You could get a grant of up to £4,000 to help fund your next marketing project!
If you’ve been thinking about investing in your marketing – a proper strategy, a clear plan, some outside expertise to help you work out what to focus on – but haven’t quite got there yet, this is for you!
The North of Tyne Business Support Fund (NoTBSF) is administered through NBSL and offers grants of up to £4,000 to eligible SMEs. Depending on where your business is based, you could access up to 50% funding towards external business support. And Gingerfizz Marketing is a Registered Provider, which means marketing strategy and planning support is something you can apply to have part-funded.
Here’s everything you need to know about the business grant, whether you qualify and how to use it.
What is the North of Tyne Business Support Fund?
The North of Tyne Business Support Fund is part-funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, delivered by NBSL through the North East Combined Authority. It’s designed to help SMEs access external expertise to support business growth and improvement, including marketing strategy and planning projects sit squarely within that.
Eligible businesses can access up to 50% funding towards projects costing between £3,000 and £8,000. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- A £3,000 project = up to £1,500 grant
- A £5,000 project = up to £2,500 grant
- An £8,000 project = up to £4,000 grant
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, your business needs to be a trading SME based in the North of Tyne Combined Authority area – that’s Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. The project must involve external expertise, be new activity (nothing you’ve already started or committed to financially), and help your business grow or become more resilient.
There are some additional eligibility criteria worth checking on the NBSL website, but if you’re a small or medium-sized service business and you’re planning to grow, it’s worth taking five minutes to look.
What could the funding cover?
As a Registered Provider with NBSL, the work I do with clients on marketing strategy and planning is eligible under the fund. That includes:
- A Marketing Audit: An honest, structured review of what you’re currently doing, what’s working, what isn’t, and where the gaps are. A useful starting point if you’re not sure where to begin.
- Marketing Strategy and Planning: Focused, intensive sessions that result in a written marketing strategy your business can actually follow. Clear priorities, a follow up plan and channel recommendations based on your specific situation.
- Marketing Coaching and Accountability: Ongoing strategic support for business owners and founders who want to keep moving in the right direction. Regular sessions, accountability and a sounding board when you need one.
These aren’t off-the-shelf packages. The work is tailored to each business, and the goal is always the same: to help you make better marketing decisions, more consistently, without it taking over your life.
How does the funding process work?
According to NBSL, the process is straightforward – you could have a decision on your application within a few weeks.
Here’s how it typically works:
- Check your eligibility on the NBSL website
- Submit your online grant application, including details about your business, the project and how it will help you grow
- Receive a decision – typically within a few weeks
- Sign your funding contract electronically
- Work with Gingerfizz Marketing begins
- Once the project is complete and paid, submit your claim evidence to NBSL – your grant is paid within 30 days
Important: Before you apply
Two things worth knowing before you get started:
The grant is retrospective. You’ll pay Gingerfizz Marketing first, complete the project, and then claim the funding back once everything is finished. You’ll need to be able to cashflow the full project cost upfront.
Do not start work or make any payments before your funding contract is signed. Any costs incurred before that point will not be eligible for the grant. If you’d like to talk through what a project might look like before you apply – what it would involve, what you’d get out of it, and whether the timing makes sense for you – I’m happy to have a no obligation chat about it, just get in touch.
Funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you think you qualify, it’s worth moving sooner rather than later!
Find out how to apply
Full details of the North of Tyne Business Support Fund, including eligibility criteria and the application form, are available on the NoTBSF overview page.
Or if you’d prefer to talk it through first, get in touch and we can go from there.