Business Development

The Ubele Initiative has joined Social Investment Business's £12.5m Enterprise Development Programme as the Black and Minoritised Communities sector partner. Charities and social enterprises serving black and ethnic minority communities will now be able to apply for grants typically worth up to £30,000 along with support from the Black and Minoritised Communities Enterprise Development Programme which aims to build resilience in organisation...

To help the Scottish tourism sector recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Government has made £3 million in funding available to promote key visitor destinations in a responsible and sustainable way. The Destination and Sector Marketing Fund will help destination and sector groups promote visitor experiences to the UK and Irish markets year-round, while also working with communities to rebuild local visitor economies. The fund i...

A competition supporting young people in the UK with ambitious ideas to run their own business has been launched. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, the TikTok #BeYourOwnBoss competition is seeking potential business owners with the knowledge and work ethic to turn their idea into a successful enterprise. Entrants will need to create a 30-60 second pitch video on TikTok, selling their ideas and explaining the steps they would take to reali...

The UK Government has announced a £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund to help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) adjust to new customs, rules of origin, and VAT rules when trading with the European Union (EU). SMEs who import or export goods with the EU or move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are encouraged to apply for grants of up to £2,000 for each trader to pay for practical support including training and professio...

UK Research and Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge has announced a new £7 million competition for business-led research and development projects that focus on solving issues with the sustainability of plastic packaging. Grants of between £200,000 to £4 million per project will be awarded to UK registered businesses, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profit organisations, public sector organisations, researc...

The UK Government has launched a new £3 million funding round to support regulators and local authorities to develop innovative approaches to get new products and services to market. The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund will award funding of up to £200,000 for projects that encourage business innovation and investment, and help the UK regulatory environment keep pace with technological advances of the future, such as robot guide dogs and 3D printe...

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has launched a competition that provides UK registered micro and small businesses in the creative sector with a package of support to grow their business. The aim of the £2.5 million competition is to help creative businesses to explore new revenue streams by creating new products, services or IP which respond to changing market conditions. Applicants can claim 100% of eligible project costs up...

Power to Change has teamed up with Crowdfunder to launch Community Business Crowdmatch to support new or existing community businesses responding to the Covid-19 crisis. The scheme will help community businesses, providing services or activities that help local people disproportionately affected due to the crisis, by match-funding each £1 raised, to a maximum of £10,000. Power to Change is keen to support new and existing projects in deprive...

Businesses across the UK are being invited to collaborate with an academic or research organisation on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a scheme that helps businesses and not for profit organisations to innovate and grow. Up to £40 million in total is available for part funding of KTPs that will offer businesses the opportunity to access new skills and the latest academic thinking to help them deliver a specific, strategic innovation p...

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in partnership with the British Film Institute, has launched a £7 million one-year pilot fund to boost international development and distribution opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector. The UK Global Screen Fund will support the sector including film, TV, animation, documentary and interactive narrative games to become more competitive internationally by funding business de...

Grants of up to £15,000 plus business support are available to social entrepreneurs that are looking to start or grow an existing social venture. The funding is being made available through the UnLtd the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in and around the UK. UnLtd are committed to providing 50% of their awards to Black, Asian and minority ethnic social entrepreneurs, and/or disabled social entrepreneurs. To be eligible ap...

In response to the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, The Scottish Government has launched a new £1 million digital support programme to help Scotland’s creative and cultural sector develop digital capabilities. The Creative Digital Initiative will provide financial support to help small and medium-sized creative and cultural businesses improve digital marketing skills and explore new ways to reach out to and engage with people....

In response to the Covid-19 restrictions, the UK Government has launched a support scheme to help businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors in England to reopen safely. The Restart Grant scheme will provide eligible businesses in the non-essential retail sector with a one-off grant of up to £6,000, and businesses in the hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym sectors with a one-off grant of up to £18,000. Local coun...

The Welsh Government has announced a further £30 million in funding for hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses affected by the ongoing Coronavirus restrictions. The latest round of the Economic Resilience Fund will support small, medium and large businesses employing ten or more staff in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well as related supply chain businesses. This targeted support has been made available in recognition of...

Catching and shellfish aquaculture businesses across the UK previously omitted from the Seafood Disruption Support Scheme can now apply for financial support after the government extended the scheme. The eligibility criteria will now include catching and shellfish aquaculture businesses which have been affected by a reduction in demand from the hospitality sector in the UK and abroad, as well as disruption of exports to the EU. The scheme will...

