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 50% of your eligible expenditure, with a minimum project spend of £2,000.

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're 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 in 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)

Your business must also have a dedicated business bank account. You'll need to provide the account details with your application, as this is the account your grant will be paid into if successful.

The grant can cover up to 50% of your project costs, up to a maximum of £25,000. You'll need to cover the rest of the costs from other sources.

The minimum grant value is £1,000, which means your project must cost at least £2,000 to be eligible.

You'll need to pay for all project costs upfront, then submit a claim for the eligible costs by an agreed date to receive your grant.

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

Falkirk Council will aim to assess your application as soon as possible. This may take up to 4 weeks.

Once accepted, you'll have 3 months to submit your claim for eligible costs in order to receive the grant.

Visit the Falkirk Council website for more information.