Funding for rural businesses

Are you a farmer, land owner, small or micro rural business or community?

Do you have anidea that will create jobs andboost our local economy?

Does your project fit into one or more ofour fourthemes?

Theme: / Growing, selling, eating more local food
Enabling increased farm productivity, diversification of agriculture and the processing and marketing of local food
Theme: / Vibrant villages
Creating more economic activity and opportunity in our villages
Theme: / Reviving the River Thames and associated waterways
Getting more people to use the river, not pass by it
Theme: / Unlocking the potential of woodland
Managing woodland and developing the local distribution of woodfuel, timber and wood products

We have £1.55 million available for suitable projects within the Oxfordshire LEADER area. Grants are available from 2015 to 2020.

Applications must be for at least £5,000 and the maximum will typically be £35,000. Grants will typically be limited to 40 per cent of the project’s eligible (capital) costs. However, some types of project can get higher rates. Applicants are allowed to find match funding from elsewhere to cover the remaining costs.

Last time around, we awarded 61 grants to a wide range of projects including:

  • A microbrewery in a redundant farm building
  • A village farm shop and café
  • A woodland 'glamping' campsite
  • A children’s food festival
  • A forestry management business
  • A wetland visitor facility

The majority of projects must directly support our local rural economy through creating jobs, increasing productivity and efficiency or developing new markets. Others need to show that they contribute to improving the local rural economy by increasing visitor spend inthe area or providing an essential rural service.

LEADER is a competitive process. We can give individual advice on whether your project would be suitable for LEADER funding.

If you are interested in applying for a LEADER grant, you should check our webpagesfor more information:

Contact:

Fran Walker, Oxfordshire LEADER Project Manager

07717 271909

Oxfordshire LEADER area 2015-2020

Oxfordshire LEADER covers a defined area of rural Oxfordshire. Other parts of Oxfordshire are covered by the Cotswolds, North Wessex Downs and Chilterns LEADER grant programmes.

You can check the LEADER boundaries on our interactive map: Click on ‘Maps’ and ‘Interactive map’ in the top panel. Accept the terms of use. Select ‘Administrative Geographies’ and ‘Other Administrative Boundaries’. Use the tick boxes to select LEADER boundaries. You can zoom in by clicking on the map. Search for your post code using the search function near the top left hand side.

Oxfordshire LEADER

LEADER rural grants 2015 to 2020

Potential Projects

We have £1.55 million grant money available for suitable projects within the Oxfordshire LEADER area. LEADER is jointly funded by the EU and Defra.

If you have a potential project, please let us have a brief description by answering the following questions.

Your Name
Contact Details
Location of Project (including post code)
Stage of Project (e.g. idea/planning/underway)
A brief ‘one line’ description of the project (e.g. Build a farm shop)
Please provide details of how your project will promote rural economic growth (e.g. create jobs, add value to farm or woodland produce, attract more visitors)
Estimate of eligible (capital) costs
Estimate of grant required (bearing in mind grants will typically be for a maximum of £35,000 and not be more than 40% of eligible cost, minimum £5,000).
Breakdown of costs:

Please return these details to

Thank you