FUNDING FINDER. Your guide to accessing our complete funding service

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1 FUNDING FINDER Your guide to accessing our complete funding service

2 Funding Finder is more than a database - it is a complete funding service This document has been put together as a complementary guide to help ensure that you are using the new online funding search tool to its full potential and capitalising on the funding opportunities and benefits available. Should you require help with any aspect of the funding toolkit and its resources, you can contact the Membership Team on: ; goodbusiness@hwchamber.co.uk. Contents Introduction Using Funder Finder Funding Search Funding News Introduction The new Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce funding toolkit has been integrated into the existing Chamber website to offer an enhanced service by providing you with free access to a tailored searchable database containing all funds relevant to your specific location, type of organisation or industry. As a gateway to such funding opportunities, the search facility is designed to help you source and maximise on the external funding available to you. It is presented in the format of an online, step-by-step questionnaire that provides you with: customised and comprehensive information on thousands of grants and other incentives, sourced from all relevant EU and Government sources, including Government departments, local authorities, charitable trusts and corporate sponsors; a system which is updated daily by a dedicated in-house team of researchers to ensure access to the very latest funding information; an easily navigable database; rapid identification of funding sources specific to your needs. The system works by asking you to enter specific criteria such as where you are based, what line of business you re in, what size organisation you are and for what the money is required. You are then presented with a list of the most relevant initiatives categorised according to whether they are grants, loans, awards, tax relief or part of a Government venture capital scheme. Combined with a funding news feature and authoritative articles and guides to help you put together key documents such as business plans and marketing strategies, you are presented with the tools and resources you need to help maximise your funding potential.

3 Using Funding Finder To access the funding toolkit and all of its resources, you will need to visit the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce site ( within our Business Support area. Once logged in, you will be presented with a search facility to begin finding the funds to suit your business needs.

4 Funding Search Clicking on the Search tab at the top or the Search for funding icon will bring up the funding search facility. This allows you to generate a list of applicable funding schemes by entering your own search criteria in the designated fields of industry, size and project field. All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are compulsory. You need to fill in the simple funding search form using the drop-down arrows to select the option most applicable to you from the drop-down menus. Additionally, if you know the name of a specific fund or have a specific theme or topic in mind whilst searching, you may find entering a Keyword useful. Try to avoid common phrases and generic terms such as equipment, Business, research and training whilst keyword searching as these are likely to bring up large numbers of results.

5 Clicking the Search Now button will bring up a list of applicable results for that search. At this point, you can also choose to Save Search by clicking on the button on the right-hand side and entering a search name. This will save the search criteria and all applicable results which will be stored and available to access in the Saved Searches tab. Saved searches can be edited or deleted at any time. If you select the alerts option at the time of saving the search, then whenever a scheme in that search is updated or a new one added, an notification will be sent informing you of such changes.

6 Returning to the Search Results page, you can scan the list of relevant funding programmes by viewing the scheme title, a brief synopsis and summary of key information such as the programme s funding body, next application deadline, status and maximum value of funding available. The search results can be ordered alphabetically or according to the deadline, best match, funding body, geographical scope (local, regional, national and European), purpose, user rating, maximum value, scheme type and status. If you are not sure whether a particular funding programme is relevant to your organisation and your funding needs, keep an eye on the Best Match gauge displayed to the right of each individual programme in the results grid. The gauge shows a percentage which has been calculated based on how closely each funding opportunity matches the criteria you entered during your search the higher the percentage, the better the match.

7 To view more details about any of the schemes, you simply need to click on the hyperlinked scheme title. This brings up a comprehensive overview of the funding programme, including: When it was last updated; Brief description; Fund value; Maximum and minimum grant values; Value notes; Extended description; Key submission dates/deadlines; Key criteria; Eligible expenditure; Match funding restrictions; Restrictions; Further information; Application procedure; Contact details; and Links to applicable guides and documents Scheme details can be saved, printed and used accordingly in order to help maximise your external funding opportunities. Word reports can also be created by selecting some or all of the scheme results. If you want to browse for financial opportunities according to whether they are awards, loans, grants or venture capital schemes then you can select one of the tabs on the top toolbar or the icons on the main screen to isolate all results to a type of scheme.

8 This visual and interactive feature will allow you to browse a vast amount of relevant funding information effectively, by breaking it down into manageable, easy to digest portions. Selecting one of the options brings up a collection of financial opportunities categorised under the different scheme types and breaks them down into different project areas e.g. Business Development, Energy Efficiency and Environment. Funding News The Latest News section lists all of the latest UK business funding announcements affecting the Herefordshire and Worcestershire area so that you are quickly aware when new schemes have been launched, new deadlines have been announced, important policy documents have been published and key statements have been made. This section is updated daily to ensure that all content is fresh and that key announcements affecting the sector are never missed. Clicking on any of the hyperlinked titles will open up the full news article complete with the news source.