Through the 2025-26 UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Stafford Borough Council has launched a new fund to support micro, small, and medium sized independent businesses (SMEs). Businesses should be aged 2 years and upwards and be based in commercial premises, located within the local authority area of Stafford Borough.
This fund is open to those businesses where a minimum of 75% of their business income is from sales directly to other businesses. £200,000 has been allocated to this funding stream.
Matched funded grants at an intervention rate of 80% (from SBC) and 20 % from the SME of the total project costs are available. Grants will range from a minimum of £2,000 to a maximum of £25,000 to support businesses to purchase specific products and services to help them scale up their business.
Eligible businesses will be funded where there is clear evidence of future growth as a direct result of the project.
Applications are open until 30 November 2025, subject to funds still being available. Applications will be assessed on a first come first served basis in terms of those who provide all supporting documentation required.
Please Note: Your project must be completed within 13 weeks of receiving the Funding Agreement or by 31 March 2026, whichever comes sooner.
Examples of eligible projects:
- Website design and digital projects
- Marketing materials, advertising and publicity, social media campaigns
- Specialist advice to help grow the business.
- Professional services support for implementation of new processes and systems e.g. ISO9001
- Capital equipment such as machinery
- Fitting out of new or existing premises e.g. heating, lighting, cabling, telephone systems, furnishings, IT equipment.
- Upskilling of employees for short courses only.
- Funding towards decarbonisation including feasibility studies and consultancy.
Applicant eligibility:
- Must be an independent profit seeking business based in commercial premises, within the local authority area of Stafford Borough and have been trading for more than 2 years.
- Must not be controlled by a corporate entity
- Privately owned and not a public company (plc)
An independent business can be defined as;
- Operates autonomously and is not affiliated with larger corporations or chains
- Must be currently trading and can provide 2 years of certified or management accounts or for self-employed people 2 years of self-assessment tax returns.
The applicant also:
- Must employ less than 250 full-time equivalent persons
- Must have an annual turnover of less than or equal to £44 million or a balance sheet total of less than or equal to £38million.
- Must not have received more than £315,000 in public subsidies in the current and previous two financial years (financial year being 1 April to 31 March) including the expected level of grant they are applying for.
- Must not have already purchased the service/product prior to grant application approval and prior to receiving a fully signed funding agreement from the Borough Council.
Potential applicants are advised to download and read the following documentation, before submitting their online application.
Forms to be downloaded:
- Stafford Borough Business Growth Grant Policy (pdf 219kb)
- Eligible and Ineligible Project Costs From (pdf 65kb)
- Stafford Borough Business Growth Grant Guidance Notes (pdf 228kb)
- Stafford Borough Business Growth Grant Subsidy Control Grant Declaration Form (pdf 162kb) - you can download this form, fill it in and use your electronic signature or print a copy and fill it in manually. Or, you can download and fill in the Word version of the Subsidy Control Declaration Form and sign using your electronic signature. The declaration form is to be uploaded to your online application form.
- Basic Cash Flow Forecast SME Template (xls)
- Example Management Account and Forecast Template (xls)