Finance by region: South East England

These support schemes and networks are available in South East England:

• Climate Essentials for Basingstoke and Dean– Basingstoke and Dean council has partnered with Climate Essentials to offer local businesses, charities and social enterprises a year’s worth of one-to-one support to measure their carbon footprints, audit their operations and make realistic plans for reducing their emissions
• East Sussex Council free energy audits and grants gives SMEs up to £10,000 to invest in carbon reduction – must be located in East Sussex
• EMphasis3 CO2 Reductions Project gives SMEs up to 36% in matching funds to improve energy efficiency and commercialise green products
• Energy Efficiency Grants for East Sussex gives SMEs £200 to £1,000 in matching funds to improve energy efficiency – must be located in East Sussex, excluding Brighton and Hove
• Greentech South’s Low Carbon Solent gives free business support from postgraduate students at the universities of Portsmouth and Winchester
• Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) offers micro or small businesses (less than 50 employees and annual turnover under £8.5 million) in the rural areas of Tandridge, Guildford & Waverley can apply for a Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) grant. The minimum grant is £2,500 and the maximum grant is £50,000. Grants are up to 50% of the project costs. The programme is financed by Defra as part of the levelling up agenda via the district and borough councils. The objectives of the grants are to support rural development, jobs, growth and community enterprise.
• Test Valley Rural Net Zero Business Support programme: Test Valley Borough Council has been awarded funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The IncuHive Group Ltd have partnered with net zero experts Accelar to deliver the Rural Net Zero Business Support programme which is specifically intended for businesses seeking to implement greener solutions aimed at reducing their carbon footprint and improving their energy efficiencies. Grants can be used for capital investment, for example LED lighting, renewable energy systems, low carbon measures and energy efficient machinery. The maximum grant value is £3,750 and doesn’t need to be match funded, so can be used to completely cover a project of up to £3,750, or can be put towards the cost of a more expensive project.