The new €250m Restart Grant, which will give direct grant aid to micro and small businesses to help them with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures is now open for applications.
The Grant will be available to businesses with a turnover of less than €5m and employing 50 people or less, which were closed or impacted by at least a 25% reduction in turnover to 30th June 2020. It is a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers.
The grants will be equivalent to the rates bill of the business in 2019, with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000.
- Direct grant aid of between €2,000 minimum and €10,000 based on commercial rates bill from 2019.
- Scheme applies to small businesses with a turnover of under €5m and employing 50 people or less.
The Re-start Grant will give direct grant aid to micro and small businesses to help them with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures.
Subject to the qualifying criteria below, any business that has a commercially rateable premises can apply.
- International chain stores, i.e. a business that is a non-financially independent branch of a group of chain stores which is owned and managed by a single entity, are not eligible.
- Non-commercial organisations such as community and sporting premises are not eligible.
- Businesses that do not operate from rateable premises (tradesmen, service providers, etc) are not eligible.
President of Letterkenny Chamber, Jimmy Stafford, said:
“We welcome this Restart Grant and look forward to sharing it with our members once the application detail becomes clear. Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis members, especially those from the small and micro enterprise sectors have said that grant aid was needed to help them emerge and re-open. This fund, we hope, when linked with other supports put in place, including the 3 month waiver of commercial rates for businesses forced to close, will help small and micro enterprises re-start their operations and contribute to renewed economic activity.”
Processing of applications and payment of the Restart Grant will depend on the initial surge of applications but, as far as is feasible, will be prioritised according to scheduled re-opening dates in the national Roadmap.
Apply here for your grant : https://restartgrant.donegalcoco.ie/RESTART.aspx
Closing date for receipt of applications is 31 August 2020.
Please send queries to : restartgrant@donegalcoco.ie
