Aims/priorities
The initial phase of the programme focuses on community businesses looking to learn how digital skills could help their business develop and grow. Other support areas will be included in the programme during 2022. The Powering Up programme will run for a total of four years with multiple rounds of funding.
The tailored support package for community businesses is worth up to £20,000 in total, and includes:
Paid access to support providers (up to £9,000) who are brokered in to meet the specific needs of your community businesses over a 12-month period.
Professional development and wellbeing support (up to £3,000) such as leadership coaching, peer mentor, and mental health support. This support can be drawn down over the 12-month period of support.
An £8,000 unrestricted grant to support you as a community business leader, and your team, to engage in the required support of the programme. This could be to cover your time, back fill a post, purchase essential equipment, or cover other expenditure that enables growth of your community business.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to any community business operating and registered in England to apply. You must also:
Be a community business that has been trading for one year or more which can provide accounts as evidence.
Be able to dedicate a minimum of 12 days (over the next 12 months) of your time or a team members time to engage with the support being offered in this programme.
Looking for support to improve how your business uses digital to develop and grow.
Power to Change will be prioritising support to community businesses in the most deprived areas of England, as well as organisations that are led or predominantly working in communities with a high percentage of minoritised ethnicity. If demand is above capacity, we will prioritise:
Community businesses that are led or predominantly working in communities with a high percentage of minoritised ethnicity.
Community businesses based in the English Indices of Deprivation (IMDs) 1-3. You can check where your community is on the indices using this postcode lookup.
Grant amount:
The tailored support package for community businesses is worth up to £20,000 in total
Application process:
Click here to complete the online eligibility checker.
Deadline:
Monday 13 December
Contact Information:
For any further information, advice, or guidance during the application process, please email cbconnectors@powertochange.org.uk to get further support.
Website address: https://www.powertochange.org.uk/our-work/our-programmes/powering-up/#