We have been advised of the following schemes which are now open. Please read through them carefully, as they have eligibility criteria and they won’t all apply to everyone.
Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)
East Herts opened have just opened this, and it will close on Monday 13 December. It is aimed at businesses who have suffered from the COVID-19 restrictions. This scheme is not open to businesses that previously received the most recent ARG4 in September 2021. Businesses eligible include:
- Personal services allowed to open on 12th April 2021, but were still subject to social distancing regulations which impacted on capacity until 19 July 2021.
- Businesses which can demonstrate that they have had to close for a period of time since 12 April 2021 due to staff having to isolate.
- Suppliers to the travel and/or hospitality industries that can demonstrate a significant reduction in turnover during COVID-19, and have not previously received a Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) or Restart Grant or the most recent Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) (September 2021)
- Businesses which can demonstrate that they have not been eligible for any other grant schemes (LRSG, Restart, ARG’s etc) and have suffered a significant reduction in turn over.
Please read the qualifying criteria carefully on the East Herts website here, and apply online direct to them.
New Premise Grant
A reminder on this one, this is still open for applications. The New Premises Support Grant from East Herts is open from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022 and offers funding of up to £5,000 to cover the costs of moving into new commercial premises in East Herts. Eligible costs include minor repairs, utilities connections, rent, rates and service charges, legal fees, insurance and marketing. More details and apply here.
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
If you have car parking spaces, you could receive a government grant towards the upfront costs of the installation of electric vehicle charge-points. You could receive up to £14,000. More details and to apply, see here.
Low Carbon Workspaces
If you are planning a project which will lower carbon emissions, you could be eligible for a grant. With a match-funded grant of between £1,000 – £5,000 you can recover up to a third of the cost of many different energy-saving measures reducing the upfront cost and the time to recover your investment. This is open to SME businesses in Hertfordshire. Read more online here.
Launchpad 2
The ERDF Launchpad 2 programme has been developed to help East Herts businesses who need support to grow, and those businesses who are already in growth mode and need assistance to move forward in a sustainable way. The support begins with an in depth business diagnostic, which will help to identify key areas of support required. There are a number of eligibility criteria for this one, so please read through carefully. Only businesses in the following sectors can apply: Aerospace, Maintenance, Repairs & Operational support for Stansted Airport (MRO’s), Creative and Digital (Including TV and film), Bioscience, – Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Bio-tech (cell and gene therapies) and modern methods of construction. Read more here.
Funding to help improve ventilation
You can access funding to pay for ventilation specialists who will audit your spaces and make recommendations for improvements that will help mitigate outbreaks without needing to reduce capacity. To determine if you meet the eligibility criteria, all businesses interested in applying must book an initial 1:1 advisory visit. Following the visit, eligible businesses will be referred to Hertfordshire Growth Hub and invited to apply for the ventilation funding. Read more here.
