Glasgow City Council recognises that reaching net zero and building resilience to climate change is a challenge for businesses. To help meet this, and to help address the challenge of rising energy costs, as part of its Green Deal, the city council is introducing a new Green Business Grant and a programme of targeted Green Business Support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The programme builds on national programmes to enable changes that will reduce the impact of the energy crisis whilst tackling climate change. It is part of Glasgow's Green Deal, a nine-year mission to transform the city's economy to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.
Green Business Grant
The grant is now open for applications for businesses with a postcode registered in Glasgow. It will close to new applications on 30 June 2023 or when budget is fully allocated (whichever is earlier). All projects must be completed by 31 December 2023.
What can the grant be used for?
The Grant can be used to fund anything that will help a business make progress towards net-zero carbon emissions and result in long-term sustained reductions in energy bills. Suggested uses include:
Improvements to building fabric and equipment such as:
Supporting the switch to active travel or Electric Vehicles:
Waste Minimisation, Recovery and Reprocessing:
Grant Eligibility
To be eligible for the grant, your business must meet the following criteria:
A full list of eligibility criteria is available here [239kb]. The final grant will be subject to specific Terms and Conditions set out in an individual grant award letter.
If you're unsure whether or not your business would be eligible, you can get in touch with us by emailing Business Growth.
The programme cannot support projects that have already started. Any outstanding debts to Glasgow City Council will be taken into consideration.
How to apply
Green Business Support
In addition to direct Grant support, Glasgow City Council is funding a range of programmes to assist SMEs with the transition to net zero carbon, a circular economy and climate resilience.
Step up to Net Zero:
This initiative supports Glasgow businesses reach net zero through the funding of four-month work placements to help take action towards net zero and circular goals.
Step Up to Net Zero can support businesses looking to explore their net zero opportunities; adopt circular economy principles; or work towards decarbonisation ambitions; whether the business is at the beginning of its sustainability journey; needing more direction to create change; or seeking guidance to break down barriers.
Businesses: to be eligible for Step Up to Net Zero, businesses must have a Glasgow City Council postcode, have the capacity to host a participant on placement for four months, and be willing to implement the recommendations set out in the Action Plan and support the placement participant in progressing the Action Plan.
Participants: the programme is open to people of any age however, the initiative is looking to support people from three key groups: those who are returning to the work environment; individuals who have recently graduated; those who are currently working but looking for a career change. Participants must have a Glasgow City Council postcode, not currently be in full time education and be able to commit between 16-25 hours per week to the role.
The support is delivered by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Glasgow City Council. The application process and further information can be found on the Circular Glasgow Website here https://www.circularglasgow.com/step-up-to-net-zero/.
Webinars
In addition to the one-to one support, the Business Growth team will be organising a programme of webinars and events to build knowledge and capacity of businesses. To find out more, you can sign up to the Business Growth newsletter here.
Alongside the mainstream support to SMEs, Glasgow City Council has also funded a pilot to develop SME support on resilience to the impacts of climate change. Working with sustainability charity Sniffer, this pilot will test a variety of approaches to identify those approaches which are most effective.
Sniffer
Sniffer will deliver four innovative pilot projects to test different approaches to providing climate resilience and adaptation support for SMEs in Glasgow.
The pilot projects are:
Other sources of support
The Green Business Support programme has been designed to complement existing national programmes. Further details on other sources of support is available here. [224kb]
Sustainable Glasgow Charter: all businesses participating in the Green Business Support programme are encouraged to sign up to the Sustainable Glasgow charter to contribute to the council's ambitions around net zero carbon and climate resilience. Find out more about the charter here.
Shared Prosperity Fund: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government's Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. Find out more here.