Rural Business Development Grant Scheme

Rural micro businesses in Belfast

The Rural Business Development Grant Scheme provides small capital grants to rural micro businesses in Northern Ireland. We are administering the rural business grant programme for rural micro businesses in Belfast. Eligible social economy enterprises and businesses in rural parts of Belfast can apply for a grant from 3 August 2020.

Rural business grants

Capital grants up to a maximum of 50 per cent (between £500 and £4,999 for projects costing up to £20,000) are available to existing micro businesses in rural areas of Belfast.You can apply for a grant to help your business recover, become sustainable or to grow and diversify. The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) funds the capital grant scheme.

Capital costs for a business

Grants are only for capital items to help your business recover, become sustainable or grow and diversify.

You can apply for eligible items including:

• computer equipment and software
• E-commerce websites
• new equipment/machinery
• capital costs to make health and safety changes to working practices and alterations to premises due to coronavirus (COVID 19) restrictions
• building works to bring an area of a building back into economic use or improve or change the building's use

Applying for a rural business grant

To apply to the scheme, your business:

• must be in a rural area of the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area
• is an existing, registered business
• is actively trading commercially
• has a limited company number or your self-assessment number
• has a bank account with a recent bank statement

Micro businesses

Micro businesses and social economy enterprises are eligible to apply. A micro business is a business employing less than ten full time employees, based on full time 30 hours a week and part time at least 16 hours a week.

Rural areas in Belfast

To be eligible for funding through Belfast City Council, your business must be in a rural part of the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area. To check if your rural business is in eligible area, you should contact us by email: economicdevelopment@belfastcity.gov.uk

Application form and guidance notes

The application form will be available from Monday 3 August 2020. To request an application form and guidance notes, you should contact us by email: economicdevelopment@belfastcity.gov.uk

Closing date for applications

You must return the application form and supporting documents by email: economicdevelopment@belfastcity.gov.uk before 12 noon on Friday 11 September. We will not accept late or incomplete applications.

Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Programme

The Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Programme's (TRPSI) Rural Business Development Grant Scheme aims to support the sustainability, survival and development of micro rural businesses across Northern Ireland by providing a small capital grant for the business.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) funds the TRPSI Programme.