Funding for Business

Information regarding financial and funding support for individuals and businesses due to Coronavirus (COVID-19).

B&B & Serviced Accommodation Hardship Fund

Small B&Bs and other serviced accommodation providers, who have been ineligible for other government support due to not having a business bank account, will be able to apply for a grant of £3,000. This funding, confirmed in an announcement by the Scottish Government on 3 June 2020, is intended to support businesses that are an important part of Scotland's tourism sector, particularly in rural areas, yet were not eligible for support from the Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund. Please note this fund is not open to "self catering" properties.

Applications can be made until 10 July 2020.

To be eligible, you must meet all the criteria detailed on the application form. If you meet the criteria, please complete the application and email a copy to [email protected] along with images or digital copies of the following supporting documentation

MANDATORY - Photographic proof of identity - valid passport or driving licence (including provisional driving licence)
MANDATORY - Proof of business address - a recent council tax bill, utility bill
MANDATORY - Evidence of Business membership of affiliation. This could include VisitScotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish B&B Association or a local tourism body
MANDATORY - Bank statements (personal or joint personal) covering 3 months between April 2019 and March 2020 showing income and outgoings from bed & breakfast trading activity
MANDATORY - Cash Flow Personal Statement. This statement should include a projected loss of sales/revenue from business activity over the coming summer season
MANDATORY - Financial Information. HMRC business tax returns, accounts from 2018-2019, or part accounts 2019-2020 showing business turnover

MANDATORY: any one of the following:

A supplier or reseller trade account (active),e.g. documentation or a statement showing a trading account
Valid business insurance in the trading name of the business or your name
VAT Registration Number
Marketing materials for your business, e.g. business website, active social media, web links.

Business support grants

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value between £18,001 and up to and including £51,000, are able to apply for a one-off grant of £25,000.

A grant of £10,000 is also available to small businesses who are:

in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS)
in receipt of Rural Relief; or
eligible for SBBS but in receipt of Nursery Relief, Disabled Relief, Fresh Start, Business Growth Accelerator Relief, Enterprise Areas Relief or Discretionary Sports Relief.

A £10,000 grant is also available for business ratepayers with a multiple retail, hospitality and leisure properties, with individual rateable values all under £18,000, where the cumulative rateable value of all properties held, whether Retail, Hospitality and Leisure or non-Retail, Hospitality and Leisure, is between £35,001 and £500,000.

These grants are only available to the registered ratepayer and the ratepayer must have occupied the premises, for the business use, on 17 March 2020.

Applications can be made until 10 July 2020.

Applying for these ratepayer grants

Please complete all of the parts of this application that apply to you in full.

Please ensure you provide a scanned recent bank statement that shows the same sort code, account name and account number quoted on your application form
Please ensure that your application quotes your Business Rates account number, which starts '30' and can be found on your Business Rates bill
Please make sure that your supporting bank evidence can be easily read
Please ensure that the bank details provided don't have a payment limit that could potentially block any grant payment

To help us manage your application, please quote your Business Rates account number in all communications.

Applying for a grant for additional properties

The Scottish Government announced a second phase of funding for certain businesses. From 5 May 2020, business ratepayers who qualify for the initial business support grant above, with other premises that were also occupied on 17 March 2020, may be eligible to receive additional grants for each subsequent qualifying property. Additional small business premises, that meet the appropriate criteria, may be eligible for £7,500 for each additional property. Retail, hospitality and leisure sector businesses, that meet the appropriate criteria, may be eligible for £18,750 for each additional property.

For more information on applying for business support grants for additional properties, email [email protected] and provide your full name, business name, and the Business Rates account number (which starts '30') relating to the business premises you originally applied for.

Business support grants for non-ratepayer businesses

From 8 June 2020, non-ratepayer occupants of premises such as shared office spaces, business incubators and shared industrial units, where the landlord is the registered ratepayer, may be eligible for a single, one-off £10,000 small business grant. Eligibility for these small businesses is subject to detailed vertification criteria and irrespective of the use or rateable value of the property. A non-ratepayer occupant may only receive a single grant.

To potentially qualify for this grant, your business must:

have been in occupation of the premises and have a lease signed by the landlord prior to 17 March 2020
have employed one or more staff, not including yourself or a partner or director in the business, on 17 March 2020
be a partnership or company registered with Companies House on or prior to 17 March 2020
have not previously received any other business support grants from the UK or Scottish Government
occupy a property that is on the Valuation Roll

Applying for these non-ratepayer grants

Please complete all of the parts of this application that apply to you in full.

Please ensure you provide an appropriate bank statement that shows the same sort code, account name and account number quoted on your application form and shows business transactions, such as wages and rent, for a period up to and including 17 March 2020
Please ensure that the lease provided proves occupation at 17 March 2020 and confirms a contribution to charges associated with non-domestic rates
Please ensure that your application quotes the Business Rates account number for the property you occupy, which starts '30' and can be found on your landlord's Business Rates bill
Please make sure that all your supporting evidence can be easily read
Please ensure that the bank details provided don't have a payment limit that could potentially block any grant payment.

Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund

Newly self-employed individuals, during the 2019/20 tax year, who are experiencing hardship as a result of losing income due to the coronavirus outbreak may qualify for a £2,000 grant. This funding, confirmed in an announcement by the Scottish Government on 21 April 2020, is intended to relieve the hardship of people ineligible for other UK Government COVID-19 related business support.

Deadline for applications is 31 March 2021.

To be eligible, you must meet all the criteria detailed in the application form. If you meet the criteria, please complete the application and email a copy to [email protected] along with images or digital copies of the following supporting documentation.

Proof of identify, photographic (for example a valid passport or driving licence) - mandatory
Proof of address (for example a recent council tax bill or utility bill) - mandatory
Evidence of active trading up to end of March 2020:

Three forms of evidence:

Bank statements (business or personal) covering 3 months to March 2020 showing income and outgoings from self-employment - mandatory

And any 2 of

A supplier or reseller trade account (active)
Valid business insurance
HMRC Unique Taxpayer Reference (if registered). If not yet registered, copy of correspondence/other details showing registration is being sought/or provide further details to explain position
VAT Registration Number
Marketing materials for your business (e.g. website, active social media - provide web links)
Other evidence of business activity to support your claim (e.g. correspondence with customers or suppliers)

Creative Industry

Creative Scotland has launched three funding programmes designed to provide further support to sustain the country's creative community during the COVID-19 outbreak, including freelance creatives and screen sector workers.

North Berwick Trust Grants

North Berwick Trust is offering grants to hard-hit businesses based in North Berwick to help them survive the COVID-19 emergency. Grants of up to £5,000 will be awarded every month for at least the next 6 months, depending on COVID-19 developments. Further information and application details are here.