NEW ANGLIA LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP
SMALL GRANT SCHEME
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (January 2022)
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Small Grant Scheme is part of the
Business Growth Programme delivered by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (New Anglia) in
partnership with Nwes, Menta, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Suffolk County Council.
There is a limited pot of funding available to support companies across the whole of Norfolk and
Suffolk, so we’re looking for companies to bring forward investment projects that will have a significant
impact on their business, and grant applications will be considered on “first-come, first-served” basis.
To find out more about the Small Grant Scheme and to apply for a grant please contact:
New Anglia Growth Hub
Felaw Maltings (South Kiln)
42 Felaw Street, Ipswich, IP2 8SQ
tel.: 0300 333 6536
e-mail: growthhub@newanglia.co.uk
www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk
Our expert Business Growth Advisers will work with you to develop an action plan and complete your
application. Please note, the services of the Growth Hub are free and impartial.
1. WHAT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE?
The Small Grant Scheme has been designed to provide vital funding for local growing SMEs with a
suite of grants to help with capital investments, growth, productivity improvements or efficiency gains.
Companies can apply for £1,000 - £25,000 grants to help towards the purchase of significant capital
items, Intellectual Property costs, the development of new products or services, the cost of
consultancy support, and support for participating in trade fairs. Please note, grants are awarded on
a discretionary basis and are subject to eligibility checks and approval.
You may apply for a grant of up to 20% of the total cost of your proposed project.
2. AM I ELIGIBLE?
We can confirm this quickly, but if you are a UK registered enterprise and you are an SME (employ
less than 250 people and your turnover is less than EUR 50m/~£43m or annual balance sheet less
than EUR 43m /~£37m) and your business is growing and expanding or has good growth potential,
you may well be eligible.
We will not be able to help you if your business falls into one of the following sectors: primary
agriculture (including processing and marketing of agricultural products), horticulture, fisheries,
aquaculture, restaurants and other food and beverage services, forestry, coal, steel, shipbuilding,
synthetic fibres, retail (including post offices), care sectors, health and medical services, education,
transport, financial and insurance activities; or your business is in financial difficulty, for example if you
are insolvent or you have received rescue funding which has not yet been repaid.
3. IS MY PROPOSAL ELIGIBLE?
New Anglia Small Grant Scheme Frequently Asked Questions – January 2022
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Your investment project must be based in either Norfolk or Suffolk and you must be able to implement
your proposals as soon as you have been successful with your grant application and therefore all
required permissions, licences, such as a planning permission, for example, must be in place before
submission of an application.
4. WHAT KIND OF MATCH FUNDING IS ELIGIBLE?
The remainder of the funding for the project must come from private sources, e.g. company funds, a
bank, private or personal loan, venture capital investment etc.
Public funding, for example, from UK Government or local authorities, EU funding, National Lottery,
other New Anglia funds or programmes, Asset Finance (including hire purchase and mortgage
agreements) cannot be used.
Please note that all project expenditure must be seen to be paid from your business bank account
(see also section 9).
5. WHAT KIND OF REASONS JUSTIFY MY GRANT PROPOSAL?
You will need to convince us there is a case for using grant funding to support your project, for
example by:
• Demonstrating that the investment project would not proceed without our help;
• Showing the assistance will enable the project to be undertaken in a shorter timescale or it can
go ahead earlier;
• Illustrating the financing will enable you to do additional things;
• Showing that without funding the proposals would proceed on a lesser scale;
• Demonstrating help is needed because of the risks involved;
• The project is doing something innovative and support would help;
• Illustrating financial assistance would help you do something different from your current plans;
• Showing funding would prove a catalyst - for example by providing confidence to lenders or
investors.
6. WHAT COSTS ARE ELIGIBLE?
The costs of refurbishment, improvements or extensions of your premises and associated
professional fees related to your business growth and expansion, plant and machinery, commercial
vehicles, fixtures and fittings, IT upgrades / IT equipment, software and licences, website
development associated with new product introductions etc.
We can also support costs for external consultancy and costs associated with participation in trade
fairs.
Please note, expenditure on continuous or periodic activity, routine tax consultancy, regular legal
services or advertising, or costs that are required to comply with national or EU standards, or costs
related to this or other grant funding applications are not eligible.
Please see some examples of eligible costs below: If you’re in manufacturing or engineering, you
might be thinking of investing in productivity or efficiency programmes or purchasing capital
equipment.
