SME GROWTH FUND

APPLICATION FORM
Contact Details
Organisations name:

Contact name Position

Lead Contact person (if different from Position

above)

Contact Address:

Postcode:
Registered business address (if different
from above):

Registered business postcode (if different

from above):
Telephone number:
Email address:
Website:

Business Information
Summary of your business activities:

Business sector:
Are you an existing business, or starting
up?
What date did you start trading, or what
date do you plan to start trading?
Do you have a business bank account?
Bank and Branch Details. If your starting
up add when you will open your account:

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What is, or will be, the legal status of the Tick box for:
Sole trader ☐
business? Partnership ☐
Limited Company ☐
Community Interest Company ☐
Company Limited by Guarantee ☐
Industrial and Provident Society ☐
other (please describe) ☐
Company/charity registration number:
Date of incorporation:
Is your business a not-for-profit business
or owned by a not-for-profit organisation?
How many people full-time people does
the business currently employ?
How many part-time people (if any) does
your business currently employ?
How many freelancers (if any) does your
business currently employ?
Are you part of a group?

More details about your business

A bit more detail on what is the nature of
your business? What do you do?
If a start-up, what do you intend to do?
Is the business registered for VAT? Yes ☐ No ☐
Are you VAT, Tax, PAYE and Business Rates Yes ☐
paid to date? No ☐
Not Applicable ☐
If your organisation has more than one
place of operation please give details of all
associated business operations including
addresses.
If your organization is a company please
give details of any associated or linked
companies (no more than 250 words).
Further details for existing businesses £
only. Please state your annual turnover at
the last year end.
What was your gross profit (turnover less £
direct materials and direct labour costs)?
Please state your balance sheet (total £
assets net depreciation)?
Note: Existing businesses must provide three years’ business accounts, with the most recent being
no older than 9 months.

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Project Description (Investment and Jobs)
Describe the nature of your business
investment activity?
What kind of activity/service/ production
will you be investing in?
What will you use the SME Grant for?
Explain how new investment will help
your business to grow (or set-up if it’s a
new business)
How will the investment help create
and/or safeguard jobs?
Describe the planned short term growth
(up to one year). If the investment is to
safeguard jobs explain why these jobs
would otherwise be lost within 12 months.
Describe further medium term growth (in
years 2-3 following the investment) that is
projected due to continuous rise in
business trading.
Short term growth (including jobs and
turnover) in first year, arising from your
investment (250 words):
Medium term growth (including jobs and
turnover) in years 2-3, arising from
business growth (250 words):
When do you want to start the project?
Business investment activity: Click on one
of the tick boxes to describe the nature of
your business. If not included in the list,
please describe.
Industry Checked
Manufacturing ☐
Engineering (Mechanical/Electrical) ☐
Energy ☐
Low Carbon ☐
Maritime ☐
Research and Development activities and supply chain
businesses that support these sectors ☐
Other (please describe): ☐

Project Eligibility
What is the total cost of the investment
(SME Grant plus private match funding)?

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How much SME Grant are you applying for
(min £3,000; max £150,000)?
How much private match funding is
available for this investment and what is
its origin?
Where is/will your business/project be
based (please provide the postcode)?
Investment and Jobs (Project Outputs)
Jobs created, including apprentices
(Full Time)?
Jobs created, including apprentices
(Part Time)?
Jobs safeguarded (Full Time)?
Jobs safeguarded (Part Time)?
Freelance posts created (Full Time)?
Freelance posts created (Part Time)?

In more detail, how many additional / new jobs do you expect to create within 12 months of
the project start date?
How many will you safeguard (safeguarded jobs are those that would otherwise be lost within
12 months)?
Created Skills level Type of
Start Date Type of job Created Safe Basic
Part- contract
(e.g., designer, Full-time guarded NVQ 1- 4+ annual
Time
admin,) (number) (number) (Permanent / salary £
(number) fixed/freelanc
e/ apprentice)

Total
 Give details of how many of each type of job (full-time or part-time), what type of contract,
and the basic salary in the table.
 A permanent job is a position that is planned to last at least one year.
 A safeguarded job is one that would be lost within one year without the planned investment.
 The actual outcomes for these forecasts will be checked during monitoring.
 Grant payments may depend on job starts being achieved.

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In addition to the jobs descried above, How many further new jobs do you estimate you will
create in years 2-3 following Investment?
Type of job (e.g., Created Created No. safe Skills level Type of Basic
g designer, No. Full- No. Part- guarded NVQ 1 – contract annual
admin,) time time 4+ (Permanent / salary £
fixed/
freelance/
apprentice)

Note: the actual outcomes for these estimates will be checked during monitoring.

