The overriding priority of the LEADER scheme is to support the rural economy by providing a financial boost to businesses, farmers, foresters and the local community. We want to see new business start ups, the expansion of existing businesses, growth in profits and creation of new local employment.
We want to see positive outcomes as a result of your project. These would be changes, impacts, benefits or any effects that happen because of what you have done. All of our grant programmes expect you to deliver a number of outcomes, for example your business should integrate within the local rural community, rather than existing in isolation. It should provide benefits to the people that live and work in the area around you. Examples of this could be through work placement schemes, utilising local services or supporting sponsorship programmes. It could be through working collaboratively with other local businesses to create opportunities for growth, or by the sharing of resources.
If you are a farm business, it may be through encouraging visitors to your farm, creating opportunities for learning, or collaborating with neighbouring farms and businesses. How many other farm holdings could benefit from your project? How many other businesses will benefit from what you intend to do?
For tourism projects, how many new tourism activities will result and how will this lead to more overnight stays in the area? How will your project encourage more visitors and how will these benefit other local businesses?
To find out what difference we expect your project to make, please check the outcomes guidance below for the grant programme you are applying to. Just click on the relevant grant programme:-
Outcomes Guidance
These are examples of outcomes we will be looking for from your project for each grant programme we offer. The outcomes are not in order of importance. You must be able to demonstrate that your project will meet one or more of the following outcomes. The more that you achieve, the more likely it is that your project application will be successful. However, you may only meet one of the listed outcomes, but that may be significant enough, for example if you were creating many jobs. Remember that 70% of the projects we fund must show growth in productivity and/or jobs. Your application is scored at the appraisal stage, it will then be assessed individually by the Local Action Group, looking at the overall value it will add to the local economy/community.