Terms & Conditions - Get Growing 2 Grant

T&Cs for GG2 Grant

In order to be eligible for the grant, SMEs must be based in Hertfordshire with five or more full time equivalent employees. They must be able to demonstrate potential for growth - this may be following support received to stabilise the business and mitigate the impact of COVID-19.  

1.  Get Growing 2 Grants are only available to beneficiary businesses based in England and which also meet the ERDF definition of an SME. An SME is classified as a business that has a balance sheet that does not exceed €43Million, a turnover of no more than €50Million, has less than 250 employees and is not more than a quarter owned by a business that falls outside of the SME definition.
   
   2.    Get Growing 2 Project Grants can only be granted to those businesses receiving support (Advice and Guidance) from a Growth Account Manager through the project.
    
2.  The aim of the grant is to support business growth, resilience and survival consultancy projects in established Hertfordshire SMEs; to support those SMEs to grow; to respond, adapt or strengthen their business in order to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Lockdown period; to improve productivity; and to strengthen the local economy by supporting the SMEs to create new, and safeguard existing, jobs.  Examples of eligible and ineligible costs are as follows: 

 
Eligible Expenditure
•    Increasing/recovering sales
•    The introduction of new technology to enable the continuation of trading
•    Increasing business resilience and cybersecurity
•    Reintroducing or taking existing products into new UK markets 
•    Improving productivity and profitability 
•    Stabilising financial position/preparing for future investment 
•    Developing or revising a marketing/digital strategy or website
•    Complying with GDPR 
•    Pivoting activities, adapting to the new climate/diversification 
•    Strategic review of the business model 
•    Recruitment 

This is a non- exhaustive list.
 
Ineligible Expenditure
•    Wage subsidies 
•    Working capital 
•    Capital expenditure (anything which creates an asset)
•    General printing in large quantities 
•    Creation of a website for ‘business as usual’ purposes
•    Registration of patent, trademark or copyright for ‘business as usual’ purposes
•    Product registration for ‘business as usual’ purposes i.e. CE Marking 
•    On-going membership/renewal of membership to trade bodies/associations or professional accreditations
•    Gifts, spa costs, entertaining (e.g. client entertaining/bar bills)
•    Costs or sectors supported through other ERDF project grants i.e. linked to low carbon/energy efficiency/ implementation of Export plans/manufacturing sector/arts & creative sectors. 

This is a non-exhaustive list.

4.    Grant funding is available for 50% of eligible expenditure, minimum of £3,000 grant value, up to a maximum grant value of £5,000, as approved following submission of your application.
 
5.    Applications must be made on the official Get Growing 2 Grant application form.
 
6.    In line with European competition rules, beneficiary businesses will need to comply with State Aid rules and to sign a State Aid Declaration (included within the application form) covering the past 3 fiscal years. This will need to include all previous grants received from all sources.
 
7.    Once you receive confirmation of your grant offer, Grants must be claimed by 05 Sept 2023.

*Please ensure that the timescales are discussed with your Growth Account Manager before the application is completed.

If a claim has not been received by the agreed date, the offer of funding will be withdrawn.
 
8.    Upon completion of the work by the supplier chosen, you will be issued an invoice by them for the relevant amount owed. A copy of that invoice along with evidence of the payment being made by you (i.e. a full company bank statement) must be submitted to the Project.  Both the supplier invoice(s) and the bank statement must show your company name as per your Grant Application, and the bank statement must also show your account number and sort code, which should match the bank account details where you have indicated you would like your grant award to be paid.

Please note you are required to retain the original documents in line with ERDF document retention guidelines (please see point 16 below) and must be able to provide these within 2 working days of the project requesting them.
 
9.    Funding cannot be awarded as retrospective payment for goods or services confirmed or paid for before a formal offer of a grant has been received.

10.  Suppliers of goods and services paid for by the Get Growing 2 grant must be entirely independent from you as the Beneficiary Business. By signing these terms and conditions, you are confirming that there is no conflict of interest with the chosen supplier. If you are unsure whether a conflict of interest exists, it is strongly advised that you discuss this with your HGH Growth Account Manager before completing the application. If it is deemed that the relationship between you, the beneficiary business and the chosen supplier constitutes a conflict of interest, the application will be rejected.
    
    11.    Responsibility for payment of the supplier invoice rests entirely with you on the basis of the commercial transaction into which you have entered. No responsibility can or will be accepted by Get Growing 2 Project for any invoices that remain unpaid.
     
    12.    This grant is non-transferable. The value of the grant can only be paid to the company if all other terms and conditions of issue that are contained in the application form and accompanying documentation are met.
     
    13.    If, following the issue of a Grant Confirmation Letter, you decide not to utilise the funding, please send an email to admin@hertsgrowthhub.com or telephone the team on 01707 952777 to advise them so that the funding can be reallocated.
     
    14.    We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. We may share/check the information provided with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud. These bodies include: The Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; the Dept for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities; the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and other companies within the Exemplas Group. We may also obtain information from the above detailed bodies or share your information with them to ensure that the information provided is accurate.
     
    15.    The Get Growing 2 Project is funded through the Dept for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). By signing you permit the disclosure of your information to these bodies.
     
    16.    As a beneficiary of a European Regional Development Funding, you are required to adhere to the regulations which govern use of the funding including European Marketing and Publicity, Document Retention and Procurement regulations. Information on all of these can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-2014-to-2020-european-structural-and-investment-funds#programme-guidance-forms-publicity-and-performance-information.