By Dom Walbanke on Growth Business – Your gateway to entrepreneurial success Grants can save businesses money, introduce them to networks and help them scale The post 10 Business Grants for UK Start Ups and Growth Businesses appeared first on Growth Business.
Dom Walbanke
It’s an increasingly difficult task prising cash away from banks. Government figures show that overall success rate for firms applying for loans is below 50% at the end of 2024. In volatile times such as these, it is worth swotting up again on grants UK start ups and growth businesses of any description could be entitled to.
And it is worth a refresh. According to the FSB, one in five businesses lack awareness of growth funding options they can apply for.
Whether your business is in the biotech, environmental or in the realm of exporting, here is a list of 10 business grants ready to lend a helping hand to growing businesses.
List of business grants for start ups and growth businesses Apprenticeship scheme UKRI Funding Finder Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Aerospace Technology Institute funding Plug-in grant for low-emission vehicles Scaling Up Award Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund Workplace Charging Scheme 1. Apprenticeship scheme
Apprentices are aged 16 and over, combining working with studying to gain experience and knowledge of a job or industry.
As an employer, you will need to search for an apprenticeship programme and find an approved training provider. You can receive funding from the government to help pay for the apprenticeship training and assessment.
UKRI has paused its popular Smart Grants scheme. In the meantime, you can use its comprehensive Funding Finder. Narrow down the type of funding you’re looking for and see what opportunities are available.
3. Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)
The SEIS scheme attracts funding of up to £250,000 into a knowledge-based company by offering its shareholders tax relief on their investment.
To be eligible, the business must not have gross assets totalling over £350,000 or have more than 25 full-time employees at the time the shares are issued.
4. Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)
Similar to SEIS, however the EIS investment cap is £5m over any 12-month period, the business must not have gross assets totalling more than £15m (and not more than £16m) and have fewer than 250 full-time employees at the time the shares are issued.
5. Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
As part of the effort to deliver faster broadband speeds across the UK, the government is subsidising the cost of installing gigabit broadband on the doorstep of a business.
SMEs get up to £4,500 funding and must be experiencing broadband speeds less than 100Mbps in an area where it is unlikely a gigabit capable network will be built in the near future.
6. Aerospace Technology Institute funding
The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) has funding opportunities for businesses in the aerospace sector. Click on the link above to find out what’s available.
7. Plug-in grant for low-emission vehicles
To help lower emissions, vehicle manufacturers and dealerships have been given grants on some low-emissions vehicles, which can then be passed on for a business’s benefit. No applications are needed to receive the grant as the dealership will deduct this automatically upon purchase.
Visit the gov.uk website for a list of approved vehicles.
There are two awards here:
Millennium Awards Trust. Open to any social entrepreneur aged 16+ tackling a range of social issues Funding Futures Award. Funds 16-30-year-olds with ideas that tackle financial exclusion
Both grants offer up to £18,000 which can be put towards social venture costs and social entrepreneur living costs.
Check the website linked above for full eligibility requirements and details on how to apply.
9. Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund
This is a capital grants fund which is looking to build resilience for future health emergencies and make the most of the UK’s R&D capabilities. The fund will improve access to new and mature life sciences products for pandemic and non-pandemic scenarios.
The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) is providing up to £520 million in capital grants for investment in the manufacture of human medicines and medical technology (including diagnostics and MedTech products.
Projects with a total cost of at least £8 million can apply. The maximum intervention rate is 25%, with the typical intervention rate being 10-20% of your total project costs.
Applications close on March 31, 2030.
The Workplace Charging Scheme gives organisations financial support towards up to 40 electrical charging points for their workplace. It covers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs (including VAT), up to the cost of £500 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.
Funding is confirmed until March 31, 2027. Use the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) application form to apply for the grant.
See also
Top UK angel networks for your start-up – Angel investment is the third biggest investment type in the UK and the country remains the biggest angel investor market in Europe
Bootstrap your business and then find yourself an investor – You’ve managed to bootstrap your business without the help of outside capital, now it’s time to pick the right investor. Michael Elias and Hillel Zidel of Kennet Partners explain what to look for
Venture Capital Trusts Guide – What are VCTs? – Venture Capital Trusts currently manage £6bn worth of investment in UK start-ups invested in more than 1,000 companies. But what is a VCT and how does it differ to regular venture capital?
