Welcome to this round up of the latest free support for your business.
Business Support.
Business Gateway Stirling -?Meet Our Advisers Rural 1-2-1 Appointments
Working with Stirling’s Rural Business Hubs these one-to-one meetings are an opportunity for businesses based in and around Rural Stirling to discuss their business with a Business Adviser.
Aberfoyle:?Mon 27?Feb?
Bannockburn:?Fri 24 Feb
Callander:?Tue 7 Mar
Drymen:?Wed 22 Feb
Scottish Chambers of Commerce -?Q1 2023 survey ?***Closes 13 March
Share your thoughts with Scottish Chambers of Commerce so that they can lobby on your behalf!?The quarterly chamber survey is?plays an essential role in setting the business agenda and informing the most senior levels of government and policymaking of the challenges facing Scottish businesses
If you sell Fair Trade goods your business can be listed on the Fair Trade Stirling website for free.?You can find out more by getting in touch with?Declan O’Callaghan at?[email protected] ?indicating the types of Fair Trade goods you sell.?
Stirling Council / STEP -?Expert Help
Need to speak to an?expert? This is your chance to access free?1-2-1 support. Thanks to UK Shared Prosperity Funding, we can fully fund a specialist consultant to work with you on a 1-2-1 basis for up to five days.
For example, specialists can help you with:
This is not an exhaustive list, we can support most projects which will support your business growth.
Find out more?here.
?The University of Stirling -?Help to Grow: Management Course
This 12-week course is designed to be taken alongside full-time work through a combination of online sessions, face-to-face learning, peer support and mentoring.?The course is for senior SME managers seeking to boost their business’s performance, resilience and long-term growth.?The cost to attend is 90% funded by the UK Government (company contribution of ￡750).
Stirling Management School is one of a select number of Scottish partners delivering the course.
Business events.
Ceteris?|?Emerge Women Event?
21 Feb 12.00 - 14.00 |?Dunmar House Hotel, Alloa, FK10 2EN
Hear from three local business owners who started small and have successfully scaled up their business both here and internationally.
Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce?-?Let's Network at The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
24 Feb 08.30 - 10.00 |?The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum?
Join Forth Valley Chmaber for their traditional in-person networking session?at Fellow Chamber Member The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum.
STEP?-?Canva for Beginners ?
28 Feb 9.30 - 12.30 | Stirling Enterprise Park?
Get started with Canva, the most popular online graphic design tool, with this overview of all the things you can do.
Scottish Enterprise?-?Fair Work Workshop
28 Feb 9.30 - 12.30 | Online
Fair Work boosts innovation, reputation and staff wellbeing. This online workshop will help you implement Fair Work in your business.
14 Mar 9.30 - 12.30 | Stirling Enterprise Park?
This training is for artists, small business owners or those working in business who want to increase their product photography skills.
Forth Valley Employers Club -?The Importance of Upskilling and Talent Development in House
23 Mar 10.00 - 11.30 | Alloa Business Centre
In today's fast-paced environment, businesses must continuously adapt and evolve to remain competitive. Key ways to achieve this is through upskilling employees and talent development. This event will explore the importance of investing in the growth and development of your teams, and how it can lead to improved performance and increased business success.
Business Awards.
ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards Deadline 22 Feb
Transport Awards Deadline 24 Feb
Scottish retail food and drink Awards Deadline 24 Feb
Funding.
Scottish Government / Business Stream?-?Water & Sewage Charge Exemption Scheme ?***Closes 31 Mar
Charities and?Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs)?can apply for an exemption from water charges under the?Scottish Government’s Charity Exemption Scheme .
Once charity accounts have been submitted to OSCR for the most recent financial year before 1 July, your organisation can apply for an exemption on water and waste water charges.?
The Princes Trust -?Test My Business Idea Grant
If you've completed the Prince's Trust Explore Enterprise Course, you can apply for a Test My Business Idea grant of up to ￡500 to help you try a new business idea.
The Test My Business Idea grant can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
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advertising
marketing
purchasing stock or equipment
building a prototype
When you first contact the Trust, you'll be paired with a caseworker who will get to know you and your business idea through some initial induction meetings. You'll complete some documents to get set up in the system, then you can enroll on the Prince's Trust Explore Enterprise Course.