Up to £22 million in funding is available for research into supply chain development for power electronics, electric machines and drives (PEMD) to support the UK’s drive towards net zero. The Innovation Funding Service, working with Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest in business-led, supply chain focused, innovation projects that enable future improvements in productivity, capacity, quality and efficiency. UK regis...

£8 million in government funding is available for small and medium sized enterprises to help them modernise, go digital and create new jobs. This additional funding, part of the governments Made Smarter Adoption programme, will support up to 1,000 small and medium sized manufacturers across the North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the West Midlands regions, in adopting digital technology, such as robotics and automation, or t...

A £40 million government scheme has been announced to help polluting industries find new ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. Businesses in energy-intensive sectors, including steel, paper, pharmaceuticals, and food and drink, will be able to apply for grants of up to £14 million through the UK government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. Funding will help businesses across England, Wales & Northern Ireland...

The UK Government has announced a £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund to help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) adjust to new customs, rules of origin, and VAT rules when trading with the European Union (EU). SMEs who trade only with the EU will be encouraged to apply for grants of up to £2,000 for each trader to pay for practical support including training and professional advice to help them to prepare for the implementation of impo...

Funding of £1 million has been made available by the Scottish Government for childminding businesses which have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions that have been placed on them. Grants of up to £1,000 will be made available to eligible childminding providers based on their level of need, to support their sustainability and recovery from the crisis. Further detail on the funding is still to be developed an...

Businesses and Organisations in Scotland can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to encourage cycling as a healthy, sustainable and accessible way to commute. The funding is available for capital projects that encourage staff and visitors to travel by bike. The type of projects that can be supported includes the installation of secure and sheltered cycle parking; upgrades to shower, changing and drying facilities; the purchase of office pool bi...

From late January 2021, adventure and marine tourism businesses in Scotland will be able to apply for grants of up to £15,000 through the Marine and Outdoor Tourism Re-start Fund. Administered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the fund will support essential re-commissioning and re-start costs for businesses, aimed at those who have been significantly affected by the pandemic due to their seasonality and high set up cost...

Power to Change has teamed up with Crowdfunder to launch Community Business Crowdmatch to support new or existing community businesses responding to the Covid-19 crisis. The scheme will help community businesses, providing services or activities which help local people experiencing disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the crisis, by match-funding each £1 raised, to a maximum of £10,000. Power to Change are keen to suppor...

Food companies in the UK can apply for funding of up to £50,000 to offset the cost of sending surplus food to good causes and thereby helping people in need. The funding is part of the FareShare £3million Surplus with Purpose Fund and can be used to cover the additional staff costs needed for packing and sorting edible surplus food, or in building, implementing and managing new processes. It could also cover packaging and transportation cos...

Power to Change, the independent trust that supports community businesses in England, is launching a new £5 million package of support to enable community businesses affected by the Covid-19 crisis to adapt, renew and rebuild their businesses so they can remain financially viable and best serve their local communities during the pandemic’s ‘new normal’. The Community Business Renewal scheme is the second part of Power to Change’s £12...

Businesses in England that are required to shut because of local Covid-19 lockdowns or targeted restrictions will now be able to claim up to £1,500 per property every three weeks. Payments will be triggered by a national decision to close businesses in a high incidence area. The largest businesses will receive £1,500 every three weeks they are required to close. Smaller businesses that have an annual rent or mortgage bill below £51,000, and...

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Government has announced two new funding packages worth £15 million to support the tourism sector. A £14 million Hotel Recovery Programme will help to secure up to 3,000 jobs at Scotland’s larger hotels until the start of the summer 2021 tourism season. Grants of up to £250,000 will be available to eligible businesses in addition to a suite of wrap-around business support and advice. A...

The Arts Council of Wales are making grants of between £100,000 and £3 million available to support arts organisations which have been affected by COVID-19 and are trying to sustain themselves until they can resume publicly accessible activity in 2021 and beyond. The Wales Cultural Recovery Fund (Revenue) for the Arts will support activities until March 2021, and will pay particular attention to those who are experiencing significant financi...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has launched a new £20 million fund to help smaller businesses in England recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic Small and medium sized businesses will have access to grants of between £1,000 - £5,000 to help them access new technology and other equipment as well as professional, legal, financial or other advice to help them get back on track. The support will be fully...

