Wiltshire Community Foundation are working in partnership with the South West Enterprise Fund (SWEF) to provide business grants of £2,000 to young entrepreneurs in Wiltshire and Swindon that are aged between 18-30.
As part of the programme SWEF provides the opportunity to join a network of peers who are also in the early stage of starting their business to share ideas, experiences and learn.
Who is eligible to apply and what can the grant be used for?
To be eligible to apply, you need to be:
- aged 18 to 30
- living in Wiltshire or Swindon
- planning to start your own business within the next 6 months or running your
- own business which has been trading for no more than 2 years
- without easy access to other sources of finance
Grants can be used towards capital items and running costs such as:
- stock, equipment or materials
- rent or business-related bills
The grant cannot be used for salaries, to pay any existing debt or household bills.
Applications from groups that are often underrepresented in business, including people on low incomes, women, migrants, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, people with few or no formal qualifications are prioritised.
What happens after I have submitted my application?
- Initial assessment - when we have received your application, we will check it is complete and eligible. If you have not submitted all the supporting documents, we will contact you, usually by email and ask you to send them to us
- Meeting - we may invite you to a meeting where you will be able to tell us more about your business. The meeting will usually take place online with 2 people, a member of staff from Wiltshire Community Foundation and someone from the South West Enterprise Fund
- Award - if you are awarded a grant you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of the award and the grant will be paid directly to you by BACS. You will need to spend the funds within 1 year
- After the award - we will contact you, usually at 6 and 12 months after you received the grant to find out how your business is progressing. You will also have the opportunity to take part in a business forum with other businesses that have been awarded a grant. The forum offers a space to share, exchange ideas, experiences and learn
Further guidance on the programme is available here and we ask you to read the document before starting your application.
Applications will be open all year round and will be considered periodically throughout the year.
Click here to apply.
