Free Business Support
Free business support to help your business develop and grow.
Match-funding schemes also available - see further down this page.
Free Virtual Events Training workshops hosted by Visit Herts
Did you know that 73% of corporate event organisers are looking for suppliers and venues who can host and deliver hybrid events? And almost 75% are prioritising sustainability over any other initiative in 2022? (source: IBTM Trend Watch Report for 2022)
Join Visit Herts for informative and collaborative workshops that will help your business to meet these growing trends.
Sustainable Events Workshop
To find out more on the importance of practising sustainability when hosting events, attend our Sustainable Events workshop on Tuesday 4th October 10.30am – 12.30pm via Zoom.
Community Wealth Building
Offering energy and environmental focused support to micro businesses and VCSEs*.
FREE 12-month membership with iiE (Investors in the Environment) accreditation scheme including access to the member portal and all digital resources. Limited to first 12 participants. Two free workshops to help you understand your environmental and energy impacts and network with other local micro and VCSE businesses.
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - Thursday 13th October 10am-12pm
- Understand how to conduct an initial environmental review
- Utilise tools to create an environmental policy
- Learn how to engage staff with your ambitions
- Discover the benefits if the iiE Scheme
EFFECTIVE ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Friday 21st October 10am -12pm
- Understand the importance of effective energy management
- Identify how best to measure and monitor energy use
- Identify quick wins to realise cost savings through energy efficiency
- Create a energy action plan
To find out more and sign up contact PECT at: info@pect.org.uk.
Those completing both workshops will also be offered a FREE 12-month membership with iiE (Investors in the Environment) accreditation scheme including access to the member portal and all digital resources. Limited to first 12 participants.
*To be eligible for support you must be based in Hertfordshire and either a micro business employing 10 or less people or a Voluntary, Community or Social Enterprise (VCSE)
Herts Healthy Workplaces
Join a NEW and FREE healthy workplace programme today
Hertfordshire County Council is working with small and medium sized businesses from the private and voluntary sectors to lead the way to healthier workplaces in Hertfordshire for everyone. Herts Healthy Workplace programme will address any health concerns in the workplace by offering personalised advice, support and training to help you make the changes you need for a healthier and happier workplace.
With 1 in 6 workers experiencing a mental health issue in the past week, is it time to check in with your employees’ health and wellbeing? Start from this October and get registered now.
Want to learn more? Drop into a free lunchtime webinar from 12:30pm to 1pm on 15th or 21st September
Stay Safe, Stay Open – free support on health and safety and grants for improved ventilation
Living and Working Safely with COVID-19
There is still time to apply to the Stay Safe, Stay Open programme and access funding to improve ventilation and take advantage of fully funded 1-2-1 sessions with industry experts. Delivered in partnership with Visit Herts, Better Business for All, Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Growth Hub, this package continues to offer support to employers.
Stay Safe, Stay Open helps employers to comply with legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment, and equality duties. This includes accessing funding of up to £5,000 to pay for ventilation specialists and consultation, also up to £20,000 grant funding for eligible businesses and projects to install mechanical ventilation.
For further information please contact the Stay Safe Stay Open Business Information Adviser, Mark Sandberg at Hertfordshire Growth Hub MarkS@hertsgrowthhub.com or visit the Herts Growth Hub news page.
Further information on funded support packages can be found at here:
- Hertfordshire County Council: FREE business support packages to help you thrive in a Covid world
- Better Business for All (BBfA): COVID-19 advice and support
Expansion of Help to Grow: Digital
More small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microbusinesses can now receive discounts worth up to £5,000 on approved software under an expansion of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme.
The scheme was previously only open to those businesses with more than five employees but businesses with 1 to 249 employees are now eligible. eCommerce software has also been added to the scheme, helping businesses to sell online and reach new markets. This includes helping them to manage their inventory, take payments and gather data and insights on customers’ needs. Businesses can now access 30 different solutions from 14 leading suppliers of eCommerce, Digital Accounting and CRM software. Additionally, Help to Grow: Digital will support one-to-one advice for SMEs on how best they can adopt digital technology. Councils are encouraged to share this information with businesses in their area. Scheme: https://www.learn-to-grow-your-business.service.gov.uk/
Match-funded grants
Grant schemes delivered through the Hertfordshire Growth Hub where you need to contribute towards the cost of the project.
Please note access to grant funding will be dependent upon the eligibility criteria for each of the schemes. To find out more, please register on the Hertfordshire Growth Hub Website. Once you have registered, you will be able to find more information on all the above schemes using GrantFinder - the Hertfordshire Growth Hub's online funding portal which you’ll find in the Knowledge Bank.
Alternatively you can email the Growth Hub at at enquires@hertsgrowthhub.com. Contact them Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 01707 398168
| Fund Name | Type of Funding | Purpose | Maximum Amount / Grant Percentage |
| Manufacturing Growth Programme | Revenue Grant | To support Hertfordshire Manufacturers (SMEs) to improve competitiveness and productivity | £1,860 (31%) Revenue Grant to support projects costing up to £6000.00 |
| Stay Safe Stay Open Ventilation Grant | Capital & Revenue Grant | To support Hertfordshire businesses to continue to trade safely by ensuring their premises have adequate ventilation. | Up to £5000 for consultancy Up to £20,000 installation of mechanical ventilation (100% grant) |
| Low Carbon Workspaces | Capital Grant | To support Projects which will result in a quantifiable reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions | £6,750 (45%) |
| Help to Grow:Digital | Capital Grant | Receive a discount towards the cost of buying one approved software in the Help to Grow: Digital scheme. | Up to 50% or £5000 (including VAT) |
| Hertfordshire Start-Up Programme (HSUP) | Revenue Grant | To support new start-ups Businesses must be signed up and receiving 12 hours of support under the programme before they can apply for the grant element. | £3,000 (50%) |
| ACMI 4.0 Programme | Capital Grant | To support manufacturers adopt and integrate Industry 4.0 technologies and design principles more effectively Businesses must be receiving 12 hours of support before a grant can be applied for. Funding for equipment and/or software. | £20,000 (40/60 match) |
Grow Through Sustainability - A FREE Climate Change Conference
Friday 11th February at The Fielder Centre, Hatfield
St Albans City and District Council teamed up with eight other local authorities to host a free event to help businesses across Hertfordshire save cash and cut carbon emissions.
The key theme of Growth Through Sustainability, funded by the Hertfordshire Health Protection Board, is "go greener, increase productivity and reduce costs".
Attendees were given information about funding streams available to help create low carbon workplaces. Planet Mark, which featured at Cop 26 in Glasgow with its Carbon Battle Bus, opened the event to explain more about the Roadmap to Zero, help dispel myths and explain the jargon behind terms such as carbon neutrality and net-zero. Other guest speakers gave details about the support networks and funding they obtained to help them develop sustainability plans; and shared their experiences, the challenges they faced and what they did to overcome them.
A recording of the event and the slides will be uploaded at a later date.