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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

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  • Rural Social Enterprise Investment Scheme pilot - phase 2

    Topics:
    • Grants and Funding, 
    • Rural Development, 
    • Rural Development Grants

    The Rural Social Enterprise Investment Scheme is a pilot Scheme, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs which will provide a grant to established Social Enterprises to increase their capacity, potential profitability and sustainability whilst supporting those who live in rural areas.

    Grants of between £50,000 to £100,000 are available to Social Enterprises who meet the scheme qualifying criteria and are successful in a competitive process:

    • The Scheme will target established Rural Social Enterprises who have been trading for more than two years.
    • The project must be located in a rural area.

    A call for Expressions of Interest will close at 3pm on Monday 14 November 2022.

    Definition of a Rural Area

    For the purposes of this Scheme rural is defined as all those areas outside the statutory development limits of those towns with a population in excess of 5,000 inhabitants - Rural Definition Sheet.

    Online Pre-application Workshops

    Three online pre-application workshops have been arranged to provide detail on the scheme and the application process, weeks commencing 17th and 24th October 2022. It is recommended that anyone wishing to apply to the scheme should register to attend one of the webinars.

    Date

    Time

    How to Register

    Friday 21st October 2022

    1.00pm

    Information & Registration.

    Monday 24th October 2022

    7.00pm

    Information & Registration.

    Wednesday 26th October 2022

    7.00pm

    Information & Registration.

    There are 2 stages to the application process

    Stage 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI)

    You must complete an online EOI application. We will use the information you provide on the EOI to determine if the organisation and proposed project are eligible.

    Stage 2 – Full Application

    Only applicants whose project has been deemed eligible will be invited to submit a full application.

    Full information on who can apply, what is eligible, and how to apply is detailed in the Scheme Information document and EOI guidance document.

    You can access a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.

    If, after having read the information and guidance, you feel you are eligible to apply, then you should complete the online Expression of Interest form.

    If you have any difficulty accessing any of the above links please contact us at ruralsocialeconomy@daera-ni.gov.uk.

    Expressions of Interest must be completed online by 3pm on Monday 14th November 2022.

    Funding for these grants is limited and an eligibility process will apply. There is therefore no guarantee that your application will be successful.

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