• You might need expert consultants who can provide crucial, high quality advice to help your
business take the necessary steps required to move to the next level – whether its accessing
new markets, acquiring the right type of finance or developing new products and services –
support from specialists could make the difference.
New Anglia Small Grant Scheme Frequently Asked Questions – January 2022
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• The cost of purchasing or protecting your Intellectual Property can be expensive and the cost
of patents, trademarks, franchises, copyrights and even “good will” are eligible for support.
• Attendance at UK or overseas trade fairs and exhibitions can help you increase your global
reach – the grant could support the cost of your participation.
7. HOW DO I APPLY FOR FUNDING?
To apply for a grant please contact the New Anglia Growth Hub (see the contact details on page 1).
A Business Growth Adviser will arrange a meeting with you to discuss your business and proposal
and help you to complete an application form.
If you require less than £10k of funding we operate a fast track process which means a decision
within ten working days. For grants over £10k, we aim to provide a decision within three weeks. The
processing time may be affected by your own ability to supply the full information we need in
order to make you a grant offer.
Please see the chart below showing the grant application stages.
You must not commence your project, or enter in to any legal contracts, including ordering, payment of
deposits or incurring any costs on any supplies, services or works before the formal approval of your
grant funding and you have signed the Offer Letter Acceptance.
8. HOW ARE GRANT APPLICATIONS ASSESSED?
Once you submit your complete application to the Growth Hub we will start processing it. We will
undertake a detailed assessment of your proposal based on the Application Form and the supporting
information (including evidence of value for money*) that you provide. You may also be asked for
additional information during this process, to enable an assessment of, for example, eligibility,
financial viability etc.
Your application will also be assessed in terms of the wider marketplace for your products and/or
services and the implications that grant support might have on any competition. Once assessment of
your grant application has been completed, the document along with a relevant report will be
submitted to the Grant Panel who will take a final decision on your proposed project.
The grant decision will be relayed to you at the earliest opportunity. Please be aware, full compliance
with the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that your application will be successful, as grants are
discretionary, and there is no right of appeal against the grant decision. If your grant application is
rejected, an explanation will be provided.
New Anglia Small Grant Scheme Frequently Asked Questions – January 2022
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*Three written quotes or price comparisons for a product/ service/ contract worth over £25,000 will be
required. Please contact the Growth Hub for more information.
9. HOW DO I CLAIM THE GRANT?
If your grant is approved, Suffolk County Council (SCC), our delivery partner, will send you a formal
Offer Letter that will include information about your grant and eligible project costs, conditions of the
offer and information on how to claim the grant.
Once you have formally accepted a grant offer, you can begin expenditure on the project. It is
important to note that costs incurred before the acceptance of the offer cannot be supported.
To claim your grant you will need to submit a Claim Form and provide supporting documentary
evidence:
• Expenditure spreadsheet (a template will be supplied by SCC);
• Copies of invoices and bank statements of the applicant business confirming payment
(documents must be certified as true copies of the original documents, dated and signed);
• Completed Asset Register (e.g. an A4 form will be sent by SCC) for assets with a value in
excess of £1,000.
Where jobs have been created as a result of the support provided you will be asked to confirm details.
Where a new product/service was introduced, you will also be asked to provide evidence of this, e.g.
a screenshot from the website, a copy of a catalogue/brochure offering the new product/service etc.
You will also be asked to promote the Small Grant Scheme grant you received, you will be provided
with guidelines for this.
Please note, you are allowed to make only one claim for the whole grant value afer you have
spent all the planned project costs.
Progress on your project will be monitored by the New Anglia Business Growth programme
throughout – and possibly beyond the period of its delivery. We reserve the right to visit any grant
recipient to ensure the grant has been used for the purpose stated in the Grant Agreement, inspect
records to show that costs have been evidenced and make a formal assessment of the impact of the
project. Grant recipients are obliged to cooperate with this process.
10. WHAT SHALL I DO IF MY APPROVED PROJECT COSTS CHANGE?
If your approved project costs are going to change and you will now be expecting to pay more/less
than the approved amount, please contact your case worker at Suffolk County Council as soon as
possible to discuss steps forward to ensure your current/revised grant offer is/will still be available to
you.
11. MAY I APPLY FOR ANOTHER GRANT?
If you have already been successful with the Small Grant Scheme (SGS), funded by the ERDF,
unfortunately we will not be able to support your new project via this scheme again as priority will be
given to new applicants; however, please stay in touch with your Adviser or contact the Growth Hub
directly who might refer you to an alternative programme or business support organisation.
