidies are ineligible for support through Grants4Growth, such as agriculture, healthcare, education, fisheries, forestry etc. – if in doubt, just ask us.
Is your project eligible?
Grants4Growth distributes capital and revenue grants to eligible SMEs to catalyse growth and efficiency. The kinds of projects we can support are as follows.
1. Capital grants of up to 28% Capital grant support is available up to a maximum of 28% of total eligible expenditure. Applications are assessed on merit by a Grants Panel; the actual amounts offered are typically determined by the total eligible expenditure, the outcomes of the initiative and grant funding available. What kinds of things could our capital grant support?
a) investment in technologies or processes that lead to quantifiable growth, improve resilience or create/safeguard jobs b) efficiency initiatives in the form of waste, water or energy efficiency, recovery or reduction c) investment in technologies or processes that reduce the environmental impact of your operations
2. Revenue grants of up to 30% Revenue grant support is available up (except in Lincolnshire) up to a maximum of 30% of total eligible expenditure. Applications are assessed on merit by a Grants Panel; the actual amounts offered tend to be smaller than capital grants and are likewise determined by the total eligible expenditure, the outcomes of the initiative and grant funding available.
The kinds of things that our revenue grant could support include specialist consultancy and/or support and studies related to the promotion, marketing or mainstreaming of low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) sector products and services – clean tech and/or green tech.
How to Register
To find out if you could get grant support for your growth or efficiency projects, please complete the simple registration form. They will be able check your eligibility and appoint a dedicated business broker to quickly guide your idea through the grant application process.
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