A EC$100,000 government programme offering in grants to Anguilla’s micro and small business owners is set to launch on 1 September.
Each successful applicant will be eligible for up to $10,000 to pay for costs such as staff training and development, new technology, marketing, product development and more.
In a government press conference on 25 August, economic development minister Kyle Hodge said the Small Grants Policy was approved by the Executive Council on 1 August.
He explained that the next step is to establish a committee which will be responsible for approving grant recipients.
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This will be made up of representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development, Anguilla Development Board and the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce.
“I would not be on the committee, so I’m not responsible for selecting anyone and approving any business to receive the grant,” Hodge stressed.
“There’s a committee, and there’s a process that we have put in place.”
He said the programme, which he plans to run annually, will “go live” on 1 September at which point business owners will be able to submit applications until 30 September.
Interested businesses can find the application form here or email [email protected]
The government also welcomes people to pick up forms at the Ministry of Economic Development in the government’s finance headquarters.
Hodge first announced the grant programme during a press conference on 26 May during which he encouraged eligible business owners to apply.
At the time he said to qualify, a business must be wholly owned by an Anguillian permanent resident for at least three years and be based in Anguilla.
Existing businesses must be registered and hold a valid business licence. They must also be classified as micro or small enterprises.
Micro businesses are defined as having one to five employees and annual turnover under $100,000, while small businesses have six to ten employees and annual turnover between $100,000 and $250,000.
