Council calls for grant applications from rural micro-businesses
The Rural Business Development Grant Scheme will re-open for applications from rural businesses in the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and Belfast City Council areas
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) has announced the second call of that Rural Business Development Grant Scheme for rural micro-businesses in that area. This scheme is also open to eligible businesses in rural areas of Belfast City Council.
The original Rural Business Development Grant Scheme 2021 closed to applications from businesses on 30 July 2021. This one-week extension for Lisburn & Castlereagh and Belfast City Council businesses will run from Friday 10 September 2021 to 12 noon on Friday 17 September.
This grant scheme is part of the Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme funded by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). It offers capital grants of up to £4,999.
For this second round of the scheme, LCCC will administer grant applications from the rural areas of Belfast City Council in addition to its own. Those who have previously benefited from grant assistance under this scheme cannot apply.
Eligible applications must be from existing micro-businesses with less than 10 full-time employees. The total capital costs of the projects must be between £1,000 and £20,000. The capital grants are capped at £4,999 at a match-funding rate of 50% from DAERA and 50% from participating businesses. The minimum grant awarded will be £500.
Please note that businesses can only submit one application to the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme 2021. Those who applied in July cannot reapply.
Examples of eligible expenditure include:
- New Capital Equipment/Machinery
- Computer equipment and software
- E-Commerce websites
Funding workshops and further information
For further advice on making an application to the second call of the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme, it is important to attend one of the online funding workshops.
Email grant.programmes@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk to book a place at one of the following workshops. You will then be sent a Zoom link for the meeting.
- Thursday 2 September 2021 at 1pm
- Thursday 2 September 2021 at 7pm
- Tuesday 7 September 2021 at 1pm
- Tuesday 7 September 2021 at 7pm
- Tuesday 14 September 2021 at 1pm
- Tuesday 14 September 2021 at 7pm
For further advice on eligibility or an application pack, email Dawn Hynes at grant.programmes@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk or phone 028 9244 7447.
First published 27 August 2021