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Supporting fair and ethical business in partnership with The Co-operative Bank
Business Support – start your co-op: Application guidance

Application process

To access this support, you must fill in an application form.

We accept applications on a rolling basis and assess them in regular assessment panel meetings which happen every 4-5 weeks.

Once we have received your application we will first check if it fits our eligibility criteria.

  • If it does not, we will write to explain why and will provide you guidance on other steps you can take
  • If it does, we will submit it to the panel for a full assessment and inform you of the next panel date

We may also arrange a call in advance of the panel to discuss your application in more in detail.   

If you would like your application to be considered for the next panel session, please submit it at least 10 working days in advance. Below is a list of the panel dates and the deadline for submitting your application for that panel date. Applications need to be received by 5 pm on the deadline date.

If you application has been submitted to the panel for full assessment, we will notify you of the result within 10 working days of the panel date. If your application is successful, we will then start co-ordinating the support package with you. 

Application deadlinePanel date
14 June 202624 June 2026
19 July 202629 July 2026
16 August 202626 August 2026
20 September 202630 September 2026
18 October 202628 October 2026
15 November 202625 November 2026
30 November 202615 Dec 2026