£6.5 million Community Business Trade Up Programme

This is the fifth and final year of the Community Business Trade Up Programme run by the School for Social Entrepreneurs with funding from Power to Change.

The learning programme will help leaders of community businesses recover and rebuild their income from trading and to develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to increase their impact. It will run from April to December 2021, with 50 places for community business leaders across England who will learn in groups of 10. The programme is delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs online and in-person – at five locations, subject to government social distancing guidelines.

Due to the impact of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, the programme has been adapted in three ways:

Priority will be given to applications from those hit hardest by coronavirus/COVID-19. In particular, community businesses that are led by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups (BAME), support BAME communities and/or located in and giving support to very deprived or disadvantaged local communities. This year, the Ubele Initiative is working with Power to Change and SSE to ensure funding reaches the widest range of people and communities.

Programme participants each receive a Trade Back grant up to £10,000. Created by the SSE in response to the pandemic, Trade Back is a new type of grant that incentivises social organisations to trade, while supporting them to recover and rebuild. Trade Back grants match ‘pound-for-pound’ any increase in income from trading above COVID period levels.

Programme content will be co-designed with community business leaders to ensure it is relevant to the needs of community businesses through and beyond the new pandemic economy, with a focus on digitisation.

A webinar will take place on 15 October 2020 (10:30 am).

The deadline for applications is 2 December 2020 (1pm).

More information about this funding opportunity and the application process is available on the GRANTfinder funding information platform. GRANTfinder provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on funding news and policy. To find out more about how GRANTfinder can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.