Portsmouth City Council announce next round of Portsmouth Match Fund which has helped local businesses such as Florios D'Italia, Sisters Cafe and Mayfield Records

Portsmouth City Council has opened applications to the Portsmouth Match Fund for a third time. The grant, designed to help new business start ups and existing small businesses, has already provided £66,000 of funding to 22 companies in the previous rounds of applications.

Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of the Council with responsibility for economic development said: "I'm delighted to announce the return of the Portsmouth Match Fund for a third round. This grant supports local businesses growth and innovation. It really can make a difference to help Portsmouth businesses to thrive and strengthen our local economy."

The new Portsmouth Match Fund will provide eligible Portsmouth businesses with £1,500 - £4,000 to go towards a growth or start up project. The investment could be put towards a new digital platform, e-commerce development, new product development, purchase of new equipment or training.

Domic Elton, of Mayfield Records, was a recipient in the second round of funding. He said: “Our primary goal is to fully support grassroots music across our local community. We recently relocated to a new recording facility, which we had to refurbish. The grant ensured that the works were completed on time allowing us to reopen."

The grant is a council initiative funded from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The following businesses benefitted from funding in the second round: Smoke and Mirrors Restaurant, Fix My Crown Ltd, Jodie Goodchild Ltd, Aerial Dance Academy, The Pastry Corner, Florios Ditalia Ltd, Mayfield Record Ltd, Freya Rise Ltd, Crushed and Cured, Coconuts (Delivering Paradise) Ltd, Unloc Learning Ltd, LocalLinked, Undercover Skatepark Project CIC, Goly Natural and Sisters Café.

Applications for the fund are able to be submitted from today and must be received before Sunday, February 9. Further information and details on how to apply can be found on portsmouth.gov.uk/match-fund.