Whether your business has been running for a year and has been adversely affected by the pandemic or the effects of the pandemic have made you take a step back and focus on your business idea, the grant aims to support individuals during these uncertain times.   

South Yorkshire in particular was hit significantly by the pandemic, with a record high number of cases and high impact on businesses, and so our aim is to bring a glimpse of hope and optimism back to our community.   

We understand that there are many restrictions that come with starting a business during a pandemic but as highlighted by online business publication, Entrepreneur, “times of crisis, after all, drive creativity and innovation.” We believe that if you have a good idea, there is no time like the present to start your business, in fact the likes of Airbnb and Groupon started during a financial crisis.   

 Having worked with hundreds of new businesses, we will be providing the support necessary to get these 10 new businesses off the ground.  Nicky Birkinshaw, director at weSTARTcommunity highlights “This is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to set up their own business. Perhaps this is something you have always wanted to do but not sure how to go about it or possibly you have lost your job due to the pandemic. If you are keen to begin a new journey of entrepreneurship, we can help by providing the information, advice, and support to make it happen. We have many years business experience which we would like to share with you. Take that first step now by applying for the weSTARTcommunity  Grant.”  

 The grant will help setup and grow 10 qualifying business, providing the following:  

Business setup as a sole trader or ltd company   

2 hrs business support  

Professional branding and logo 

Business cards (x100)  

X1 social media banner 

1 page website  

1 year FREE website hosting 

FREE access to unlimited business resources 

Eligibility  

• Candidates and businesses must be based in the South Yorkshire region   
• Candidates must be currently unemployed, have recently been made redundant or have been adversely affected by Covid-19   
• Candidates must have a business idea or have been in business for less than 1 year   
• Candidate must be willing to provide weSTARTcommunity with a case study and short video discussing their business idea 

How to apply 

To learn more about the grant and to apply, click here.