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Support for City Centre Events

A new grant scheme has launched to support businesses to host events in the city centre that will contribute to vibrancy, enhance community spirit and support the local economy.

Applications are invited under the following criteria:

  • For an award of £250, individual businesses organising an event for 10 attendees or more, additional to their regular daily offering or any regular events programming.
  • For an award of £750, collectives of two or more businesses organising a free-to-attend community event, additional to their regular daily offering.

We would also like to draw attention to a further offer of a one-time £500 grant, designed to encourage businesses to take part in the upcoming Spectra 2025 festival by “Spectrafying” their business. This is interpretive and we are open to suggestions with this, however, interested businesses should consider light-based displays, decorations and adornments to their premises for the duration of the festival. Our goal here is to further enhance the vibrancy of the city during this period, as well as offer support to local businesses in taking part, potentially with extended opening hours during the festival, allowing businesses to take advantage of the increased footfall during this period.

Spectra, Scotland's Festival of Light, runs from Thursday 6 February to Sunday 9 February 2025 and will see Aberdeen city centre filled with artwork, light installations, projections and thousands of visitors. For more information please visit www.spectrafestival.com

Before applying, please read the Application Guidance in full. If you have any questions, please contact the project team by emailing BusinessSupport@aberdeencity.gov.uk

You can find the application form below. Once complete, please email the form and all supporting documents (see the checklist in the Guidance and FAQs below) to BusinessSupport@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Applications will be accepted until 28 February 2025 or until such time as funding has been fully allocated. 

This grant scheme has been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
 
City Centre Support Grants Scheme Guidelines352.48 KB
City Centre Support Grant Scheme Application Form753.34 KB

Assessment of applications 

All complete applications received will be assessed and verified against the eligibility criteria by Aberdeen City Council. Incomplete applications may not be reviewed. 

Successful applicants will be informed by offer letter. All decisions will be made at the discretion of Aberdeen City Council and are subject to the availability of funds. 

The applicant may appeal an unsuccessful application up to 4 weeks after notification, by submitting a written request to appeal to BusinessSupport@aberdeencity.gov.uk. The application will then be reviewed by a second member of staff at Aberdeen City Council. 

Contact 

If you have any questions about the application form, guidance or eligibility, please contact BusinessSupport@aberdeencity.gov.uk 

Data Privacy Notice 

Find out more information on our data privacy notice. 

Frequently Asked Questions   

For an award of £250, individual businesses organising an event for 10 attendees or more, additional to their regular daily offering or any regular events programming. 

For an award of £750, collectives of two or more businesses organising a free-to-attend community event, additional to their regular daily offering. 

The following can apply for a city centre event grant: 

  • Sole trader, partnership or limited company, trading as a micro, small or medium enterprise (up to 250 employees) within the city centre; 
  • All business sectors excluding illegal businesses or those that may bring the Council into disrepute; 
  • UK residents and those granted 'leave to remain' in the UK are eligible for support. 
  • Where event is taking place within the city centre boundary (see map in Application Guidance). 

We are unable to award any grant payments to the following ineligible businesses: 

  • Any organisation where the business owner/director within the business has been disqualified as a director or business owner
  • The business owner/director within the business that has been on the AIB Register or Insolvencies 
  • Any organisation where the business owner/director has debts outstanding to Aberdeen City Council 

The one-off award can be used towards the following eligible costs: 

  • Licensing/traffic management/insurance costs/first aid 
  • Staging and PA/marquees and tents/temporary furniture or equipment hire 
  • Increased staffing costs
  • Event marketing and promotion costs 
  • Materials/increased stock (this will be discretionary)

We will not fund: 

  • Alcohol 
  • Illegal activity 
  • Anything that may bring the Council into disrepute. 

UKSPF guidance also restricts payments for activities of a party political or exclusively religious nature. 

You will need to provide the following: 

  • Completed application form 
  • Evidence of Trading - Business Bank Statement (showing at least one business related item paid in or out). Please note personal bank statements and details may only be accepted in exceptional circumstances for sole traders. 
  • Evidence of Registration - for limited companies, Companies House registration number, or for sole traders, a copy of your HMRC UTR letter. 

As a suggestion, events we would love to see in the city centre include food markets for local producers; craft workshops in unexpected locations; fashion shows; temporary art showcases; second hand swap shows; invited speaker nights....We can't wait to see your suggestions!

Events should be exciting and creative. Awards won't be given for regular programming (i.e. pub quiz nights, knit and natter sessions, etc). 

ABZ Seed Fund 

In partnership with Business Gateway, ABZWorks offers support to eligible individuals through business start-upn grants. You will find more information on the groups that ABZWorks can support via their webpage. You can find out more information on the groups that ABZWorks can support via their webpage. 

Business Start-Up Grant Scheme 

This fund supports start-up businesses by offering a grant of £1,000 to business start-ups or £3,000 to business start-ups taking on a premise or commercial space within Aberdeen city. 

Sole traders, Partnerships or Limited Companies who have set up within Aberdeen City Council boundary since 1 January 2024 can apply, with one grant per business permitted. Business applicants must be engaged with the Business Gateway service. 

Further information is available online. 

Learning Journey Support for SMEs 

This fund supports businesses connected to the Digital Tech, Tourism and Food and Drink sectors overcome the financial barriers associated with attending trade shows. 

A fund has been made available to provide grants of £500 to businesses seeking to attend UK-based events or £1,000 to those seeking to attend shows overseas. This funding can be used to support travel, accommodation, event tickets, or as a contribution to costs attributed to exhibiting at the event. 

Further information is available online. 

Union Street Empty Shops Grant Scheme 

This fund supports new or potential tenants of ground floor vacant units on Union Street to undertake internal renovation project works to enable reoccupation in line with the Union Street Empty Shops Action Plan. 

Further information is available online. 

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