Enterprising Worcestershire Start-Up grant

Grant funding to support new businesses establish themselves in the market.

Due to a high demand of applications on this programme and funding availability, some areas are no longer accepting new grant applications. Please see the ‘How to apply’ section for further details.

Give your start-up a boost with support from the Enterprising Worcestershire Grant.

Funding from £1,000 to £5,000 is now available for Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) businesses that have been trading for less than 36 months.

Our funding offers a significant financial boost, giving you the necessary support to achieve your milestones quicker and help you with establishing yourself in the market.

Grants are awarded on a match-funded basis, meaning the SME will need to provide at least 60% of the total cost of the project.

What can the grant fund?

Funding can be used for one-off items such as, but not limited to:

machinery
equipment
website construction
marketing materials
consultancy support

Am I eligible?

To receive support through the programme, your business must:

be a SME*
be registered to an address in Bromsgrove, Malvern, Redditch, Wychavon or the Wyre Forest Districts
be trading for less than 3 years
be below the Subsidy Control threshold of £315,000 over the previous 3 years, including the value of the support received

*The definition of an SME eligible for grant funding is as follows:

has fewer than 250 employees;
has either (a) an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million or (b) an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million
25% or more of the capital or the voting rights are not owned by one enterprise, or jointly by several enterprises falling outside this definition of an SME
does not own more than 25% of the capital or voting rights in an enterprise falling outside of this definition of SME

Excluded sectors not eligible for support include:

Primary agriculture
Schools
Public sector funded organisations

How to apply?

To apply, please submit an expression of interest via email at grants@worcestershire.gov.uk. You will then receive guidance on the full application processes and a link to the online application portal.

All grant applications are subject to a competitive process and are evaluated against programme and eligibility criteria by a grant appraisal panel.

Latest status on grant applications:

Wyre Forest District – open for new applications for both capital and revenue expenditure
Redditch Borough Council – open for new applications for both capital and revenue expenditure
Bromsgrove District Council – applications are closed for projects with capital and revenue expenditure
Malvern Hills District Council – open for new applications for both capital and revenue expenditure
Wychavon District Council – open for new applications for both capital and revenue expenditure

Please note, that the funding is limited and is awarded on a first-come-served basis

For more information, please email: grants@worcestershire.gov.uk.

How this project is funded?

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The programme is managed and delivered by Worcestershire County Council on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Redditch Borough Council, Wychavon District Council and Wyre Forest District Council.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK shared prosperity fund prospectus.

What our clients say

“The funding has been used to further strengthen our marketing presence, enabling us to support even more companies with their R&D Tax Credit applications. We’re very grateful for the support of Enterprising Worcestershire and we would definitely recommend.” - Ben Hewitt, Finance Director of Apogee

Smilebox Case Study

Start-up Grant helped local business, Smile Box, fund its marketing project to launch its products, as well fund essential equipment like laptops, desks, and storage for the warehouse.

View the full case study:

Business support case studies - Smilebox

Trainer Armour Case Study

Bromsgrove’s start-up business experiences a boost in sales and grows its workforce following support from the Enterprising Worcestershire Grant.

Discover how our Enterprising Worcestershire Start-Up Grant helped Malvern based start-up, Optimec Metrology, make impactful investments to benefit their business.

View the full case study:

Business support case studies - Trainer Armour