How can I secure a hospitality grant?
Securing a hospitality grant for your business can be a great help. This past year (2020/21) the UK government has provided hardship grants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These were available to those in the hospitality, retail and leisure industries.
It has been a hard year for those in the hospitality industry and there is financial assistance available. However, there are other grants available to help those in the hospitality industry that are available year-round.
Hospitality Action
Hospitality Action offers hospitality grants to those who work in the hospitality industry in the UK. It was established in 1837 and has provided support and vital assistance for those in hospitality. They offer a whole range of support and advice including mental health, legal concerns, and debt advice.
What’s available?
Funding is available and can be used to cover the following:
- Debts
- White goods, furniture and flooring
- Medical (mobility scooters, profiling beds, recliner chairs etc.)
- Housing repairs
- Rent and/or deposit for a tenancy
- Funeral costs
Eligibility criteria
Hospitality Action offers financial assistance for hospitality grants for those who:
- Are currently working in the hospitality industry
- Have worked in the industry for five years +
- Have worked in the industry for one year within the last two years and have lost their job due to COVID-19
- Demonstrate that you are in financial need and have limited savings
- Have not been awarded a grant by Hospitality Action within the last two years.
How to apply
You can submit your application for a hospitality grant online via their Grants Portal on their website. To do this, you will need to download an application form and either complete it online, submit it by email or post. You will need to include:
- Proof of household income and savings
- Proof of your work history
- National insurance number
- Reason for application
- Payee details and quotes
- Declaration statement
It is also worth contacting your local council. They often have regional grants available for specific industries and locations, including hospitality grants. Each funder will require different information for your grant application. Whatever they require will be stated on the grant page and grant specification documents.
Tips to securing your next hospitality grant
-
Ask yourself are you eligible?
When you’re bidding for funding, you should ask yourself if you’re eligible before you begin. The eligibility criteria will be stated on the funding opportunity page. This will likely be online. A hospitality grant may have different eligibility requirements depending on the funder. You should check the funding opportunity page to see a funders definition of what they classify as hospitality.
Can you use the grant for what you need it for? Some may not allow you to use it for medical costs, others for education courses. There is no point in applying for a grant that you won’t be able to use on what you need. You can use a SWOT analysis to assess if it’s the right opportunity for you. A SWOT analysis will assess the:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities
- Threats
-
Be clear and concise
When applying for a hospitality grant you should be clear and concise. Your response should be clear using language that the funder will understand. Sometimes available grants are released by those not in the industry. Therefore, it’s best to clearly explain any industry-specific terms. Avoid overly technical jargon.
A well-articulated response that is thought through will win you points from the funder. It’s worth using bullet points and subheadings in your response. This will enable the funder to see that you’re answering every aspect of the question. If there are multiple points you need to cover in a question: break them down. Before you submit, you should double-check for any errors. if you’re struggling a funding writer can help optimise your success.
-
Have your accounts ready
If you’re applying for a hardship hospitality grant, you will need to have your accounts ready. A funder will ask for proof that you are experiencing financial hardship. This will include both your current account and any savings. It is best to have these at the ready with up-to-date copies that you can attach to your application.
They will also likely ask you to state if you’ve received any additional funding from other sources. Sometimes, this may mean you’re ineligible for other funding opportunities. However, this will be stated in the specification.
-
Proof of employment within the hospitality industry
When applying for a hospitality grant, the funder will likely ask for proof of your employment within the industry. Some may require you to have worked in the industry for a minimum number of years to be eligible. You may need to attach references and contact details of your employer in order for them to validate this. It’s best to have these to hand when applying for a grant.
-
Give yourself plenty of time
Grant applications can take a while to be processed. If you’re in desperate need of financial aid, it’s worth bearing this in mind. Some applications can take between 2 – 6 weeks, particularly with the recent impact of the pandemic. Therefore, it’s best to factor in this time when you’re applying for a hospitality grant.
Need help securing your next bid for funding?
Our Grant Writing Service is for businesses who want to start applying for grants, but don’t know where to begin. If you don’t have the resources or the time in-house to write a winning grant – we can help.
Our Grant Writing Consultants have over 60 years of experience in bidding for funding and grants. Whether it’s start-up business grants, council business grants, or grants for charities in the UK. They can take care of the whole thing for you – they’ll even submit it on your behalf.
Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow!
You can now access our Grant Tracker service which hosts all the latest grant opportunities in the UK from 1,500 data points. Opportunities are manually tracked, enabling for accurate keyword labelling, optimising your search for the perfect grant. This can help you optimise your search for grants for businesses.
You can sign up for free!
