New range of grants for city businesses and organisations

City of Wolverhampton Council will tomorrow (Wednesday) launch a new range of discretionary grants to support city businesses and organisations.

The new grants will target three areas - assisting businesses and organisations not eligible for the Government’s mandatory Restart Grant; helping businesses, organisations, clubs and charities undertake Covid Compliant Scheme measures in line with public health requirements; and supporting Relight Business Programme businesses to invest in their business.

Eligibility criteria and how to access the online application process for the new grants will be available from 1pm tomorrow at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/businessgrants. Businesses and organisations are urged to ensure they have all the correct evidence to hand before starting their application.

Funds are limited and grants will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The Wolverhampton Restart grant will offer a one-off payment ranging from £500 to £18,000, based on a similar set of criteria used for previous discretionary grants awarded during the pandemic, subject to proof of losses due to Covid-19. It is open to organisations, community groups, charities and retailers, as well as hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym premises.

The Covid Compliant Scheme will offer grants of £500 or £1,000 depending on the size of the businesses, community organisation, sports club, social club, independent trader, or sole trader that is investing in Covid safe practises. This grant will be awarded in conjunction with advice and guidance from the Council’s Covid Compliant team and members of the Environmental Health service. Businesses will receive a Covid Safe Sticker to demonstrate to customers and clients, they are compliant.

The Relight Business Support grant will enable SME businesses to undertake small investments based on recommendations from the Relight Business Programme. Businesses must first join the programme in order to qualify for the grant - details can be found at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/business/wolvesinbusiness. Some of the funds would be matched with a current ERDF grant programme to maximise external funds. Based on the growth plan submitted to the Relight Business Support team, a business can apply for a maximum grant of £5,000 to invest in equipment and services.

City of Wolverhampton Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “This range of three new business grants has been developed to ensure the Council supports as many businesses and organisations as possible.

“They will help bring confidence and reassurance to customers and clients returning to businesses and their premises, and aid the recovery of businesses, build resilience and kick start the recovery of the city’s economy.

“I would urge businesses and organisations to head to the business grants webpage and find out exactly what funding is available to them at this critical time.

“There is also support in place to help guide eligible groups through the online application process to access these free grants.

“This is all part of the Council’s phased approach to relighting our city and encouraging people to stay safe, as well as getting back to business as usual.”

If you are unsure which grant you should apply for or have a general query, you can get in touch with the Council by emailing business.grants@wolverhampton.gov.uk or calling the business support phoneline on 01902 290242 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Thursday or from 9am to 4.30pm on Fridays.

All grant application forms submitted are subject to thorough eligibility checks.

Further communication with businesses and organisations may be necessary if any of the required information is missing.

The deadline for a number of other grant schemes has been set by Government for Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

Full details of the latest national business support measures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support./