Wales Economic Growth Fund & Other SME Funding

The Economic Growth Fund is a non-repayable grant aimed at providing short-term assistance to businesses in Wales. The £15 million Economic Growth Fund is a short term, fast track fund for business, providing immediate access to capital funding for investments that will create and retain jobs. Grants are not repayable or restricted to any specific sectors. Any offers will be time limited to ensure that all grants are taken up and spent before the end of December 2012.

The Wales Economic Growth Fund will :

• stimulate economic growth by providing capital support to projects delivering job creation, retention and additional investment;
• create up to 1000 jobs and retain many others;
• assist more than 100 businesses across Wales;
• be delivered as quickly as possible to maximise the benefits to the Welsh economy in 2012.

The fund is available to applications from businesses in Wales.

The fund is a time-limited offer with applications invited between 12 December 2011 and 31 January 2012.

Application forms and guidance can be requested in the following ways:
Phone: 03000 6 03000  Website: www.business.wales.gov.uk/growthfund

Also the new Wales £40 million SME Investment Fund will complement the existing European-funded JEREMIE Fund, and will ensure that more SMEs, including those who sell their goods and services to consumers rather than businesses, are eligible for repayable capital investment from Finance Wales.  This Fund should be fully operational by March 2012. Again, more information and advice will be available closer to the time on 03000 603000, at www.business.wales.gov.uk.