1. User Guide

3.1 Main Principles

First, you must have an initial conversation with our Fund Management Team who can be contacted by email here growingmidwales@ceredigion.gov.uk.

• Your project must not start before we invite you to develop a Viability Proposal.
• Timescales apply for the completion of each Stage of the application process.
• You must be able to contribute at least 55% of your whole project costs.
• No advance funding of project development costs is available, but as soon as your full bid has been approved and a grant award confirmed eligible costs can be claimed in arrears.
• All eligible delivery costs can be claimed in arrears on a quarterly basis.
• We provide lots of good practice guidance. We recommend that you read the guidance fully to help you develop and manage your project.

It is important to plan your project carefully, including costs, timescales and getting support for your project before you start forming your proposals. The guidance below will help you think about what you should consider and the costs to be covered.

3.2  What We Fund

Each project will be subject to an agreed intervention rate (or payment percentage). In any case the Fund's contribution cannot exceed 45% of the whole project cost or £1m.

We fund projects that:

• clearly focus on commercial property improvements
• take account of all three investment objectives
• have a clear plan with a defined start, middle and end.
• have not already started.
• can demonstrate the need for MWGD investment.

The Fund can support a broad range of activities and direct project costs, e.g.:

• capital works: new build, extension, modernisation, and conservation work.
• professional fees and services
• promotional / event costs
• project related insurance costs.
• acquisition of land and costs associated with the purchase.

Particular guidance is available on Eligible Capital Costs that can be included.

3.3  Your Contribution to Project Costs

MWGD funds are expected to lever co-funding from project partners across its whole portfolio of activity.

You must be able to contribute at least 55% of your whole project costs. This can be made up of cash and non-cash contributions, site costs or a combination of all of these.

If your project is receiving funding from other fund distributors this can count as part of your co-funding. However, the value of such a contribution/s will be added to the value of grant being sought from this Fund. The combined value of all such contributions cannot exceed 45% of the whole project cost or £1m. i.e., the intervention rate from this Fund will be factored lower to account for co-funding from other fund distributors.