Do you intend to recruit people locally where possible? If so, how many? How will you do this?

Besides job creation, what benefits will your business bring to the area (these might include
using local suppliers, educational benefits, environmental improvements, etc.).
Please write no more than 200 words:

Additionality
In the event that your application is unsuccessful, what impact would this have on your plans for
growth?

1. Without grant support the Investment in growth will::

not proceed ☐ proceed ☐
2. Investment in growth will proceed, but at a reduced scale: Yes ☐ No ☐
3. Investment in growth will proceed, but over a much longer timescale: Yes ☐ No ☐
Please explain your answer(s), including the elements that would not proceed and/or estimated timescale
difference and how this would affect the project. Please write no more than 200 words:

Reduction in grant awarded: what would you do if only 75% of the grant requested was to be
awarded? Would you still be able to go ahead with your plans? What would you be able to do?
What would you not be able to do?

What other ways of funding the project have you pursued? Please list funders approached and
whether or not those approaches have been successful. If successful, please identify the
amount of grant, loan or other support provided.
Funder (e.g. named Kind of support (e.g. Successful or not Amount £

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 bank) commercial loan)

(Add lines if necessary)

Match funding:
 If you are an existing business you can apply for up to 25% of the total investment required.
 If you are a start-up you can apply for up to 50% of the total investment required.
 In both cases you will need to find the remainder (75% or 50%) from private sources.
Please list the sources of private match funding you intend to rely on for your match funding, and
fill in the table below. Include successful funding from 3.12 (N.B. you will need to provide
confirmation of match funding – see guidance notes).
Funder (e.g. named Kind of support (e.g. Confirmed or Amount £
bank) commercial loan) conditional?

(Add lines if necessary)

Matched funding ratio

£ %
Total private sector match
funding
Grant requested from SME
Growth Fund
Total 100

Please identify the estimated total cost(s) against each activity/ purchase that is to be part of
this investment project. When will the investment take place?
Activity/purchase Estimated date of purchase or Estimated cost (one-off cost,
from when activity will need or over 12 months)
funding

(Add lines if necessary)

 Certain kinds of cost are not eligible for support – see guidance notes.
 Eligible investment expenditure will only apply after you receive a formal Grant Offer.
 You will need to allow 6-8 weeks from the date of submitting this Application form and
supporting documents to a decision on the grant being awarded or rejected.
 You will need to provide evidence of actual cost e.g. quotes, relevant local salary levels in the
accompanying documents and ensure that they are also identified in your Business Plan
projections
What is the basis of your legal occupation of your premises for the investment?

Business based at home Yes ☐ No ☐

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Licensee Yes ☐ No ☐
Freeholder Yes ☐ No ☐
Leaseholder Yes ☐ No ☐
Notes:
 Please give details, e.g. monthly or annual rent (say which), service charges, years left on the
lease/licence whether the property is mortgaged, etc.
 More than one answer may apply.
 For non-residential premises, you will need to provide evidence of your legal occupation e.g.
lease, in the accompanying documents.
If your project includes refurbishment / commercial property upgrade please describe briefly
what works you will be undertaking and explain why they are necessary.
Please write no more than 150 words:

Busines Planning
What evidence do you have that there is sufficient demand in the market place for your
product/service to justify the start-up or expansion of the business (reference the relevant
paragraphs in your Business Plan)?
Please write no more than 250 words:

What skills do you have in your current staff/directors/partners/board to manage and expand
your business? (Please reference relevant CVs). What additional skills are needed by the
business as part of your growth plans? How do you plan to acquire these skills? Please indicate
if you require assistance in sourcing appropriate training.
Please write no more than 150 words:

Current skills (evidence with reference to CVs):

Additional skills needed:

Please state the key milestones for the project, and when you expect to achieve them. Please
include dates that will trigger significant expenditure (e.g. job start dates, purchase of capital
equipment, refurbishment/construction/building costs).
Milestone Date (mm/yyyy)

(Add lines if necessary)

Please state the main risks associated with your project and how they can be mitigated.
Risk Likelihood Impact Mitigation – what you have done
(High/ (High/med/low) or will do to reduce the likelihood
med/ of a risk occurring, and/or to
low) reduce its impact

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(Add lines if necessary)
See Guidance notes for some common areas of risk faced by businesses.
State Aid
Has your business received State Aid Yes / No
within the last 36 months?
If yes, then please complete the table
below:
If yes, then please complete the table below:
Source of State Amount Date support was received,
Aid (funding (£s or Euros) or you expect it to be paid?
provider, and
name of
grant/scheme):

