Grants and Funding - UK

While we make every effort to keep these pages up to date, grants and funding change on a regular basis. If you know of any funds not listed or if you discover a link which is no longer working, please let us know at seaspacenetworks@seeda.co.uk.

The Arts Council

The Arts Council is funded by the National Lottery and funds arts activities that get people involved in art or that help artists and arts organisations carry out their work.

Business Link – Grants and Support Directory

Search for potential sources of help with starting or developing a business, including grant and support schemes from central and local government as well as private organisations. While many schemes are available nationally, some are targeted locally. Depending on your location, type of business and what you need the funds for, you may be eligible for a number of schemes in the Grant Support Directory.

Business Support Kent CIC – Ecomind

EcoMind is an environmental market and innovation development programme. It supports small and medium sized companies to overcome the barriers in developing and promoting innovative eco-technology products, plus ensuring sustainable design is incorporated into products and services.

In 2009–2011, the EcoMind partnership will work intensively with 270 small and medium enterprises, and provide a light touch service to 600 businesses. The programme will support companies who want to develop environmental innovation and sustainable design. Participating businesses will benefit from European expertise and funding to attend cross border events, offering an excellent opportunity to expand their networks, low-carbon knowledge and meet new, sustainable suppliers.

BIS (Department for Business, Innovation & Skills)

The Government’s aim is for more UK entrepreneurs and businesses to be able to access the finance they need to enable greater levels of enterprise, as new start-ups or growing businesses. BIS offer help through the following programmes:

Capital for Enterprise Fund
Community Investment Tax Relief
Early Growth Funds
Enterprise Capital Funds
Growth Capital Fund
Tackling Late Payment/Promoting Prompt Payment

BP – Alternative Energy Ventures

Provide investment in alternative fuel technologies and business opportunities with a potential of making sound financial returns through a corporate venture capital model.

Carbon Trust

Applied Research Programme – open to UK businesses and research institutions; aims to support the development and commercialisation of technology with the potential to reduce UK carbon dioxide emissions. Grants of up to £250,000 are available with 40% match funding required.
0% Business Loans for energy saving projects – interest free loans of £3,000–£500,000 for organisations to invest in energy saving projects.
Venture Capital and Seed Investment – early stage venture capital and seed investments to accelerate the commercialisation of clean energy businesses in the UK.

Capitalise Business Support

The Hastings Working Capital Loan is a short-term (up to two years) loan facility to support businesses through cash flow difficulties when they cannot access any, or sufficient, funding from usual borrowing sources, such as banks. You can currently borrow amounts from £100 up to £20,000.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra)

Defra let a large number of research projects every year in a number of ways, including:

through competitions advertised on their website, either for individual projects or in the form of multiple project research requirements documents;
non-competitive arrangements, mainly at their science Agencies and other major contractors where they need to maintain certain expertise and facilities;
and in partnership with others, such as through LINK programmes.

Enterprise Finance Guarantee

Under this scheme, the Government will guarantee lending to viable businesses to ensure they can get the working capital and investment that they need. The loans are administered by Banks and the government backs up to 75% of the loan. There is a choice of repayment options and possibility of repayment holidays. Loans from £1,000 to £1,000,000 are possible with terms up to 10 years. Government fees are payable on top of interest rates charged by the banks.

EnviroBusiness

A specialist company helping businesses involved with environmental technology and services to secure a greater share of the growing global market for solutions to environmental change. Specific areas they are currently funding are:

Investing in recycling

Finance South East

Help ambitious companies to grow through direct investment and associated support. Through their specialist range of funds they invest in pioneering ideas, from initial development through to launch and maturity.

Accelerator Loan Fund – Provides an innovative source of finance for growth companies in the South East region. An initial £100,000 at any stage provided they can demonstrate the potential for significant growth. A second loan of up to £100,000 can be made after 9 months. This is a repayable loan.
South East Seed Fund – A £5m equity fund that invests up to £250,000 in small and medium-sized enterprises, which may include university spin-outs/spin-ins. Funds must be matched by other funding.
Commercialisation Fund – Financed by SEEDA and managed by FSE. This operates in two ‘phases’ with up to £30,000 available for each phase. Phase 1 is for Proof of Concept activities including concept analysis, feasibility testing, developing prototypes, IP and product testing with third parties and Universities. Phase 2 is for Commercialisation including market research, customer trials, developing channels to market and commercial & market advice. The fund is a loan repayable to a level of 150% of the funding awarded and repayment is as a percentage of turnover.
Collaboration Fund – Financed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and managed by Finance South East. The fund awards grants, through calls for proposals, of up to £100,000 to researchers in UK universities and other eligible organisations. All projects must include a collaborating partner who will work with the applicants in taking forward commercial opportunities generated by previous EPSRC research funding.
Grant for Research & Development – Funded by SEEDA and delivered by FSE, to help start-ups and SMEs carry out research and development work on technologically innovative products and processes. This grant is focused on encouraging businesses to carry out projects that they would not necessarily undertake without the grant, and access finance from reluctant private investment sources. Grant installments are paid in arrears.
Grant for Business Investment (GBI) – Funded by SEEDA and delivered by FSE. It pays up to 20% for capital investment projects. The grants can be used for projects to upgrade a business by introducing innovative new technology or processes, take a new product from development to production, modernise, expand or reorganise an existing business or launch a new business.
Other support advice and provided by Finance South East includes:

GRANTfinder

Developed to advise and guide industrial and professional clients on all matters relating to grant aid – from identifying what is available to whom, through to making an application. There are details of over 6,000 funding opportunities and continuously updated information.

j4b – Database of business grants and loans

A searchable database providing information on European grants, UK Government grants and other sources of funding for your business.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a UK-wide programme enabling businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance.

