Portishead Economic Development Fund

The Portishead Economic Development Fund offers ongoing grants to help local businesses grow, create jobs and support the economy in Portishead and Portbury.

The fund is managed by us and guided by a delivery board made up of Portishead Town Council and Together Portishead. The money comes from a planning agreement connected to the redevelopment of the former Severn Paper Mill site.

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must:

• be a business, start-up, sole trader, social enterprise or not-for-profit organisation based in Portishead or Portbury
• employ fewer than 50 full-time equivalent staff
• not be in financial difficulty or subject to insolvency proceedings
• not have exceeded the UK Subsidy Control threshold (£315,000 over a rolling three-year period)

Your legal status must be one of the following: 

• partnership
• private limited company
• company limited by guarantee
• unlimited company
• community interest company
• sole trader registered with HMRC
• public limited company
• limited liability partnership
• co-operative society

Levels

Applicants may apply for one of the following grant levels:

• small grants: £500 to £5,000
• standard grants: £5,000 to £10,000

Match funding is encouraged but not mandatory. Applications with match funding may be prioritised.

What can be funded

Eligible activities include:

• digital marketing and online presence
• equipment and technology upgrades
• shopfront and premises improvements
• business planning, mentoring and consultancy
• staff training and development
• innovation and new product/service development
• activities that create or safeguard jobs

What can't be funded

The following are not eligible for funding:

• general running costs
• retrospective costs
• repayment of debts or loans
• gifts, donations or hospitality
• legal or statutory costs
• land or property purchase
• domestic property improvements
• activities already funded by other public grants
• VAT (if recoverable)

Follow these steps to submit your application:

1. Read the grant guidance document

Before applying, please read the full guidance to understand eligibility, funding criteria, and the assessment process. You can access the document below.

2. Complete the application form

Fill in the grant application form, including:

• a project summary
• a detailed budget
• supporting documents (see Section 8 of the guidance)

3. Submit Your application

Applications are reviewed every four weeks in line with the Portishead Town Council's Community Matters & Town Assets Committee schedule. (see upcoming committee dates).

4. Review and assessment

Your application will be checked for eligibility and completeness.

Eligible applications are assessed by the delivery board via Portishead Town Council's Community Matters & Town Assets Committee, using the published scoring matrix.

You may be contacted for further information or clarification.

5. Decision and offer

If successful, you'll receive a grant offer letter outlining the terms and conditions.

The fund follows a rolling application process and is open initially until 24 June 2026. Funds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so early applications are encouraged, as once the pot is used up, the programme will close.

The grant process will be administered through the Portishead Town Council, Community Matters & Town Assets Committee. Fund governance is overseen by the delivery board comprising North Somerset Council, Portishead Town Council and Together Portishead.

Applications are reviewed every month in line with the Community Matters & Town Assets Committee meeting timescales.

Committee dates

All meetings will be in person at Folk Hall and online. They start at 7.30pm.

• Wednesday 17 December 2025, deadline Sunday 16 November 2025
• Wednesday 28 January 2026, deadline midday Monday 5 January 2026
• Wednesday 25 February 2026, deadline midday Monday 2 February 2026
• Wednesday 25 March 2026, deadline midday Monday 2 March 2026
• Wednesday 22 April 2026, deadline midday Monday 6 April 2026
• Wednesday 27 May 2026, deadline midday Monday 4 May 2026
• Wednesday 24 June 2026, deadline midday Monday 1 June 2026

Applications must be submitted by midday on the first Monday of each month to be considered at the committee meeting later that month.

Applications are scored against the following criteria:

• strategic fit
• benefit to business
• value for money
• deliverability
• outcomes and wider impact (for standard grants only)

Please see the scoring matrix below.

Section 8: Project outcomes and impact

Small grants (£500 to £5,000)

For small grants, a simple end-of-project report is required, for example, including photos, feedback, and a short narrative about the project.

Standard grants (£5,000 to £10,000)

For standard grants, you will need to indicate which outcomes (long-term project benefits) your project will deliver and provide targets. You will be required to evidence these as part of monitoring. Choose any of the outcomes (or suggest your own); a minimum of one outcome is required.

• jobs created (full-time equivalent)
• jobs safeguarded (full-time equivalent); permanent and paid jobs that were at risk of being lost within six months before support was provided and have been retained
• new products/services/training/technologies introduced
• business growth (turnover and productivity)
• premises improved
• other (please specify)

For each outcome selected, you will need to state your target and how you will evidence achievement.