Community Business Trade Up Programme 2023 Opens for Applications (England)
A business development learning programme and match trading grant to support locally rooted community businesses in England to become stronger and more sustainable.
The Community Business Trade Up Programme is provided by Power to Change and the Dulverton Trust in partnership with the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE).
The programme is open to early stage businesses in England, ideally less than four years old, that are working towards these criteria:
- Locally rooted.
- Accountable to the local community.
- Trading for the benefit of the local community.
- Making a broad community impact.
There is particular interest in supporting community businesses which are:
- Led by a board or team who are mostly from a racialised and minoritised community.
- Led by a board or team who are mostly young people (aged 16-35).
- Located in and giving support to very deprived or disadvantaged local communities.
This year the programme offers:
- A free learning programme, to help build income, confidence, resilience and impact.
- Up to £5,000 Match Trading grant.
- A community business peer mentor.
- An opportunity to meet regularly with other people running similar organisations with the aim of helping each other out.
The programme runs for approximately 12 days over 12 months (1 November 2023 to 1 October 2024) and combines online sessions and in-person days (Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, Midlands, and North West).
Applications are now open with a deadline of 12 noon on 26 June 2023.
(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)
