Council Grants and Funds
The Council Economic Development and Business Gateway teams manage a programme of grant support schemes which together aim to support Orkney businesses to increase employment and strengthen the Orkney Economy. Full details of the individual grant schemes can be found at the Business Gateway web-link in the related downloads section of this page. A summary of the main Schemes is provided below:
New Business Start Up Grant
The New Business Start Up Grant aims to drive up the competitiveness, growth and survival rates of infant businesses. The discretionary grant is open to applications from new small businesses located in Orkney, which have been trading for less than 6 months and are employing less than 50 people.
The start-up grant can be used:
- to buy capital equipment;
- towards marketing costs;
- towards training costs
- as a contribution towards the combined start up costs.
The start-up grant cannot be used for the following costs:
- patenting;
- intellectual property;
- property redecoration alone;
- legal or statutory fees/charges;
- working capital; wage subsidy;
- debt repayment;
- stock and consumables; or
- general running costs of the business.
The Programme has been designed as a sustainable business development mechanism to assist start-up projects that will help grow the Orkney economy. It is recognised that small businesses make an important contribution to Orkney’s economy and society. The grant funding level will be a maximum of £1,500 for new start businesses with a minimum grant value of £500.
Applicants must evidence that they are developing a new start-up business and seeking to establish a full-time sustainable enterprise. All applicants must register with Business Gateway, discuss their eligibility and receive guidance on bringing an application forward before submitting their application.
Flexible Business Development Grants
The Flexible Business Development Grant (FBDG) focuses on supporting investments in business growth, increasing competitiveness, and the survival of businesses. The discretionary grant is targeted at businesses located in Orkney to support them to grow and create new employment opportunities and to develop new markets out-with Orkney.
The FBDG offers a grant contribution of up to a maximum of 50% of eligible project costs. The maximum FBDG grant available is £5,000. Applicants will typically be seeking to achieve a demonstrable improvement in business performance through projects that involve capital expenditure, marketing costs, or other significant project costs deemed by the Council to be eligible.
Applications from SMEs in the following sectors are strongly encouraged
- Tourism
- Food and drink
- Low carbon and renewable energy technology
- Manufacturing Creative industries
- Community based social enterprise companies.
The Economic Development Grant Scheme
The Economic Development Grant Scheme can offer support of up to £55,000 at a rate of up to 30% of costs, towards capital expenditure. A minimum £10,000 of eligible project cost applies to these grants. The Economic Development Grant Scheme is targeted towards supporting:
- projects which encourage economic diversification;
- activities which raise the average wage rate;
- efforts to overcome barriers to export outwith Orkney; and
- projects which demonstrate additional benefits to the Orkney.
In addition any project supported should not represent a threat to existing jobs or simply cause them to be displaced. All funding proposals should be supported by a business/ development plan providing sufficient detail for the proposal to be assessed by officers. All assistance is discretionary.
Key industry sectors are a particular target for the Scheme including:
- food and drink production, where the products are primarily intended for export outwith Orkney;
- creative industries and manufacturing, where the outputs are primarily intended for export outwith Orkney;
- high-end niche products which are only available in Orkney;
- knowledge and technology, where projects can demonstrate a benefit to the Orkney economy;
- renewable energy (but not energy production) and its supply chain;
- service sector where the service is not currently provided in Orkney and a viable demand for that service can be demonstrated (provided this is not just a marginal modification of an existing service already available locally);
- service sector where a viable external demand can be demonstrated; and
- There are specific grants to support rural shops, and graduate / post-graduate placements.
Community Development Fund
Orkney Islands Council's Community Development Fund was established in 1999 to support a wide range of local projects. Any formally-constituted community group can apply. In the past community councils, development trusts, community associations, heritage societies and many other local community groups have successfully bid for funding. Grant assistance at a rate of 50%, up to a maximum Community Development Fund grant of £100,000, will normally be available. More information is available from the 'More pages in this section' of this page.
Community-based groups can get help through Voluntary Action Orkney, on telephone 01856872897 or email Voluntary Action Orkney.
