Local rural businesses encouraged to apply for development grants up to £7,500
Thursday 9 July 2026
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is encouraging rural micro-businesses in the Borough to apply for up to £7,500 of capital funding from the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme.
This grant scheme is part of the Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme funded by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Grant aid of between £500 and £7,500 is available for projects costing up to £30,000.
The Council is delivering the scheme for rural areas of Mid and East Antrim. Businesses wishing to apply must attend a pre-application workshop before sending an application. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Thursday 30 July 2026.
Remaining dates for the Microsoft Teams online workshops are:
- Wednesday 15 July at 1.00pm
- Tuesday 21 July at 6.00pm
- Thursday 23 July at 1.00pm.
Speaking about the programme, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordin said: “It is great news that another round of this funding scheme has been opened to support local businesses while tackling poverty within rural communities. We want to play our part in supporting businesses financially to sustain and grow through the local management of The Rural Business Development Grant Scheme.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to help smaller businesses enhance their offering or put into motion certain projects that were beyond their reach. If you’re a rural micro-business with a project in need of support, please get in touch and we will help you through the process.”
Eligible applications must be from existing micro-businesses with less than 10 full time employees. The total capital costs of the projects must be between £1,000 and £30,000. Through this scheme capital grants are capped at £7,500 and applicants must provide the remaining match funding for the project.
Stewart Morrow, owner of SDM Paintworks was a successful grant recipient from a past scheme. He used it to obtain a spray booth for his automotive spray-painting refinishing and body repair service.
Commenting on the benefits of the scheme, Stewart said: “The equipment I bought through the scheme has contributed to the growth of SDM Paintworks and ensures we always provide showroom condition vehicles to our customers. The spray booth provides a safe, well-ventilated area that not only reduces waste by removing the chance of over spraying a vehicle and speeding up the process.”
Mainstream agricultural activity is ineligible for support under the scheme. The minimum grant awarded will be £500. Examples of eligible expenditure include new capital equipment/machinery, computer equipment, computer software and e-commerce websites
For more advice about eligibility or to register to attend one of the mandatory workshops, please contact a member of the Council team by emailing rdp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or phone 028 2563 3266.
More information on the grants, including eligibility criteria and the application is available online at https://www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/rbg