COVID-19 support and financial assistance for businesses and communities

Support from the Scottish and UK Government

The Find Business Support website is being updated daily with information on funding and guidance from Government so please remember to check it regularly and sign-up for the email bulletins.  

Funds and support available​

• New 07 July: Self-Employment Income Support Scheme for Childcare/Nursery, Creative, Food and drink, Other sectors, Third Sector, Tourism. If you're self-employed or a member of a partnership and have been affected by the COVID-19, you may be eligible to apply for a taxable grant covering the period from 01 May 2021 to 30 September 2021. The amount of this grant will be determined by how much your business turnover has been reduced.
• New 01 July: SGF Go Local Grant Fund Now Open Applications are now being sought from independent and multi-site convenience retailers in Scotland for the match funded Go Local grant, worth up to £5,500 per store, including marketing costs. The fund aims to support convenience stores throughout Scotland to provide dedicated, long term display space for locally sourced Scottish products, with a bias towards fresh and healthy, coupled with enhanced consumer engagement. Those that took part in the initial pilot saw a 40% increase in sales of local products and delivered additional local economic benefits in excess of £157,000 per store. The application process opened on 01 July and will close on 31 August 2021 (depending on the number of applications received, the window may be extended).
• Updated 30 June: Business Rates Relief The Scottish Government has introduced extra rates relief discounts to help owners of certain non-domestic properties, including businesses, deal with the impact of coronavirus.

  The discounts include:

  • 1.6% relief on all non-domestic properties in Scotland
  • 100% rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses
  • 100% rates relief for certain businesses in the aviation industry
  • Small Business Bonus Scheme 
  • Payment deferral
  • Support for water bills

  The 1.6% rates relief was available to non-domestic properties from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. This would have been applied automatically to your bill.

• Updated 29 June: Local Authority Discretionary Fund A £120m fund distributed by local authorities across Scotland to help with the short-term financial challenges being experienced by businesses. The fund was doubled from its original £60m to £120m as of 10 February 2021 to allow councils to respond further to local economic pressures.
• Updated 28 June: Temporary reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and hotel accommodation and attractions The UK Government is allowing VAT-registered businesses to apply a temporary reduced rate of VAT of 5% to certain products and services relating to:
  • hospitality
  • hotel and holiday accommodation
  • admissions to certain attractions

  The temporary reduced rate of 5% has been extended, and will now apply to transactions between 15 July 2020 and 30 September 2021. From 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022, a VAT rate of 12.5% will apply.

• Updated 24 June: Claim for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Claim for some of your employee’s wages if you have put them on furlough or flexible furlough because of COVID-19. The Scheme has been extended until 30 September 2021. From 01 July 2021, the government will pay 70% of wages up to a maximum cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee is on furlough.
• New 16 June: Sustainable economic recovery Support for people to upskill and retrain. An initial 25 projects designed to help meet skills needs in a range of sectors will receive a share of up to £20 million as part of the second phase of the National Transition Training Fund. The fund is open to those aged 25 or over who are unemployed or who are at risk of redundancy, require upskilling or retraining. Information on how to access the wide range of skills and employment support available can be found at My World of Work.
• 01 June: VisitScotland Destination and Sector Marketing Fund This £3 million fund is open to applications from destination and sectoral groups across Scotland. The Fund will operate across three tiers. 

  Tier one is now closed: City Region Award Programme 
  Awards between £50,000 - £100,000 
  Applications closed at 3pm 29 June 2021. 

  Tier two: Pan-Scotland Sector Groups & Regional Destination Organisations 
  Awards between £40,000 - £80,000
  Applications close at 3pm 13 July 2021 

  Tier three: Local Destination Organisations, Marketing Groups & non-Pan-Scotland Sector Groups 
  Awards between £10,000 - £20,000 
  Applications close at 3pm 23 July
  
  Please see the guidance document for full details on eligibility requirements for each tier and apply on VisitScotland's website.

• 03 May: The Market and Festival Attendance Fund is being delivered through Screen Scotland. During this period of COVID-related restrictions on travel, the Market and Festivals Fund will only be open for writers, directors and producers taking part in online events. Whilst this means that costs for travel and accommodation cannot be included in an application, costs such as accreditation and access costs including childcare are eligible. 
  
  There are no deadlines, however, decisions will take up to four weeks from the date your application is received. 
  
