Applications open today for the last round of grants up for grabs to help firms through the coronavirus crisis.

Gravesham council has already paid grants of almost £15 million to more than 1,200 organisations, and expects to dish out sums of between £2,000 and £10,000.

Businesses and charities which missed out on government support grants have a final opportunity to apply for a discretionary grant by Sunday, August 9.

The remaining grant pot is strictly limited, so applications will be prioritised to achieve maximum impact in terms of the size and number of grants made.

Gravesham council leader Cllr John Burden said: “Our small businesses and charitable organisations play a huge role in Gravesham’s success and we are determined to allocate these final grant monies, to benefit as many local organisations as we can with the funds that have been made available to us.

“To date, the council has already paid grants of almost £15 million to more than 1,200 organisations locally.”

The fund is being administered by Gravesham council to help those who were not eligible for the government’s Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Fund. Previous applicants will not be re-considered.

It is targeted at businesses and charities with ongoing fixed commercial property-related costs, which have experienced a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces such as sub-divided rural/industrial units;
• Regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment;
• Bed and Breakfasts which pay council tax instead of business rates;
• Charity property in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief;
• Businesses which missed out on the original grant scheme through a legitimate issue with their VOA status on March 11;
• Businesses which form part of the supply chain for the leisure, retail and hospitality sector;
• Creative sector businesses;
• Any other business with fixed commercial property-related costs, which can demonstrate a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis.

It is thought fixed grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 will be paid to successful applicants.

For more details and to apply visit www.gravesham.gov.uk/bizgrant

Applications open on today (Friday) and must be received, in full, by midnight on Sunday, August 9.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend