Amazon backs Tide Charity for small firms

£1,000 grants to Covid-hit businesses

AMAZON has thrown its weight behind a charity supported by the Daily Mail to boost Britain’s struggling small businesses.

The US tech giant has signed up as a major donor to the Tide Charity, which will provide grants of £1,000 to businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

John Boumphrey, UK country manager at Amazon, said: ‘These grants will help companies most at risk and provide access to much-needed funds.’

The charity, a partnership between small business bank Tide and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has raised just over £200,000 since the Mail helped to launch it earlier this month.

It means at least 200 firms will benefit from the scheme, which is also supported by Baroness Brady, chief executive of West ham football club and one of the UK’s best known business women. Applications for the funds, which are available to businesses with up to 50 employees, will open on November 30.

As well as providing financial help, the charity will offer expert advice on how to adapt to the pandemic.

Other major donors include virtual office provider hoxton Mix, Clear Bank and Tide’s founder, George Bevis, and chief executive Oliver Prill.

Prill said: ‘Tide Charity is on a mission to support as many at-risk small businesses as we possibly can with grants of £1,000.’

The charity has been praised by small business minister Paul Scully, who said it was a ‘great initiative’.

The grants will be open to UK companies established before March 11 this year, and must be used for the current f i nancial year. Boumphrey added: ‘Earlier this year, small businesses told us they were looking for support to help them get online, build digital skills and continue to serve their customers during this challenging time.

‘We launched the Amazon Small Business Accelerator with Enterprise Nation in response, providing 200,000 small businesses with f ree training and support on a variety of topics i ncluding social media marketing, selling online, scaling production and hiring.

The online shopping giant is paying £ 374m i n bonuses worldwide, including £300 for full-time UK warehouse staff working in December in the run-up to Christmas.

TIDE Charity welcome donations of all shapes and sizes. If you would like to make a donation to help a small business, please go to the website tidecharity.org.uk.