  
• 28 April: Self Isolation Support Grants available for low-income workers in Scotland who must self-isolate. 
• Updated 26 April: Marine Fund Scotland is open for applications. If you previously submitted an expression of interest, you will receive a response. This fund supports investments and jobs in seafood sectors, the marine environment and coastal communities in Scotland. It replaces the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) following the UK’s exit from the EU. 
• Updated 14 April: Deferral of VAT payments due to COVID-19 Find out how to pay VAT payments deferred between 20 March and 30 June 2020. You can pay now or join the VAT deferral new payment scheme.
• Updated 05 April: Business Rates Relief The Scottish Government has introduced extra rates relief discounts to help owners of non-domestic properties, including businesses, deal with the impact of COVID-19. The rates relief is available to non-domestic properties from 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. Retail, hospitality, leisure and aviation businesses will have their relief extended for at least an additional three months.
• Updated 25 March: COVID-19 Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund If you are a licensed taxi or private hire driver experiencing financial challenge as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) you may be eligible to receive a one-off grant of £1,500. If you are eligible for a grant your local authority will get in touch with you, starting from week commencing 18 January 2021.  You do not need to contact them.
• 23 March: Scotland's Creative Digital Initiative is a new £1 million digital support programme for creative and cultural businesses. It's been established to provide support to creative and cultural businesses to help them develop their digital capabilities in response to the limitations imposed by Covid-19. Focused on the needs of SMES and micro-businesses, it builds on some existing programmes of support as well as providing grants to enable organisations and businesses to invest in skills and resources. 
• New 15 March: Support for recruiting and training employees If you are 25 and over and are facing redundancy or are unemployed, you can get training for industry recognised qualifications. The National Transition Training Fund will help you train in areas of expected growth such as sustainable green jobs.
• New 11 March: Connecting Scotland is a collaboration between Scottish Government, Local Government and the Third Sector, with SCVO as lead delivery partner, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides data, training, support and devices, so that the most vulnerable and digitally excluded people can access services and support and connect with friends and family.
• Updated 05 March: Recovery Loan Scheme is now open until 31 December 2021. This scheme ensures that businesses of any size can continue to access loans and other kinds of finance up to £10 million per business once the existing COVID-19 loan schemes close. 
• Updated 03 March: VAT Reduced rate for hospitality, holiday accommodation and attractions If you’re a VAT registered business, check if you can temporarily reduce the rate of VAT on supplies relating to hospitality, accommodation, or admission to certain attractions.
• 03 March: Association of Independent Music Immediate Access Crisis Fund The AIM Immediate Access Crisis Fund provides hardship payments of up to £1,000 to freelancers and contractors in the independent music industry whose income has been severely affected due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
• 01 February: Flexible Workforce Development Fund Scottish SMEs can benefit from up to £5000 of online training to upskill and reskill their workforce through a new programme launched by The Open University in Scotland. Businesses are advised to make an application as soon as possible, as access to the fund will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Training contract will be agreed by July 2021 and will be delivered by March 2022.
• Updated 01 February: Small Business Bonus Scheme was developed by the Scottish Government. It provides rates relief to help owners of non-domestic properties, including businesses, deal with the impact of COVID-19. You are eligible if the combined rateable value of all your business properties is £35,000 or less; and, the rateable value of individual premises is £18,000 or less. Relief rates vary depending on the rateable value.
• 22 January: Creative Scotland Covid 19 Resource Directory To help members of Scotland's creative community who have been affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Creative Scotland have put together an A-Z list of relevant funding opportunities and other resources.
• 21 January: Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme If you are a small or medium sized business, you may be entitled to reclaim the costs of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for sickness absence due to Covid-19. The repayment will cover up to 2 weeks SSP starting from the first qualifying day of sickness, if an employee is unable to work.
• 18 January: Musicians Union Coronavirus Hardship fund The Musicians' Union is offering grants of up to £200 from their £1 million Coronavirus Hardship Fund for members who are experiencing genuine and pressing hardship as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
• 15 January: Supreme Court Judgment in Covid-19 Insurance Claims The Supreme Court has issued a judgement on Friday 15 January which determines that business interruption claims arising out of COVID-19 will, subject to policy wording, be valid claims under relevant contracts of insurance. If you think you may be covered by such insurance now is the time to review your insurance policy and to make contact with your insurers about a claim. 
• Updated 04 December: Nursery rate relief extended until 2023 Qualifying day nurseries will continue to benefit from 100% relief on non-domestic rates until at least June 2023.
• 13 October: Funding increase for businesses through Adopt an Apprentice Payments for employers recruiting apprentices who have lost their jobs is being increased from £2,000 to £5,000 through the Scottish Government’s Adopt an Apprentice programme.  
• 25 September: Scottish Veterans Fund opens the £200,000 Scottish Veterans Fund is now open for bids from projects that improve the lives of former service personnel and their families. The 2020/21 fund, supported by the Scottish Government and Standard Life Aberdeen, will also consider projects that recognise the impact of COVID-19.
• 21 August: Redundancy support – PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) is the Scottish Government's national strategic partnership framework for responding to redundancy situations. Free support and advice is available through Skills Development Scotland to help minimise the impact for people and businesses facing redundancy.

Closed funds  

Sources of funding made available during the COVID-19 pandemic which have now closed can be viewed here. 

Financial support for communities and the third sector

Find out what's available in our communities and third sector funding pages. 

Third sector and community funds