Applications and Eligibility

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

The programme is offered on a fully funded basis to a cohort of 25 to 30 small business and social enterprise leaders from the North West. Successful applicants will most importantly have the desire and drive to grow their businesses, create local employment and have scalable business models. The programme is not intended for startup businesses, sole traders or businesses that are not seeking to grow.

Specific eligibility criteria to apply for 10,000 Small Businesses are as follows:

• The applicant to the programme must be the primary owner (or primary co-owner) of the business, or the most senior decision-maker if the business is not limited by shares.
• The business must have been operating for at least one year and will have between five and 40 employees, though applications will be considered from businesses with fewer or more employees that have exceptional growth potential and could benefit significantly from the programme.
• Social enterprise applicants must be commercially operated businesses (irrespective of legal structure) that seek to achieve their stated social purpose primarily through trading rather than through grant funding.
• The business must be scalable and capable of generating additional local employment.
• The applicant should not have extensive recent management education (e.g. MBA or equivalent).
• Preference will be given to those businesses operating in or on behalf of disadvantaged communities or regeneration areas.