Save my progress and resume later | Resume a previously saved form

Resume Later

In order to be able to resume this form later, please enter your email and choose a password.

Your Email:

A Password:

Confirm Password:

Password must contain the following:

12 Characters
1 Uppercase letter
1 Lowercase letter
1 Number
1 Special character

Prefills

Parent Programme ID

Image URL (Used by Javascript to render Logo above ) - Do not delete

Enquiry ID

Start-Up Grant / Early Stages – up to £500

If you're in the early stages of setting up your business or currently earning less than £500 per month, the Start-Up Grant could help you get things off the ground. This funding can support essential start-up costs such as equipment, materials, stock, website creation, product development, or training.

Who can apply – you are eligible if you:

Are aged 18 to 30
Live in Wiltshire or Swindon
Are from a low-income household or face other challenges that are making it difficult to develop your business
Are in the pre-revenue or early start-up stage, or currently earning under £500 per month
Own 100% of the business or are the majority shareholder

What the grant won’t cover - while the grant supports many aspects of getting started, there are some things it doesn’t fund:

Businesses offering invasive beauty treatments – Botox, aesthetics, semi-permanent make-up, dermal fillers or facial tattoos
Salaries or wages
Debt repayment
Software or app development businesses
Rent or utility bills
Purchasing stock for existing product lines
Ongoing software subscriptions
International travel
Brand new computers, phones, or tablets*

* However, we may consider funding refurbished technology on a match-funded basis. If you're applying for a refurbished laptop, tablet, or phone, please include a link to the item and explain how it will benefit your business.

To help you complete your application, we’ve put together a set of guidance notes, which you can download from our website here: Guidance Notes for Applications

I confirm I have understood the above criteria and meet the eligibility for this grant programme.

Agree

How did you hear about Wiltshire Community Foundation and/or SWEF business grants?

Thank you for confirming you are eligible for a SWEF Start-Up Business Grant. The application form questions are below.

There are no “right” answers or the “right” sort of words to use in the application. If a question has several parts, use bullet points to answer each part.

You do not have to complete the application form in one go. If you wish to leave the form and come back to it at another time, press the ‘Save my progress and resume later’. You will be asked to enter your email and a password so you can log back in at another time, this will be emailed to you as well.

When you have completed the form, you will be sent a copy of your answers for your records which you can print if you wish.

To help you complete the application we have produced some guidance notes which you can download here.

If you find anything confusing or need help completing the form please contact the Grants Team at applications@wiltshirecf.org.uk or call 01380 738985

Your Contact Details

First Name(s)

Surname

Phone

Email

Street Address

Town/City

County

Postcode

Date of Birth

Are you currently claiming any benefits - Universal Credit, DLA, PIP?

About You

Please tell us about yourself:
- Where did you grow up?
- What have you done since you left school?
- Who do you live with?

Is this business your sole focus? Are you working part-time anywhere else? Please tell us:

- How many hours you spend working on your business each week

- If you are also in paid employment - where and how many hours you work each week

- If you are also in education - what are you studying including length of course, level and when you will complete the course

- If you haven’t already, when do you hope to make your business your full-time job?

Your Business

Name of Business

Business website or selling page

Business social media accounts
- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn

Area of business - what industry does your business operate in?
- For example, is it in health, beauty and wellness, food and catering, gardening, or another sector? Please describe the area your business focuses on

How long has your business been trading?

How is the business structured?

What does your business do - please describe the products you make or services you provide.

What skills, training or work experience do you have that help you run your business?
- This could include formal qualifications, previous work experience, or skills you've learned while running your business.

Market Research - to help us understand your business idea, please tell us how you know there is a need or interest in what you're offering. Please provide details about the market research you have carried out and how you’ve tested your idea, this will help us see how your business could grow and succeed.

- For example, have you spoken to potential customers, run a survey, or looked at competitors in your area. Maybe you’ve received positive feedback on a small trial or have already made some sales.

