GrantRadar

Kent Community Foundation

SWEF Business Grants

Business grants for young people aged 18-30 living in Kent or Medway, run by Kent Community Foundation in partnership with SWEF, a grant-maker that backs young people from less advantaged backgrounds who cannot get finance from banks or family. There are two grants: a Start-Up Grant of up to £500 for pre-revenue businesses or those earning under £500 a month, and a Business Grant of up to £2,000 for businesses trading under 2.5 years with revenue of £500+ a month. Applicants must show financial need, be the majority shareholder, have a business bank account and spend the grant within one month.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £2,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Young people aged 18-30 living in Kent or Medway whose business is located in Kent or Medway and registered in the UK
  • The applicant must be the majority shareholder (owning more than 50%); shareholders aged over 30 with 20% or more ownership who are actively involved in the business make an application ineligible
  • Sole traders, limited companies and CICs limited by shares (the application form also lists partnerships)
  • Start-Up Grant: trading for less than two years, pre-revenue or under £500 a month revenue, planning to generate income within three months, with business visibility (e.g. social media, website, leaflets)
  • Business Grant: trading for less than two and a half years with monthly revenue over £500
  • Applicants must demonstrate financial need, i.e. no access to a bank loan or help from friends or family, must have (or will have, for start-ups) a business bank account, and if not full-time must show they intend to go full-time as soon as possible

What it funds

Essential start-up or growth costs for a young person's business, for example:

  • Equipment that will help a business achieve increased revenue
  • Materials/stock
  • Website/booking system build
  • Prototypes and product development
  • Training
  • Refurbished computers, tablets or phones on a match-funded basis (SWEF may cover 50%), if you explain why the item will transform the business; cameras, printers and card readers can be new

the list is not exhaustive. Second-hand items are particularly welcome and UK goods and services are preferred. A Business Grant can go towards an item costing more than the grant, but the item can cost no more than £10,000. Grants must be spent within one month of receipt.

What it will not fund

  • Salaries
  • Rent and utilities
  • Debt repayment
  • Software or app development costs (apps/software should be ready to launch or already launched)
  • Businesses involving invasive beauty treatments such as botox, aesthetics, semi-permanent make-up, facial tattoos, dermal fillers
  • New computers, phones, tablets
  • Stock for an existing product line
  • Ongoing software subscriptions
  • Business ideas without evidence of significant steps taken to get the business off the ground

How to apply

  1. Check the eligibility criteria on the Kent Community Foundation SWEF page
  2. Complete the online Start-Up Grant application form (pre-revenue or under £500 a month) or the Business Grant application form (over £500 a month); you can save and resume the form
  3. Send your referee the SWEF Enterprise Reference Form link (kentcf.tfaforms.net/44); your application is reviewed once both your form and the reference are submitted
  4. Initial review for completeness and eligibility; you may be contacted for clarification
  5. You might be invited to an online meeting with the SWEF team to talk about your business
  6. If successful, accept the grant terms; funds are paid into your business bank account, must be spent within one month, and a progress update is due after 12 months

the referee must know you professionally (e.g. a tutor, support worker or employer), not a friend, family member or anyone involved in the business. Grantees are asked to join the SWEF Facebook group, attend at least one SWEF meetup, subscribe to the newsletter and give feedback after 12 months.

Have ready

  • Recent business bank statement showing a full month's activity (not a spreadsheet export)
  • Itemised breakdown of costs with weblinks or quotes for each item or service
  • Reference from someone who knows you in a professional capacity, submitted via the reference form
  • Business plan or other supporting documents (optional)

applications without item costs and links/quotes will be rejected. Avoid general terms like 'marketing'.

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.