Rural Enterprise Scheme

England Rural Development Programme		Rural Enterprise Scheme
Location	National
Dates	Launch Date: April 2001 Deadline for applications: There is no deadline. The funding opportunity is part of the England Rural Development Plan (ERDP), which is set to run until 2006. The period for projects to take place is: Ongoing
Aims	Objective of the funding opportunity: The scheme provides assistance for projects that help to develop more sustainable, diversified and enterprising economies and communities. Its primary aim is to help farmers adapt to changing markets and develop new business opportunities. It also supports the adaptation and development of the rural economy.
	It aims to help the following client groups:
	Entrepreneurs
FRESA priorities	The funding opportunity fits with the following FRESA priorities:
	Top Priorities: Response to redundancies High Priorities: Sector Skills	Medium Priorities: Business investment Enterprise Innovation Access to learning and ICT
	More information on the FRESA The following labour market factsheets contain evidence to support bids for this funding: Response to redundancies
Eligibility	Eligible organisations: Farmers, other rural businesses and rural community groups. The final beneficiaries must be non-public sector organisations.
Accreditation	Organisations must have the following accreditation to bid: No accreditation is needed
Amount available	Funding available: £152 million has been allocated nationally for the period April 2001 to December 2006. Grant amounts vary depending on the commercial return to be made from the project, with projects divided into three bands. See page 5 of the Rural Enterprise Scheme Leaflet for details. Funding is available to help with project development.
Previous Bids	For details of activity funded by the England Rural Development Programme in 2001 see the ERDP Bulletin
Application	You will need the following documents to apply for this funding: Rural Enterprise Scheme Application Form Rural Enterprise Scheme Guidance notes ERDP Generic Application Form and related documents A selection of other useful documents can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/docs/default.htm
Contact	For further information contact:
	DEFRA (RDS) Block B Government Buildings Brooklands Avenue Cambridge CB2 2DR 01223 462727 enquiries.east@defra.gsi.gov.uk www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/res/default.htm
Weblinks	Other websites you may find useful: ERDP Homepage - http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/default.htm Rural Development Service - http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/rds/default.asp