A KTP achieves this through forming a Partnership between your business and an academic institution e.g. university or further education college enabling you to access skills and expertise to help your business develop.

KTP involves project work undertaken by a recently qualified person recruited to specifically work on that project. KTPs can vary in length from 1–3 years (KTP Projects 1–3 years, PDF) and from 10–40 weeks (KTP Projects 10–40 weeks, PDF) depending on the needs of the business and the desired outcomes.

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA)

The largest single endowment devoted exclusively to supporting talent, innovation and creativity in the UK. Their mission is to transform the UK’s capacity for innovation and invest in early stage companies, inform innovation policy and encourage a culture that helps innovation to flourish.

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

The UK’s main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. They coordinate some of the world’s most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on earth, and much more. NERC uses a budget of about £370m a year to fund research in universities and in their own research centres.

National Physics Laboratory (NPL) – Measurement for Innovators Programme

The Measurement for Innovators programme promotes innovation by linking industry with the world class expertise and facilities contained within the UK’s National Measurement Institutes (NMI) – NPL, LGC, NEL and NWML. They have funds to work with businesses to make vital measurements on new pieces of equipment. This can involve consultancy, secondment of one of their staff for up to 5 days or access to their labs and equipment for up to 10 days.

Pilkington Energy Efficiency Trust

The (PEE) scheme is provided by Pilkington and administered by a Board of Trustees who are independent of the company. Funding is intended to support research that will result in the more efficient use of energy in new or existing buildings. Research should result in projects that are practical, economic and can be replicated. Grants usually up to £20,000.

Prince’s Trust

The Prince’s Trust provides practical and financial support to young people to help develop key skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.

Business start-up support and finance – For people aged 18–30 who are unemployed and unable to raise all the finances to start a business from other sources (e.g. banks, local finance providers, friends and family).
Development awards – Cash awards of £50–£500 to help young people undertake education or training or enhance their ability to gain employment. Available for UK residents aged 14–25 who are part of the Trust’s four target groups and have education, training or work related goals.
Community Cash Awards – Cash awards up to £5,000 for young people to design and set up projects on a voluntary basis that will benefit their local community. Available for UK residents aged 14–25 who are part of the Trust’s four target groups and have a project idea that benefits a local community in the UK.

Royal British Legion

Legion Small Business offers Service leavers and ex-Service people free business advice. For those who are unemployed and starting up their own business, they also offer the opportunity to apply for an interest free loan of up to £5,000 to supplement a proven shortfall.

Shell Livewire

Each year Shell helps thousands of young people aged between 16–30 to start their businesses, develop their skills, and boost their contacts through the Shell LiveWIRE young entrepreneur support programme.

Shell Springboard

Shell Springboard is a programme that provides a financial boost to innovative, low carbon business ideas from across the UK. £40,000 is awarded every year, no strings attached, to eight businesses with an innovative product or service that will lead to greenhouse gas emission reductions and is commercially viable.

The current round of funding is now closed with awards to be made in early 2010.

Technology Strategy Board

The Technology Strategy Board has a number of current and forthcoming research and development competitions covering a range of technology and application areas.

UK Film Council

Provide funding for script development, film production, short films, film export and distribution, cinemas, film education, culture and archives, festivals and audience support schemes.

UK Research Councils

Research Councils are the public bodies charged with investing tax payers’ money in UK science and research to advance knowledge and generate new ideas which can be used to create wealth and make improvements in quality of life.

Each Research Council funds research and training in a different area of research.

To achieve a grant you need a University partner and the research should be academic/ early stage although with a commercial focus.

There are currently seven Research Councils:

WRAP

Provide funding for projects involved in recycling. This organisation is responsible for encouraging more recycling and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

Tenders are available for prospective companies to bid for; and
Capital Grants are occasionally available for recycling projects.

WRAP also works closely with the following sectors to help them achieve the benefits of resource efficiency and share best practice:

Agriculture and landscaping – discover the benefits of using quality compost to improve soil quality and increase yields.
Construction – play your part by making real savings on construction projects and help the construction industry halve waste to landfill by 2012.
Recycling industry – waste management contractors, materials recovery facility (MRF) operators, re-processors and manufacturers using recycled products – sustain your business in the tough economic climate.
Retail supply chain – achieve business benefits through using your resources more efficiency and by preventing product and packaging waste.