Resources

Available until 31 Aug

Does your business need some cashflow to overcome the current crisis? The government's Bounce Back Loan is a low-risk borrowing scheme of up to £50,000.
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) enables smaller businesses to access finance more quickly during the coronavirus outbreak.

Available until 10 Jun

Innovating for Growth is a European Regional Development Fund programme designed to help small businesses scale-up and grow. They select 18 high-growth businesses every three months to give £10,000 worth of specialist support and tailored one-to-one advice on seven modules.

Applications are now open for Innovating for Growth: Scale-ups and will close at midday on Wednesday 10 June. Click here to complete the short qualifying questions form and their team will be in touch.

Register your interest from 6 May.

Available until 31 Aug

London’s funders are working together to provide coordinated funding to support groups responding to the needs of communities in the capital affected by the covid-19 pandemic.

London Community Response Fund are providing grants for their second wave of funding. You can apply for up to £50,000 to enable you to change the way you deliver your work in order to meet community needs.

Rolling deadline.

Available until 31 May

Sadiq launches £2.3m Culture at Risk Business Support Fund to support London’s creative and cultural industries at risk due to the impact of the coronavirus
Support will be given to grassroots music venues, LGBTQ+ venues, artist workspaces and independent cinemas across the capital
The Mayor calls on Government to do more to secure the sector’s future

Available until 30 Jun

"Lets Create at Home" booklet which highlights some of the downloadable and ongoing creative resources which children and young people can engage with online. The list includes a selection of both local and national organisations across a variety of artforms (music dance, coding, theatre, art, spoken word etc).
It is a not a comprehensive guide of all the activity that is taking place in the borough or beyond, it is just a selection that we felt may be useful for those families finding it a minefield to sort through all the information being shared online/social media.

We have specifically selected activity where there are downloadable resources, learning activity or classes/activities that can be accessed further into the future, as we are well aware that not everyone will be able or have the inclination to participate in activity straight away or at a specific time (such as summer class programmes or one-off masterclasses etc).
As always we are using the LEAN, Lewisham LIVE and Lewisham Creative Careers social media channels to push out further creative careers opportunities and advice for those in the creative industries and will continue to tag ShapesLewisham in these where appropriate.

Available until 31 Jul

In this time of national crisis where so many businesses are struggling, we’ve tried to create the single best resource on what government support is available.

This page covers:
- All of the current support offered by the UK government to businesses
- How much is available
- How to apply
- It is continually updated to remain current

Available until 31 Jul

Sadiq Khan has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak to demand more financial help is given to the capital’s self-employed workers amidst findings that one-in-three self-employed Londoners will not receive any assistance. The London mayor’s letter, written to Sunak and business secretary Alok Sharma, claims that up to 290,000 Londoners, 12% of the capital’s total workforce, are not eligible to receive anything from the scheme. Read more in the link below.

Available until 31 Jul

The Government has admitted that just 1.4% of businesses that enquired about its coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS) have so far been successful. It has emerged that just 4,200 of the estimated 300,000 firms that sought help online have received rescue loans. On 3 April, the Chancellor loosened the criteria for CBILS loans and banned banks from asking for personal guarantees from small businesses seeking help. Read more in the link below.

Available until 31 Jul

Jointly with the London Growth Hub there was a webinar on the current interpretation of business rates in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak, for local authorities in London. In this video, you will hear from representatives at the GLA, London Councils, CIPFA and Westminster City Council on how recent announcements have changed the nature of business rates. An FAQ sheet on business rates for local authorities will follow shortly. Listen to the full discussion, link below.

Available until 31 Mar

Self-employment Income Support Scheme FAQs
What happens to individuals whose 2018/19 profits are very different to what they would have expected to make this year?
What about those who haven’t filed their 2018/19 tax return yet?
Is this grant subject to tax?
What should self-employed people do while they wait to be paid?

Available until 31 Mar

Honest, unfiltered free support especially around how to access government support mechanisms for freelance/self-employed. This includes written guidance, commentary and webinars - please note that people need to be signed up as free members to access most of these though the web home page has some direct click through access.

Available until 31 Mar

Free Federation Membership for six months
It’s clear that our creativity and problem-solving abilities are going to be substantially affected by the ongoing Coronavirus emergency. This is a rapidly evolving, unprecedented situation, and we’ve been listening carefully to your concerns.

Available until 30 Mar

Lewisham Local, Voluntary Services Lewisham and Age UK Lewisham & Southwark are working with Lewisham Council and local partners in the community to coordinate their response to help the most vulnerable in our communities.

Via their website you can both request support from local volunteers and volunteer your time to support those in need.

Available until 30 Mar

Resources

Available until 30 Mar

Find a support scheme for your business

Available until 30 Mar

Are you a small business owner based in London looking for free expert advice and practical support to help steer your business towards growth?

Available until 30 Mar

No accounting degree? No problem. Learn the basics of small-business accounting with this beginner’s guide.

Available until 30 Mar

Grants for the Arts was our open access funding programme for individuals, art organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. It offered awards from £1,000 to £100,000 to support a wide variety of arts-related activities, from dance to visual arts, literature to theatre, music to combined arts.

Available until 30 Mar

Take your learning further.

Search all our free course.

Available until 30 Mar

Contents: Plan for growth, Get extra funding, Increase sales to existing customers, Attract new customers, Improve your products and services, Develop new products and services, Hire and train staff, Work with a mentor.

Available until 30 Mar

Contracts Finder lets you search for information about contracts worth over £10,000 with the government and its agencies.

You can use Contracts Finder to: search for contract opportunities in different sectors, find out what’s coming up in the future, look up details of previous tenders and contracts.

Available until 30 Mar

Regularly updated article with advice, recommendations and support for the self-employed whilst under covid-19 restrictions.

Available until 30 Mar

Staying at home and social distancing, Vulnerable people and those at high risk, Self-isolation and sick pay, If the workplace needs to close temporarily, Using holiday, If an employee needs time off work to look after someone, If someone has coronavirus symptoms at work, Good practice steps for employers.

More coronavirus advice.

Available until 30 Mar

With the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, information and advice from government is constantly being updated.

We have collated advice from across the sector to provide guidance to those in the creative industries who are affected by the Coronavirus and its fallout.

Available until 30 Mar

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Advice and guidance for small businesses and the self-employed.

Available until 30 Mar

The Chancellor has set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

Available until 30 Mar

Emergency measures and funding.

Ensuring the people and organisations that make up our arts, museums and libraries are protected during the Coronavirus crisis is our number one priority.

"We are making £160 million of emergency funding available for those organisations and individuals who will need it during this crisis, and we have also changed the funding requirements for individuals and organisations currently in receipt of our funding."

Available until 30 Mar

Financial support for artists, creative practitioners and freelancers.

"We are making £20 million available to individuals working in the cultural sector, including artists, creative practitioners and freelancers.

Artists and creative practitioners will be able to apply for grants of up to £2,500 if they have a track record in publicly funded culture."

Available until 03 Mar

Advice for local businesses and the actions we are taking to support the local economy.

Guidance for businesses in Lewisham during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).