Moray Digital Development Grant is NOW OPEN for applications!

The Moray Digital Development Grant is NOW OPEN for applications!

Funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, discretionary grants between £750 and £5,000 are available for 75% of eligible expenditure.

Aim
The aim of the Digital Grant, accessed through Business Gateway Moray, is to support small businesses located and operating within the Moray Council area. This will provide financial support to assist them with the development and implementation of new digital systems which will improve business performance and enable growth. A discretionary grant of 75% towards eligible expenditure is available. The maximum grant amount is £5,000 (minimum of £750) and limited to one grant per business.

What is Available?
Grant support of 75% of project costs towards introducing new digital capabilities to a business to achieve the following business outcomes:
-Reducing (non-staff) operational costs
- Increasing profit margin
- Moving business online
- Improving market share
- Increasing revenues
- Improving cyber security
- Enable employment to be safeguarded or increased
Applications must clearly demonstrate how the digital project will improve performance and safeguard or increase employment.

Am I Eligible?
Below is a summary of eligibility criteria for applicants:
- Business is based and trading in Moray
- Business has been trading for a minimum of 6 months i.e. receiving sales and is not considering administration, bankruptcy, liquidation or similar
- Business has fewer than 10 FTE employees
- Community groups, not for profit organisations, voluntary or charitable organisations are not eligible to apply
- Applicant/business has no personal or business debt to Moray Council e.g. Council Tax or Business rate arrears
- Project complies with eligible expenditure as detailed on guidance notes
- Must have a bank account which shows business transactions
- Business has access to sufficient funds to cover cost of project as the grant is paid retrospectively

What Can I Use the Fund For?
- Digital skills: Enhancing digital skills of workforce necessitating external training including online courses, workshops, and certification programmes
- E-Commerce: Development of e-commerce platforms, online booking systems, and payment gateways
- Digital Tools: Purchase of software solutions such as customer relationship management (CRM)
systems, or project management tools
- Hardware: Purchase of necessary hardware such as computers, tablets, or point-of-sale (POS)
systems, provided they directly contribute to the digital project
- App Development: Developing an app for service or sales (through an external contractor)
- Website Development: Building or re-development of websites incorporating interactive functionality

Ineligible expenditure (for the grant element of the project) is classed as:
- Initiatives which reduce employment in the business
- Renewal of existing product or software licences, or minor updates to existing products (e.g. a software version update)
- Statutory costs, property development or the purchase of stock
- Any paid for advertising costs (e.g. paid for social media advertising)
- Software or hardware rental or annual charges for platforms, hosting or online content management
- Hardware that is a replacement to existing hardware i.e. through wear and tear
- Consumable items (i.e. toner/ink printer cartridges)
- Products acquired through a third party not licensed to the applicant for its own use
- Retrospective funding for projects already completed or underway
- Non-digital related costs that do not directly contribute to the project’s digital focus

How to Apply:
Contact Business Gateway Moray
- Email business.gateway@moray.gov.uk with your name, business name and address and include a short description of your proposal
- If you are considered eligible an application form will be sent to you to complete and return

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 27 September 2024 following which all applications will be scored according to the above criteria and applicants will be notified of the outcome by the end of October 2024. No money should be spent until an application has been approved and an official letter of offer provided.

Grant Conditions
- Use of funds: grant funds must be used solely for the approved project as described in the application
- Project completion: the project must be completed within three months from the date of grant approval.
All grants must be spent and claimed by the end of January 2025
- Reporting: grant recipients must submit a final report upon project completion, including evidence of expenditure and outcomes achieved
- Compliance: recipients must comply with all terms and conditions set out in the grant offer letter
- Payments: All payments for approved expenditure must be made through the business bank account and supported by invoices from suppliers. The grant is paid after these payments have been made.

For all details and eligibility criteria click here