Grants of up to £5,000 will be made available to small businesses in tourist destinations across England to help them adapt their businesses following the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the government’s drive to boost the recovery of the economy, funding will be distributed immediately from its new £10 million Kick-starting Tourism Package to help kick start tourism in time for the summer. Funding will be allocated to Local Growth Hubs b...

More than 50,000 rural Welsh homes and businesses will have access to more funding for better broadband through the UK Governments Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. The Welsh Government has added funding to the existing Voucher Scheme to provide vouchers worth £7,000 for SMEs and £3,000 for residential premises to help cover the upfront costs of installing new gigabit-capable internet connections. The vouchers subsidise the cost of building...

Small B&Bs and other small serviced accommodation businesses adversely affected by the covid-19 crisis can apply for financial support from the Scottish Government’s £3 million Business Support Fund. B&Bs who have not been able to access support through other schemes, and have been operating from a personal bank account due to not having a business bank account can apply for a one-off payment of £3,000. Businesses must have been trading fo...

In response to the coronavirus, Power to Change has suspended all current funding programmes to focus on supporting community businesses affected by the crisis. The Trust has now made small grants of up to £2,000 available to support community pubs in England who have experienced a reduction in income due to the Covid-19 restrictions. The aim of the Fund is to help them to adjust their activities, and provide redesigned services and community...

The UK Government has announced that they are doubling investment in the Fast Start Competition to encourage innovative technology and research-focussed businesses and start-ups to develop new ways of working and help build resilience across industries and communities. The additional £20 million funding, which is managed by Innovate UK, comes from a £211 million government investment package to encourage businesses developing new technologie...

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has announced a new £14 million fund to support Zoos and Aquariums in England in response to financial losses incurred due to Covid-19. Establishments covered by the Zoo Licensing Act will be able to bid for grants of up to £100,000 through the Zoo Support Fund. The grant can be used to cover animal care costs that can not be lowered such as keepers’ wages, animal feed and bedding, vete...

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Power to Change have launched a £12 million crisis support package to provide immediate and medium-term support for community businesses supporting the vulnerable and isolated in England. The emergency package includes £7 million in rescue funding, which offers grants of up to £25,000 to contribute to trading incomes losses incurred between April and June 2020. This will initially be available to cur...

The Welsh Government has announced that the second phase of the £200 million Economic Resilience Fund is open for applications. This phase is targeted at microbusinesses, SMEs and large businesses of critical social or economic importance to Wales. Micro businesses with a reduction of over 40% in turnover since the 1st March 2020 to apply for grants of up to £10,000. Grants of up to £100,000 are available to small and medium sized firms wi...

Charities and, social enterprises in disadvantaged areas facing financial hardship and disruption to their trading due to the coronavirus will be able to apply for emergency funding from a £100 million programme of loans and investment. The emergency package is made up of a £25 million Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund to provide emergency loans with no fees or interest for the first twelve months; £29 million for smaller, emergency loans t...

The Prince’s Trust and NatWest have launched a £5million grant fund for young entrepreneurs affected by coronavirus. The Fund is available to entrepreneurs aged 18-30, who can apply for grants and tailored support from today. Grants can be used to maintain core business operations during the crisis, as well as meet any existing financial commitments, such as paying for essential equipment or settling invoices from suppliers. In conjunction...

More than 90,000 ratepayers across Scotland will be able to benefit from one-off grants to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £18,001 up to and including £50,999 will be able to apply for a one-off grant of £25,000. £10,000 is also available as a one-off grant to small businesses in receipt of the small business scheme or rural relief. The aim of th...

Disadvantaged and under-represented communities that want to develop successful community businesses by issuing community shares, can apply for development grants of up to £10,000 and equity investments of up to £100,000. The funding is available to both new and existing community businesses. The funding is however not suitable for newly formed community groups that are in the early stages of developing a community business proposal. The fun...

Applications are now open for UK businesses to apply for grants of up to £2,500 to attend international trade shows. The financial support is for UK SMEs to participate in overseas exhibitions and conferences that cover a range of sectors, from education to aerospace and creative to maritime. Successful businesses can use the grants to fund direct exhibiting costs, including stand costs and conference fees. The funding is being made available...