One of American Express’ signature grant programmes, Backing International Small Restaurants, returns to the UK

Independent restaurant businesses in London and Manchester can now apply for grants of £11,000 to help grow their business as an American Express-supported grant programme returns for a fourth year to the UK.

Run by the International Downtown Association (IDA) Foundation in partnership with the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM) in the UK, the global Backing International Small Restaurants programme is bigger than ever. It is open to applicants in three new countries — France, New Zealand, and Spain — in addition to restaurants in the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico. In total, the programme is offering $1.45 million in funding to 100 restaurants worldwide so they can make critical improvements, like enhancing their digital capabilities, refreshing dining spaces, and improving kitchen operations.

In the UK, the programme will provide a total of £220,000 in support of small, independent businesses in both London and Manchester. 20 recipients will be selected to each receive £11,000 in grant funding.

Applications for the Backing International Small Restaurants programme are now open and close on 30th June.

Commenting on the programme, Dan Edelman, UK General Manager of Merchant Services, said: “It’s thrilling to see the grant programme return to the UK once again, supporting independent restaurants in Manchester and London. These venues bring people together and contribute so much to local communities. Our hope is that these grants will help businesses grow, innovate, and continue to thrive into the future.”

Last year’s UK winners included Bury-based café Wax and Beans, which upgraded its kitchen and expanded its outside seating area.

Commenting on the impact of the grant, they said: “Receiving the Backing International Small Restaurants grant last year has allowed us to invest in upgrading our kitchen, as well as extending the outdoor dining area so that even more people can enjoy great coffee, food, and, of course, some excellent music, in the sun. The grant has made a real difference towards our mission of being a community hub and providing people a place to relax and socialise.”

David Downey, Executive Director, IDA Foundation, added: “The IDA Foundation is excited to partner once again with American Express to launch the fourth year of the Backing International Small Restaurants programme. To empower these vital community anchors to thrive, this initiative provides essential support to the independent restaurants that are the heart and soul of our downtowns.”

2025 programme applications are now open: https://downtown.org/backing-international-small-restaurants-grant-program/

American Express first launched its Backing Small grant programmes in 2020 to help businesses that were forced to close their doors due to the pandemic, and they have since supported nearly 5,000 small business across six countries.