Grant funding and advice are now available through Cumberland Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).
Grant funding and advice are available to SME businesses in all sectors, throughout the Cumberland Council area (i.e. the previous Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland areas), delivered by Cumbria Business Growth Hub, the Chamber’s business support arm, working in partnership with The Farmer Network.
Delivery runs until 20th February 2026. Grant spend must be completed and claimed by 31st January 2026 at the latest.
A summary of support on offer is included below. Full details and application instructions are available on the Cumbria Business Growth Hub website here: https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/grow-your-business/cumberland-grant-funding-and-advice
Capital grants (REPF funded)
Capital grants from £10,000 to £35,000 are available for the purchase of equipment/machinery (including green/low carbon), improvements to business premises, tourism heritage assets and farm diversification. All aimed at helping the business to grow, diversify, innovate and/or improve productivity. They can cover up to 50% of the cost of your project, up to the maximum grant limit. A total pot of £360,000 is on offer.
Advice vouchers (UKSPF funded)
Advice vouchers of £500 or £1,000 can be used with a consultant of your choice. No match funding is needed but you can choose to add more to enable more activity. They can be used for a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to) marketing, website, accountancy, legal, HR, planning, agricultural consultancy, sustainability (green/low carbon), and to help towards the costs of our mentoring and export consultancy programmes.
Revenue funding (UKSPF funded)
Grants of up to £5,000 can be used with a consultant of your choice. No match funding is needed but you can choose to add more to enable more activity. They can be used for a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to) marketing, website, accountancy, legal, HR, planning, sustainability (green/low carbon), and agricultural consultancy.
Business survival support (UKSPF funded)
Advice and support to businesses increasing survival rates will focus on providing one-to-one time with one of our business adviser team alongside a range of workshops/programmes covering areas including export; business essentials; business survival / planning; finance and funding; crisis cash management and credit control; leadership; market and customer reconnection and retention; cost control and efficiency; building business resilience including pivoting/diversification; supply chain – new opportunities (bidding/tendering) and cyber.
Farming workshops (UKSPF funded)
While all of the above is for any business (including farms), we also have a range of workshops specifically aimed at farmers. These are on various farming related topics and are delivered by The Farmer Network. More details and how to book coming soon.
Further information and how to apply
All details including eligibility criteria and forms are available on the Cumbria Business Growth Hub website via: https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/grow-your-business/cumberland-grant-funding-and-advice
Head of Business Support at Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Lesley Robinson said:
“We’re delighted to be delivering this much-needed funding to businesses across the Cumberland area. This scheme – supported by Cumberland Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund – builds on our successful delivery of similar grant schemes in previous years. It enables SMEs in all sectors to access a range of different funding options to suit their needs. We anticipate a strong response to this opportunity and are committed to supporting as many local businesses as possible.”
