Harborough Rural Grant Scheme

The Harborough Rural Grant Scheme opens on Tuesday, 26 March 2024 and will close on Friday 27 September 2024. 

Eligible businesses located in rural areas of Harborough District (as identified in the guidance) could benefit from capital grants between £5,000 to £20,000 to support their business to diversify, innovate and grow. 

The grants are being managed and distributed by Harborough District Council using funding received from the government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund, which is an extension of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Before you apply, please read the full guidance for the fund. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your project, please contact business@harborough.gov.uk.

Eligibility criteria

• For businesses located in rural areas of Harborough District
• The grant funding must be used on capital projects. This means you must spend grants on lasting assets, such as a building or equipment
• The grants must support new or existing rural businesses to develop new products or facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams
• Grants must be used for business purposes. They cannot be used for domestic property improvements or private vehicles
• All projects must consider how the project can work with the natural environment to achieve objectives
• Grant recipients must have robust business plans which demonstrate the viability and potential success of projects
• The grants cannot be paid retrospectively. This means you cannot start the project until a grant decision has been made. It must be for a new project
• All applicants must provide assurances that they have all the necessary permissions, such as Planning approvals, building warrants etc., in place prior to applying
• The business must be located in a rural area as identified in the guidance 
• A micro/ small/medium-sized enterprise employing between one and 249 staff
• Applications are required to demonstrate that they have match funding from other sources, with the maximum funding from the Harborough Rural Grants Scheme being 50%, other than in exceptional circumstances. Projects which have been able to attract a higher percentage of match funding from their own funds or other sources, maybe more likely to be supported, as they demonstrate that the business has received more support and commitment from elsewhere