Additional restriction grants launch a second round

The Council has secured further funding from government to continue to support businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The funding will cover a further round of Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG) within which two new grant schemes are now available.

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, has said:

“We are pleased to have been able to make further progress with providing much needed support to businesses who have had a really hard time since lockdown began.

“Businesses need to ensure they meet all the conditions to apply and to submit their applications as soon as possible with all the requested evidence. Only one grant per business can be awarded and businesses can only access one scheme.”

ARG Discretionary Restart Fund- a sector specific one-off grant of £5,000 through the ARG Discretionary Restart Fund. To qualify, you can be any sized business, but will need to operate in one of the following business sectors*

• Non-essential retail
• Hospitality
• Accommodation
• Leisure
• Gym and sports
• Personal care

ARG Business Recovery Scheme- designed to provide Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs*) with grant funding of between £5,000 - £50,000 towards projects which will drive business recovery and safeguard existing jobs. Established SMEs within any sector that have been actively trading (3 months actual sales and income) for a minimum of the last 3 months and seeking to implement a recover plan, can apply.

All grants are subject to applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and applications will be assessed on a first come/first served basis and subject to availability of funds.

Businesses wishing to apply for a grant will need to have a BRUM account set up.

Notes to editors

Applying for the grants:

• Businesses need to register for a BRUM account to apply for a grant, or Create an account if they don't already have one.
• Businesses can claim one grant per business and should complete a separate form for each business.
• Businesses cannot receive more than one grant per business, even if they have multiple premises.

ARG Discretionary Restart Fund

If businesses did not qualify for a Restart Grant, then they may be eligible for a sector specific one-off grant of £5,000 through the ARG Discretionary Restart Fund.

To qualify, you can be any sized business, but will need to operate in one of the following business sectors*

• Non-essential retail
• Hospitality
• Accommodation
• Leisure
• Gym and sports
• Personal care

and meet the eligibility criteria.

ARG Business Recovery Scheme

• This scheme is designed to provide Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs*) with grant funding of between £5,000 - £50,000 towards projects which will drive business recovery and safeguard existing jobs.
• Established SMEs within any sector that have been actively trading (3 months actual sales and income) for a minimum of the last 3 months and seeking to implement a recover plan, can apply.
• Businesses will have to obtain approval prior to commencing their projects, which will need to be financially completed within 3 months from the date the application is approved, including spend, defrayal and claiming the grant. Priority will be given to investment-ready projects that can be completed within this period.