Received in last 36 months:

Awarded but not received:

Applied for, or planned to be

applied for, but not yet decided:

(Add lines if necessary)

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Information Required In Support of All Applications
You should submit the following information to support your grant application. Most of this
should be contained in a single Business Plan, but separate clearly named documents will also be
accepted (e.g. scanned certificates, licenses etc.).
For ALL businesses:
 A Business/Investment Plan detailing future plans (this is the key document – see Guidance notes
for what should be included).
 Any relevant market research undertaken, (the Marketing Plan should be part of the Business
Plan).
 A detailed Project Budget.
 At least 2 years’ projected balance sheet and profit and loss statements (for the
business/investment project).
 At least 2 years’ monthly cash flow forecast (including any forecast loan repayments) (for the
business/investment project).
 Sensitivity analysis.
 Proof of planning approvals, licences or similar (if relevant) (If not provided with the application,
these will be required before Offer Letter is signed).
 Proof of legal occupation of non-residential business premises.
 CVs for the Directors, Management Team, and, if applicable, key project staff. This must include
any previous Directorships.
 Evidence of private match funding listed on the application form, including bank statement and
evidence other loans sought or obtained.
 Certificate of Incorporation (if relevant).
 In the case of a not-for-profit business, a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association,
rules or governing documents.
 Details of any County Court Cases against the company, or other companies in which directors or
managers have had an interest, in the last three years
 Details of any discharged or undischarged bankruptcies of directors and managers.
 Signed declaration in relation to State aid received in previous 36 months and listed in application
form.

EXISTING businesses should provide in addition to the above:

 A Business Plan for the whole business, if the investment project is not the totality of the
business activities.
 Up to 3 years' statutory audited/unaudited/drafted accounts (dependent on how long the
business has been in existence).
 Previous 6 months’ bank statements.

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Credit Checks
Personal Credit Checks
(please copy and paste for any additional directors)
Sole Traders, start-ups or companies without 3 years’ audited accounts will need to give
permission for personal credit checks to be carried out on each partner or director. These will
only be carried out if a recommendation is being made to approve the grant.
Please sign below for each partner / director.

1. I …………………………………………………….. hereby give my consent that Tendring District Council may

disclose to a credit checking agency such of my personal data as is necessary for the Council to
secure a consumer credit report for the purposes of considering my application to the Council for
a business grant.

Signed …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Date………………………

Name:
Home Address:
Date of Birth:

2. I …………………………………………………….. hereby give my consent that Tendring District Council may

disclose to a credit checking agency such of my personal data as is necessary for the Council to
secure a consumer credit report for the purposes of considering my application to the Council for
a business grant.

Signed …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Date …………………

Name:
Home Address:
Date of Birth:

3. I …………………………………………………….. hereby give my consent that Tendring District Council may

disclose to a credit checking agency such of my personal data as is necessary for the Council to
secure a consumer credit report for the purposes of considering my application to the Council for
a business grant.

Signed …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Date …………………

Name:
Home Address:
Date of Birth:

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 Declaration
I/We declare that:
 The information supporting this application is correct, and I/we accept full responsibility for
it.
 I/We understand the information provided in this application will be used to assess and
select proposals for funding.
 I/We agree to disclose information about this application to organisations or consultants that
Tendring District Council wishes to consult during the appraisal, on-going management and
evaluation of applications.
 I/we accept conditions of payment, and understand that payments may be withheld or
recovered if it appears that any agreed conditions have not been complied with, or a false or
misleading statement has been made.
 I/We understand and accept that, if this application is successful, the grant amount awarded
will be published by Tendring District Council.
 I/we confirm that the information supplied on this form is correct and complete. If successful,
this funding will be used solely for the purposes shown in the application, and will meet all
the terms and conditions attached to any grant offer that is accepted.

I/We undertake that, if this application is successful, I/we will:

 Provide any further information as may be required by Tendring District Council.
 Allow access to records and premises to which this application relates for the purposes of
carrying out an inspection and ensuring the compliance of this undertaking. This will include
allowing access for external auditors and consultants.
 Co-operate and participate, as required, in any monitoring or evaluation exercises conducted
by Tendring District Council or its appointed consultants
 Keep and submit for inspection all forms, invoices and quotes etc., which arise from the
project and are evidence for claims.
 Notify Tendring District Council immediately in writing if any changes occur to the application
details.

Note: That, for partnerships, all partners must sign this form. For limited companies a
director must sign the form.
Name:
Signature:
Status:
Date:

Name:
Signature:
Status:
Date:

Name:

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Signature:
Status:
Date:

Name:
Signature:
Status:
Date:

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