The Explore Enterprise Course includes 7 sessions that cover the basics of self-employment, HMRC and finance, pricing and sales, marketing, networking, cashflows, and business plans. Read more about the Explore Enterprise Course.
Creative Scotland -?Open Fund for Sustaining Creative Development ?***Opening 15 Feb
Funding of between ￡1,000 and ￡100,000 is available for organisations.?
You may be thinking about new ways of working. If you aim to reach people with your work in performance spaces, for example, you may be looking at new ways to achieve this. You may be looking at ways to stabilise your existing activity. You may be reimagining what you do, and as part of this process, you may wish to take creative risks.
This fund is designed to support you to sustain your practice in a changing world. We are asking you to tell us what you want to do, and how it will help you and/or others in the months and years to come.
Energy Savings Trust -?Business Chargepoint Funding?
To support the uptake of electric vehicles across Scotland, Transport Scotland has made grant funding available through Energy Saving Trust to help organisations install electric vehicle charging infrastructure on their premises.
Funding is currently available for chargepoints for sole use by occupants, staff and visitors. You can access this funding if:
NHS Forth Valley -?Food Activity Grants
Funds of up to ￡400 are available to?community groups and organisations who are interested in setting up food activities across NHS Forth Valley.
This includes opportunities where people can share or increase their food and budgeting skills such as cooking groups, supper clubs or lunch clubs.
Trustees make grants of between ￡500 and ￡5000 to enable weavers to:?
- purchase special equipment to pursue their craft in a creative manner.?
- enjoy a sabbatical period to reassess the creative nature of their work.?
- undertake a specific project or projects in furtherance of their craft which might not normally be possible.?
- develop the craft in any other way in which the Trustees, at their absolute discretion, think fit.?
Scottish Enterprise -?Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund ?***Closes?31 March 2026
The Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund helps Scottish manufacturing companies that wish to pursue business growth by developing low carbon products, processes or services. This may be achieved through pure research and development (R&D), capital investment or environmental aid support.
sportscotland -?Sports Facilities Fund ?***Closes 01 April 2023
Sports Facilities Fund (SFF) supports capital projects that create or improve places where people take part in sports and physical activity. Supported projects?provide opportunities for people to get involved in and participate in sports & physical activity.?
Awards of up to ￡100,000 are available for sports facility projects within clubs and?communities, schools and?education or performance sports environments.??
Foundation Scotland -?Investing in Enterprise Fund
The Investing in Enterprise Fund offers?blended grant and loan investment?to eligible social enterprises, community organisations and charities. The fund can invest between ￡10,000 and ￡250,000 per organisation; up to 25% (￡62,500) of this can be in the form of a non-repayable grant and the remainder a repayable loan.
Scottish Enterprise -?Regional Selective Assistance Funding
RSA funding is designed to support projects that will help create jobs and a greener economy. If your company is in need of at least ￡100,000 in grant funding, check your eligibility and start the application process today.
Scottish Enterprise -?Scottish Land Fund
The Scottish Land Fund supports rural and urban communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets.
The fund offers grants of between ￡5,000 and ￡1 million to help communities take ownership of the land and buildings that matter to them, as well as practical support to develop their aspirations into viable projects.
It is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Scottish Enterprise -?SMART: SCOTLAND Grant
This is a research and development (R&D) grant for small and medium-sized businesses that aims to support high risk, highly ambitious projects. It covers conducting feasibility studies to show how ideas could work in the real world and supports activities that have a commercial endpoint.
Scottish Government -?Zero Emission Mobility Innovation Fund
The Zero Emission Mobility Innovation Fund (ZEMIF) provides discretionary grants to Scottish-based companies to help them manufacture and deploy components, systems and vehicles that will help to reduce the carbon emissions of heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) in Scotland and globally.
Falkirk Council - Various Funding?
Falkirk Council recognises that Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected most businesses in some way. There are various funding options for those based in the Falkirk Council area.?
Screen Scotland?-?Funding
Screen Scotland is aiming to support the?growth of the screen sector through increased funding and support for film and television production, an increase in specialist staff and further investment in skills, festivals, audiences and education.P
Open funds include:?
This update is created by STEP in collaboration with Business Gateway Stirling to bring you?a single source of business support and information relevant to your business. If there is additional information you would like to see included please contact [email protected].?