The Falkirk Growth Fund offers grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 to businesses in the Falkirk Council area that plan to use the money for growth projects that will bring economic benefits to the area.

The grants are intended to cover 75% of a business's eligible expenditure, with a minimum project spend of £1,333.

The grant can be used to cover costs such as:

• the purchase of plants, equipment and machinery
• property expansion or improvements
• exhibiting at a national trade show
• developing innovative products or processes

The grant cannot be used for

• employee wages
• vehicles
• general purchase of stock
• routine maintenance

Please speak to a Business Gateway adviser to ensure your project is eligible before you apply.

The service is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

You are eligible if your business:

• is classed as a small or medium enterprise (SME), with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £45 million
• is not in any debt to the council - for example, through business rate arrears
• operates on a full-time basis
• operates from commercial premises within the Falkirk Council area, for which you have a signed lease/rental/licence agreement in place
• is not in bankruptcy, liquidation or similar at the time you apply
• is not a community group, not-for-profit organisation, voluntary or charitable organisation (except social enterprises)

The business must also have a dedicated business bank account. You will be required to provide the account details as part of the application process, and this is the account your grant will be paid into if successful.

If you've previously received a grant from the Resilience Fund, you can still apply to the Growth Fund as long as the application is for a separate project that will lead to additional turnover and employment.

For example, if a Resilience Fund grant was used to pay for a new piece of machinery that helped to create jobs for employees 8 and 9 in your business, then the Growth Fund grant can only be used to support jobs for employee 10 and beyond.

The applicant must cover the cost of the first £1,000 of spend.

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the Falkirk Council area.

Falkirk Council will aim to assess applications within 10 working days.

Once accepted, businesses have 3 months to claim the award.

Visit the Falkirk Council website for more information.