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- Business Tees Valley
- Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) specific support
Business Tees Valley
Made Smarter Adoption North East
Made Smarter Adoption North East can help your manufacturing business become more efficient, more productive and more competitive by investing in digital tools.
The support available includes:
- Hands on help to develop a digital roadmap for your business – wherever you’re at on your digital journey.
- Access specialist training and workshops on digital transformation, road mapping, process mapping, leadership development and industrial cyber security.
- Grants of up to *£3,500 to access expert technical advice.
- Grants of up to *£20,000 to help you purchase and implement new software and/ or equipment.
*Grants are subject to availability upon completion of the three programme workshops
Made Smarter Adoption North East is backed by world-renowned businesses and the UK government. It aims to drive growth amongst the region’s manufacturing businesses and advance the UK economy by improving the development and adoption of emerging technologies. The North East Growth Hub and Tees Valley Business are working with Made Smarter to deliver Made Smarter Adoption in the North East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas.
This support is only available for small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses.
For more information and to sign-up, please visit the Tees Valley Combined Authority webpage here.
Key information
Available? Now
Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? No
Eligible location: Tees Valley
Award available:
- up to *£3,500 to access expert technical advice.
- up to *£20,000 to help you purchase and implement new software and/ or equipment (up to 50% of the overall cost)
Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) specific support
Dogger Bank Operator Fund
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world once constructed, capable of powering up to 6 million homes once fully operational. As part of this project, Dogger Bank Wind Farm has made available a small operators fund to provide grants of up to £1,000 to community projects near their construction and operation bases.
What type of projects can this fund support:
Community-focused or charitable activities which:
- enhance quality of life for local residents;
- contribute to vibrant, healthy, successful and sustainable communities; and/or
- promote community spirit and encourage community activity
For more information and to apply, click here.
Key Information
Available: Now
Eligibility:
Deliver activities in Redcar and Cleveland.*
Have a constitution.
Have an annual turnover below £100,000.
*Priority will be given to activities close to the wind farm sites: Redcar and Cleveland – TS10 4FX.
Award: up to £1,000
Enovert Community Trust
Enovert Community Trust (formerly Cory Environmental Trust in Britain) is an environmental body which supports community and environmental projects within 10 miles of Enovert’s site on Teesworks (TS6 6UG). The Trust is committed to supporting community and environmental projects across the UK.
Example of what type of projects can this fund support?
- Improving community halls
- the creation of new play areas and skate parks
- restoring green spaces.
Five project criteria
In line with the Landfill Tax Regulations, Enovert Community Trust is able to support projects under the following categories, so please make sure that your project complies with one of the following objects:
- Opening up access for the public to an area of land that has been closed or partially closed up to now.
- Cleaning up land that has been polluted because of now ceased activity.
- Helping to improve, protect, provide and/or maintain land or a building as a public amenity.
- Protecting the environment, and conserving or promoting biological diversity.
- Helping to preserve, maintain, restore and/or repair a religious building or one of historical or architectural interest.
For more information about the Enovert Community Trust and it’s grants, please visit their website here.
Key Information
Available: Now
Eligibility:
Based within 10 miles of Enovert’s site on Teesworks (TS6 6UG)
Non-profit distributing: You don’t need to be a charity, but any surplus you make must be used to further your organisation’s objects. Surplus must not be used to pay dividends or other rewards. If you are a sporting organisation you must be CASC registered or a limited company or registered charity. If you are a sporting organisation you must be CASC registered or a limited company or registered charity.
Available to the general public: Your facility must be available to the general public as much as possible, and no less than four evenings or two days a week, or for more than 104 days in any one year.
Award: up to £50k*
*the Trust requires 10%
independent 3rd party funding
Woodsmith Foundation
Community Grants
The Woodsmith Foundation is keen to support a wide range of organisations across the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, the Borough of Scarborough and the North York Moors National Park to deliver projects that will do good things in their communities.
Example of what type of projects can these grants support:
- Increase opportunities for better life chances.
- Encourage positive changes by improving lives and places, or tackling issues that negatively impact on local people.
- Bring people together and enrich lives by ensuring there are local spaces, resources and activities that provide pleasure, learning, or community action.
Upper limits of funding available
The Community Grants are popular so they have separated the funding available into 3 upper limits, with clear and specific categories based upon what they know is needed from past grant rounds. Priority will be given to projects that support people most at disadvantage due to unfavourable circumstances or facing barriers that lead to inequality.
For more information about the Woodsmith Foundation Community Grants and to apply, please visit their website by clicking here.
Key Information
Available: Now
Eligibility:
- Local, voluntary groups that are constituted.
- Charities or Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) registered with the Charity Commission.
- Community Interest Companies (CICs) limited by guarantee and with at least two unrelated bank signatories and three unrelated Directors.
- Parish and Town Councils or Parish Meetings
- Faith organisations
- Schools or school parent led fundraising groups that are constituted voluntary groups.
- Companies limited by guarantee with charitable objectives MAY be considered.
Award: up to £10k revenue or capital costs.
Dormanstown Seed Fund
The Woodsmith Foundation is keen to help people grow ideas that bring people together and build upon the strong sense of community spirit and pride in Dormanstown. They have therefore set up a new Seed Fund Grant offer for this community. They will support a wide range of organisations and individuals to deliver projects that:
- Increase activities for residents
- Tackle local issues
- Help people come together to develop new ideas for Dormanstown.
This grant process is different to our other grant rounds as it begins at the inception of an idea and is worked through with an Community Connector. However, from the submission of an application form, they aim to inform you of a decision within one month.
For more information about the Woodsmith Foundation Dormanstown Seed Fund and to apply, please visit their website by clicking here.
Key Information
Available: Now
Eligibility:
- Organisations or individuals with a strong connection to Dormanstown.
Redcar Fund Seekers
Redcar Fund Seekers is a grant portal funded and provided in partnership by Tees Valley Rural Action and Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency.
Powered by IDOX GrantFinder, this grant portal gives you access to the widest possible range of national, regional, and local funds from national and local government to private trusts and charitable foundations and corporate sponsors.
By signing up for a free account you’ll be able to create easy, customised funding reports that makes sure that you receive opportunities that are tailored to your needs.
This grant portal is only available to Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, and will only display funding opportunities available to them.
Access to the Redcar Fund Seekers grant portal is available here.

