Funding and Support Resources
Local Advice, Support and Mentoring for Businesses
Changemaker Champions
Our Changemaker Champions can provide inspiration for innovation and share their stories with businesses who want to follow in their footsteps. Read their stories here.
Contact sustainability@sidmouth.gov.uk for more information.
East Devon District Council
Starting in Spring 2024, East Devon District Council will be providing specialist on-hand support to help your business or community organisation in reducing its carbon emissions, with training and help in writing Carbon Action Plans available. More details will appear here. Additional funding will be available from Autumn 2024 to support businesses with purchasing decarbonisation equipment.
Prosper from the Heart of the South West Growth Hub
Prosper, the new business support service for East Devon, Exeter, and Mid Devon, offers various support to SMEs, including personalised support for businesses looking to achieve net zero goals. You can contact them here.
South West Manufacturing Advisory Service (SWMAS)
Their programme “Make It Net Zero” offers fully funded support, including advice, to SMEs on their net zero journey. They have some grants to contribute to businesses’ costs of decarbonisation.
South West Water
SWW is pioneering a Save Every Drop initiative that helps businesses minimise their water use. This includes providing free technology to businesses.
It also has specialist advice for the food industry to improve the disposal of fats oil and grease, including site visits. A variety of resources are available.
Energy Saving Trust
The Energy Saving Trust is a not-for-profit organisation which provides advice, training and consultancy services to community organisations and businesses on energy efficiency, low carbon transport, and renewable energy generation.
Online Training
Online training can provide a great starting point for your sustainability journey and be a helpful resource to enthuse your staff and collaborators. Some excellent free resources are available; here are some of our favourites:
The SME Climate Hub has produced a seven-module online training course specifically designed for SMEs, helping businesses achieve net zero emissions in seven easy steps.
VisitEngland offers a range of online training resources for businesses wanting to improve their environmental sustainability, including webinar recordings.
VisitEngland has also designed a holistic toolkit for businesses, especially SMEs, wanting to improve their accessibility and inclusivity, including a wealth of resources to ensure that tourism experiences can be enjoyed by all.
Our delivery partner the Travel Foundation has produced this webinar to help East Devon businesses achieve their sustainable goals and improve their resilience. [link to webinar] You can also see further resources from the Travel Foundation here.
Self Help Web Based Resources
General
- The Carbon Footprint Calculator – measure your corporate emission footprint
- Visit Britain – Make Your Business Greener
- Visit Scotland – Create a Climate Action Plan https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/responsible-tourism/climate-action-plan
- The Carbon Trust – Resources for Small Business
- Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – Resources on Climate Action. This includes a handy spreadsheet you can use to begin to monitor and plan your sustainability journey.
- SME Climate Hub – How Your Business Can Start Taking Meaningful Action
- The UK Business Climate Hub invites businesses to make the SME Climate commitment and agree to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. They have a wealth of resources and how to guides on all areas relating to decarbonisation.
- Federation of Small Businesses resources
Energy and carbon
- The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism – tools and resources.
- SME Climate Hub Reporting Tool
- Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
- Hotel Energy Solutions calculator
- The Carbon Trust
- E-collective
Sustainability reporting
Waste management
Water management
Communicating your sustainability credentials and looking at accreditation and award schemes
- VisitEngland has produced a comprehensive step by step toolkit showing how you can market your sustainability
Grants and Financial Support
More and more businesses are convinced that making sustainable changes is good for their business and good for the environment and the community, but the cost of some decarbonisation measures and responsible improvements can be prohibitive. Here are a few ideas and resources about what financial support may be available to empower your business to take the next step forward.
Find a Grant
The UK Government’s “Find A Grant” service provides updated information on government grants available for businesses to make improvements
The UK business climate hub coalition has a great resource to enable businesses to find local funding and support.
Grants for Community Organisations
The Grants Resources Information Network provides a subscriber database detailing charitable grants, including those available for net zero projects and is probably most relevant to social enterprises and community organisations. For more information contact: info@grin.coop
Find a Loan
Many banks offer loans at favourable rates to businesses that are seeking to decarbonise. Ask your bank how they can help or speak to your accountant or financial advisor.
Tax and Financial Planning
Don’t forget that the costs of making decarbonisation improvements will often be deductible from your corporation tax as a capital allowance, and other government incentives may also be available. Speak to your accountant or financial adviser to find out more.
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