Small Businesses can contact the Business Gateway in Kirkwall’s Queen Street on telephone 01856886666 or email Business Gateway for assistance.
OIC Crown Estate Community Led Development Fund (OIC CECLDF)
The OIC Crown Estate Community Led Development Fund (OIC CECLDF) is administered by Orkney Islands Council and financed from net revenues generated by Scottish Crown Estate. The grant scheme is designed to mobilise change and deliver positive outcomes for Orkney and its communities. The scheme seeks to support the community and community economic development of Orkney by investing in infrastructure, community capacity building, and developing community assets and encouraging inclusive community growth – that is, growth which combines improved wellbeing with greater equality, creates opportunities for all, and distributes the benefits of increased prosperity fairly. The scheme also aims to encourage regeneration of Orkney’s communities by supporting projects that safeguard sustainable community economic growth and jobs, promote inclusion, contribute towards poverty reduction and safeguard, restore or enhance the coastal environment.
Funding may be used to help with the following:
- Developing and regenerating Orkney communities including infrastructure and assets.
- Creating and safeguarding sustainable community economic growth and jobs.
- Providing communities with the means and opportunity to address issues of poverty, disadvantage and inequality.
- Contributing to net zero agenda through community assets decarbonisation and renewable energy, building in greater resilience.
- Supporting communities to develop projects which promote and develop local resilience and inclusion in areas, for example, food supply and connectivity.
- Supporting community capacity building and community development.
- Supporting opportunities for community skills development and learning experiences.
- Adding value to Orkney’s economy through collective community body efforts including supporting promotion, developing new offers, and improving resilience/sustainability.
- Developing sustainable community tourism.
- Supporting strategic community events, for example, heritage/festivals infrastructure/development.
- Safeguarding, restoring, enhancing or interpretating the coastal environment all across Orkney by the Community.
- Empowering, supporting, developing, participation & networking of young people (0-30 years) and their facilities/services/opportunities within the community.
For further information on the scheme and eligibility, please see the OIC CECLDF web page or contact a member of the CLLD Team at CECLD@orkney.gov.uk.
Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Grant
The Community Led Local Development (CLLD) fund is an annual grant allocation to Orkney from the Scottish Government. It has been provided as a replacement to the previous LEADER funding Orkney received. Due to the limited size of the funding allocation, it will only be Orkney based, constituted community/voluntary not for profit organisations with a registered bank account that will be eligible to apply. Applications will not be considered from individuals, sole traders, organisations outwith Orkney, religious or political organisations, or private business.
Bids are being sought from community groups within Orkney who want to make a difference through the Scottish Government funded Community Led Local Development (CLLD) grant scheme – the successor to the previous LEADER Programme which saw a wealth of small-scale community-led projects benefit between 2014-2020.
The scheme can support projects as follows:
- Feasibility studies
- Grants up to £10,000 for feasibility studies.
- Community capacity building
- Grants up to £20,000 for capacity building within community anchor groups
- Board governance reviews
- Grants for board governance reviews to be carried out within community anchor groups
- Grants for community anchor groups that received board governance reviews last year for policy review and management performance action plans
- Place plans and community action plans
- Grants up to £5,000 for community groups to carry out place plans or community action plans
- Revenue projects
- Grants up to £10k up to 100% funding for community enabling projects or participatory projects to put on events to help alleviate poverty
- Capital projects
- Grants up to £30,000 up to 100% funding for projects which support community wellbeing, the journey to net zero or sustainable public services.
For further information on the scheme and eligibility, please see the CLLD web page or contact a member of the CLLD Team at CLLD@orkney.gov.uk.
Orkney Islands Council's Culture Fund
The Culture Fund is aimed at assisting not for profit organisation based in Orkney planning arts, heritage or language events, projects or activities. This fund replaces the Festivals Fund and the Grants for Independent Museums and Heritage Bodies.
The way that the Council funds cultural activity in Orkney underwent a review in order to determine whether the available funds could be made more widely accessible, and enable a greater variety of cultural activity to be supported by the Council, and the Culture Fund is the result of that work.
Further information is available by clicking the button below:
