GrantRadar

Cambridgeshire Community Foundation

SWEF Fund

Grants (not loans) for young people aged 18-30 living in Cambridgeshire who are launching or running their own new business and face financial challenges, particularly those not in education, employment or training. Start-Up Grants of up to £500 suit businesses not yet trading or earning under £500 a month; Business Grants of up to £2,000 suit businesses trading for 6 months or more with income of £500 a month or more. Delivered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation with SWEF C.I.C. (as the SWEF Enterprise Fund); applications are rolling and need a referee. This is for individual entrepreneurs, not charities.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £2,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Individuals aged 18 to 30 who live in Cambridgeshire, face financial challenges preventing them developing their business (particularly those not in education, employment or training), and are launching or running a new business that has been trading for under two years (the fund page says under two and a half years)
  • They must be the majority shareholder, or all shareholders must be aged 18-30, and have (or be setting up) a business bank account, as grants are only paid into business accounts
  • Start-Up Grants are for businesses not yet trading (starting within 3 months) or trading only briefly with income under £500 a month; Business Grants are for sole traders, limited companies or CICs limited by shares trading 6 months or more with income of £500 a month or more, where the business is (or will shortly be) the applicant's sole work focus
  • Applicants must show real steps taken (e.g. market research, social media following, early investment)

What it funds

Business costs the young person could not otherwise afford that help the business take a significant step forward: equipment that will increase profit, prototypes and product development, building a website or booking system, training, and other business costs with significant impact; materials or stock for start-up grants only. Second-hand or refurbished items and match-funded requests are particularly welcome; for a single item over £2,000 the grant should cover at least 25% of the cost. Grants must be spent within one month of receipt.

  • Start-Up Grants up to £500
  • Business Grants up to £2,000 (one business grant per person
  • A start-up grantee can later apply for a business grant)

What it will not fund

  • Salary or living costs, e.g. rent or utilities
  • Debt repayment
  • New computers, phones or tablets (second-hand or refurbished can be considered)
  • App or software development (apps/software must be ready to launch or already launched; wireframes can be considered)
  • Ongoing software subscriptions (business grants)
  • Stock, materials or other ongoing costs for existing product lines (business grants)
  • Invasive beauty treatments such as botox, aesthetics, semi-permanent make-up, facial tattoos and dermal fillers
  • Applications based solely on a business idea without evidence of steps taken
  • Repeat business grants (applicants receive a single business grant only)

How to apply

  1. Decide whether a Start-Up Grant (up to £500) or Business Grant (up to £2,000) fits your stage of trading
  2. Register your email address on the relevant form linked from the fund page; a link to the online application is emailed to you
  3. Complete the application as fully as possible, including specific plans for spending the grant (e.g. web links and costs for items), and give a referee who knows your business and skills (not a spouse, parent or guardian)
  4. Submit the application; no business plan is required
  5. If awarded, the grant is paid into your business bank account and must be spent within one month

Read SWEF's eligibility guidance first; SWEF's own national criteria also exclude sectors such as consultancy, property development, gambling and delivery driving.

Start-up grantees can apply later for a business grant once the business has progressed.

Have ready

  • Details of a referee who knows your business and skills
  • Links and costs for the items you want the grant to buy
  • Business bank account details (or evidence one is being set up)

No business plan is needed. SWEF's eligibility guidance lists evidence of visible progress (e.g. website, social media, confirmed purchases) and, for business grants, trading income evidence.

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