How do you attract customers, or how do you plan to?

- Explain how you will market your business e.g. will you use social media, word of mouth, advertising, or another method?

- Who do you see your customers are and where are they based?

Are there other businesses like yours in your area? Please tell us if you have competitors in your area and who they are.

What time and money have you invested in your business so far?

- For example, how many hours do you spend working on your business each week?

- How much money have you spent on things like equipment, materials, or marketing? Be as specific as you can about what you've invested.

Where do you see your business in a year? What goals would you like to achieve over the next 12 months?

- This could be increasing sales, reaching more customers, launching new products, or something else. How do you plan to make this happen?

Do you have a business bank account?

Grant Request

How much grant are you applying for?

Maximum £500. Please enter the amount with no £ sign, commas or spaces

What can I apply for?

While the grants are designed to support many areas of your business, there are a few things it doesn’t cover which includes:

Salaries
Repaying debts
Software businesses or app development
Rent and utility bills
Purchasing stock for an existing product line
Invasive beauty treatments
Ongoing software subscriptions
New computers, phones, or tablets

However, we do make an exception when it comes to refurbished technology. If you need a refurbished laptop, tablet, or phone for your business, SWEF may consider this on a match-funded basis. In your application you’ll need to explain how this technology will transform your business and provide a link to the specific refurbished item you need.

Avoid general terms like ‘marketing’ that do not provide enough detail about how you will spend the grant.

In the box below you will need to provide a breakdown of how you would use the grant include:

· - Price of each item

· - Weblinks where you will purchase the items

Breakdown of grant request - please include website links and the price of the items you will purchase

How will this grant help your business grow?

- Please tell us what this funding will allow you to do - will it help you reach more customers, buy equipment, or launch new products?

- If possible, share how much more money you hope to make or how your business could expand with this support.

If you don’t receive this grant, how would you pay for the things you need?
- Would you use savings, take out a loan, or find another way to fund your business? Let us know how you would manage if the grant isn’t available.

Equal Opportunity Monitoring

This section will not be used when considering your application. The answers will be used purely for statistical purposes and internal monitoring.

It is voluntary to disclose this information, however by answering the questions it will enable us to better understand our grants.

Your answers will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please select your age group

Please select your ethnicity

Please select your gender

Please select your sexual identity

Primary age group

Type of cost

Number of beneficiaries at application

Primary beneficiaries

Primary activities carried out

Aim of grant

SDG 1

SDG 2

Primary need

Difference made 1

Difference made 2

Difference made 3

WCF priority 4

Supporting Documents

Please upload the supporting documentation as below; if you cannot provide all documents now please indicate below, and provide the documents you can now.

Proof of address

e.g. bill/letter/driving licence confirming your address in Wiltshire or Swindon

Proof of identity and date of birth

e.g. birth certificate/passport/driving licence

Evidence of income

e.g. benefit statements, pay slip, accounts

Please confirm if you have been able to upload the above supporting evidence to this application

YesNo

Declaration

I declare that the information provided in this application is, to the best of my knowledge, correct and I will report any changes to the information provided. I give permission for Wiltshire Community Foundation to record the information in this form electronically.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998) and Wiltshire Community Foundation Privacy Policy, if you are awarded a grant, your details will be collected and stored for a maximum of 7 years after receiving the last grant payment. The personal data will be used only for the purposes of administering this grant programme and will be shared with the SWEF.

Once we have received your application, we will check it is complete and eligible. A member of the Grants Team may contact you and invite you to attend a meeting to discuss your business further with the SWEF.

If you have any other questions please contact The Grants Team on 01380 738985 or email applications@wiltshirecf.org.uk.

Tick the box below to confirm

Yes - I agree to the above declaration

Please note you will have the opportunity to review your application and make any further edits before you confirm, by clicking on the 'Review before Submit' button on the below.

Once you have confirmed your submission, you will no longer have access to make any further changes

Save my progress and resume later | Resume a previously saved form

Contact Information