Is your business in need of a grant to tide you through the recession?  Shropshire Council have come up with a a range fo funds to help.  The letter below is from Mark Pembleton, Head of Economic Development in Shropshire Council and lays out in detail what is available and who can apply.  Have a look...

"Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to inform you that Shropshire Council has just launched the Shropshire Business Enterprise Fund which will provide grants to businesses to help counter the impact of the recession in Shropshire. The package of three different grants making up the Shropshire Business Enterprise Fund has been developed through consultation with partners such as Business Link, Advantage West Midlands and Shropshire Chamber and with the business community.

In particular we would like to thank the Shropshire Business Board for their input to shaping the package.    

We would also like to thank the Shropshire Local Strategic Partnership and Shropshire Council for financing the Enterprise Fund for the next two years.

The Shropshire Business Enterprise Fund offers businesses three distinct grant schemes:

Retail Business Grant
This scheme aims to encourage the uptake of small retail premises in Shropshire which have been vacant for a minimum of 6 months. The grant will make payments against the first 6 months of the Business Rate demands following occupancy. The maximum grant available is £1,000. The scheme requires the business to contribute an amount of funding equal to the size of the grant.

Business Start-Up Grant
This scheme aims to support business start-ups in Shropshire. It is open to anyone not in employment who wants to start their own business, or in the process of setting up a business and are not yet trading. Capital grants from £500 to £1,500 are available. The scheme requires businesses to contribute a level of their own resources into the start-up.

Business Booster Grant
This scheme aims to promote business growth, sustainability and development of small Shropshire businesses that have traded for less than 36 months. Capital grants from £1,000 to £5,000 are available. The scheme requires the business to contribute an amount of funding equal to the size of grant. This fund is open to small to medium sized businesses (enterprises).

Application process
Businesses interested in applying to the fund should familiarise themselves with the criteria that apply to the schemes, available from the website below. Businesses that feel they could meet the criteria should contact the Business Support Officers on 01743 252531 or 01743 252259 for a discussion. Application forms will be sent to interested Businesses after the initial discussion has taken place.

The deadline for the first round of grant awards is 1st December 2009. Subsequent calls will be advertised from January 2010.

For more details please visit www.shropshire.gov.uk/economicdevelopment.nsf

Please pass this information on to other colleagues or networks who may be interested.

Best Regards

Mark

Mark Pembleton
Head of Economic Development
Shropshire Council