Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) Business Support

The Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) will provide support in the form of cash grants for businesses, social enterprises and charities and associated supply chain businesses that have experienced / will continue to experience a material negative impact as a result of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

The grants will help meet operating costs (excluding staff wages) for the period 1 July 2021 to 31 of August 2021 directly impacted by the restrictions in place from the beginning of the period.

What is available? 

A grant is available for businesses based on the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff they employ as of the 1 May 2021. This is the number of full time jobs within your organisation. A full-time job is one of 30 hours or more per week; a part-time job is one of at least 15 hours per week; two part-time jobs count as one full-time equivalent job. We do not accept zero hour contracts as eligible permanent jobs.

The FTE figure can include the owners which may be taking drawings etc., however any employees must be paid through PAYE. Seasonal posts should be treated as year round staff as long as they are employed annually.

Sole traders without a property impacted by more than 60% impact on turnover
Number of FTEGrant amount
1  £1,000
Fixed grants available for businesses with more than 60% impact on turnover as a result of closure and restrictions
Number of FTEGrant amount
1 to 3  £2,500
4 to 9  £5,000
Businesses with more than 60% impact on Turnover as a direct result of ongoing restrictions since 1st of May and were unable to open indoors before the 17th May 2021
Number of FTEGrant amount
1 to 3  £2,500
4 to 9  £5,000
Grants available for dedicated event space and attractions with more than 60% impact on turnover
Number of FTEGrant amount
1 to 3  £3,500
4 to 9  £7,000
Fixed grants available for Businesses forced to close throughout July and August 2021
Number of FTEGrant amount
1 to 3  £5,000
4 to 9  £10,000

Eligibility for the grant

Businesses that meet the following criteria may be eligible for the grant:

  • Business was trading prior to the 4th of December 2020
  • Businesses must be operating in Wales

Businesses must have one or more of the following:

  • HMRC Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) Number
  • VAT Registration Number or a VAT exemption certificate (if applicable)
  • Company Registration Number (if applicable)
  • Hackney carriage license number or private minicab licence number (if applicable)

Businesses must meet one of the following:

  • Business has been / will be forced to remain closed by on-going restrictions between 1 July 2021 and 31 August 2021 and has experienced a drop in turnover of more than 60% in the period as a direct result of the continuing restrictions
  • Business is a dedicated event space or attraction severely impacted by ongoing social distancing regulations and has experienced a drop in turnover of  more than 60% in the period as a direct result of the continuing restrictions
  • Other business with more than 60% impact on Turnover as a direct result of ongoing restrictions since 1st of May and were unable to open indoors before the 17th May 2021
  • Be a supply chain business that generates 60% or more of its sales revenue from businesses falling into the 3 categories above and has experienced a drop in turnover of more than 60% in the period
  • Limited company with a turnover of between £10,000 and £85,000
  • Sole traders / partnerships with a turnover less than £85,000
  • The business must be your main source of income (more than 50%)
  • Supported businesses must aim to maintain employment for 12 months
  • Only one application per business (where there are multiple premises under 1 business they should be combined into a single application)
  • Businesses should be actively trading up to the 4th December when the new restrictions were introduced in Wales and may be required to provide evidence to demonstrate this
  • If you have received funding in the last 12 months which exceed 100% of your turnover in the 2019 financial year, you should not apply for this fund.

Who is not eligible for this grant

You are not eligible for this grant if:

  • The business generates less than 50% of your income if you are a sole trader or partnership. The business must be your main source of income.
  • Your turnover has not reduced by at least 60% compared to the July/ August period in 2019 or an equivalent trading period if you started after that date
  • You are eligible for support from the Cultural Recovery Fund - Freelancer Support (launched on 17 May 2021).
  • You have received funding for costs for the same time period from funds such as the “Be Active Wales Fund” or the “Communities Resilience Fund”.

How to apply

Applying for the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) Business Support closed at 5pm on 9 August 2021.

Late applications will not be accepted.

What happens after applying

Decisions on applications will be made based on the information provided in the application form, associated evidence and information checks that are conducted from other business data sources. If any data is incomplete or incorrect or the evidence provided is insufficient we will not process the application and it will be rejected.

We aim to process grant applications within 30 working days of receipt of all required supporting evidence/information.

Successful applications

If your application is successful, we will pay the grant in full to the bank account details you provide. 

Unsuccessful applications

We will email you to let you know if your application is unsuccessful and provide the reasons for this decision. There is no appeal process. 

More information

Applicants should note that the Local Authority may require repayment of the grant in full or part if evidence emerges that the applicant was not eligible for the Economic Resilience Fund.

Guidance and FAQs

ERF guidance and FAQs (external website)