Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA)

The Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA) project is delivered in Sheffield. It is supported and part funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The purpose of this scheme will be to provide grant funding to help new entrepreneurs and social enterprises develop and grow their businesses, offer new products and services, and create new employment opportunities.

To be eligible for the grant you must first register with the programme via the SSEN site here. You will need to be a trading organisation, with a business bank account and either registered as a business, sole trader, partnership, charity or CIC. We will support organisations that have been trading for less than 3 years and micro businesses (with less than 10 FTE employees) of any age based in Sheffield. 

How much can I apply for and what can I spend the money on?

The maximum amount of grant available per organisation is £1,000. If you have been trading for more than one year, you will need to source 50% match funding against your application, meaning the maximum project value can be £2,000.

The grant can be for goods and/or equipment, marketing or website activity, training and qualifications or research and development.

Please note that this is a 'draw-down' grant - i.e. if you are successful the grant will be paid to you after the work has completed. If cashflow means this is a potentially a problem, please note this on your application for consideration.

Please see the Guidance notes for further details.

How do I apply?

Register on the SSEN site to ascertain eligibility and to speak to a SSEN business advisor.  You are then welcome to complete the application form, linked below.

Once you have submitted your application, please email grants@sycf.org.uk with any accompanying quotes, and if you are new to SYCF, your latest set of accounts (or budget sheet), and a copy of a recent bank statement.

When can I apply?

Applications to this fund are now open. Please note that if successful, your project and grant money must be spent before the end of February 2025.

We aim to let you know if you have been successful within 6-8 weeks of receiving your eligible application.