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A pair of grant funds aimed at supporting those businesses most impacted by the rise of the Omicron variant have been launched by Hackney Council. 

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is a one-off grant for businesses in the hospitality, leisure or accommodation sectors who pay business rates. 

While the £2million Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant is a one-off grant for the following types of businesses: 

• hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation businesses that are not Hackney business rate account holders and who don’t pay business rates such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, museums, theatres, art galleries, wedding venues, nightclubs, events venues, hotels, bed and breakfasts, serviced apartments, businesses that provide in-person opportunities, experiences and facilities for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, and days and nights out;
• gyms and sports businesses where physical exercise or training takes place (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios, or;
• businesses who supply, or whose income is closely related to the hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation sectors (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as travel and tourism businesses, events sector businesses, businesses who work with theatres, museums or galleries

The application form for the Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant will close at midnight on Monday, 14 February 2022. The application form and full eligibility criteria can be found here. 

The application form for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant will close at midnight on Friday, 18 March 2022. The application form and full  eligibility criteria can be found here.

Businesses can find the application forms for both grants on the Council’s webpages. 

Further information: 

• Using the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding that the Council received from the Government, £2million has been made available for the Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant. 
• Using the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding that the Council received from the Government, £405,000 has been made available for the Adapt your Business programme. Micro and small businesses in Hackney can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to help them adapt to an ever-changing business environment or at least seven hours of business advice with an expert, including 1-2-1 support and advice provided by experienced business advisers to discuss individual business needs, and a number of masterclasses and networking events. The deadline to apply is 4pm on 4 February. More information is available here. 
• The Hackney Central Impact and Ideas Fund opened on 18 January, with businesses in Hackney Central encouraged to apply for innovative small or large-scale projects which will enable them to build their economic and environmental resilience, as well as making a positive contribution to the town centre. The deadline to apply is 14 February at 9am. You can read more about this fund here. 
• In December 2021 Hackney Council launched the High Streets and Town Centres fund. This £500,000 fund, which has now closed, was for eligible businesses to deliver projects that increase engagement, encourage spending and bolster recovery in our high streets and town centres. This grant closed earlier this month, but more information is available here. 
• In 2021 the Council launched Hello again, Hackney - a £400,000 fund to help the borough’s cultural institutions welcome back customers safely with special offers, discounted tickets and pop-up events. This fund is now closed, but more information is available here. 
• Further information on grants issued by Hackney Council during the coronavirus pandemic can be found on our website.