Northern Ireland · growing a business
Grants and funding for growing a business in Northern Ireland.
Loans, guarantees, investment schemes and grants for a business that is expanding.
A business in Northern Ireland can use 29 schemes for growing a business, and 23 are taking applications today. 4 are specific to Northern Ireland, from British Business Bank, Invest Northern Ireland and InterTradeIreland; the other 25 are UK-wide.
Specific to Northern Ireland (4)
Investment Fund for Northern Ireland (IFNI)
British Business Bank (delivered by Whiterock Finance and Clarendon Fund Managers) · Open now · Loan (repayable)
NI Small Business Loan Fund III
Invest Northern Ireland (Access to Finance); fund managed by Ulster Community Finance Ltd with Enterprise Northern Ireland · Open now · Loan (repayable)
Acumen
InterTradeIreland (cross-border trade and business development body) · Open now
Ambition to Grow - Supporting Women
Invest Northern Ireland, delivered in partnership with Women in Business NI · Opening soon
UK-wide, open to businesses in Northern Ireland (25)
Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Office for Life Sciences · Open now
DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund
Innovate UK / Advanced Propulsion Centre / Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade · Open now · Closes 27 Jan 2027
Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)
HM Revenue & Customs · Open now · Investment scheme
Horizon Europe — EIC Accelerator
European Commission (European Innovation Council) · Open now
Growth Guarantee Scheme
British Business Bank (on behalf of the Department for Business & Trade) · Open now · Loan guarantee
BFI UK Global Screen Fund — International Co-production
BFI (British Film Institute) / DCMS · Closing soon · Closes 24 Nov 2026
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)
HM Revenue & Customs · Open now · Investment scheme
UK Games Fund — Content Fund
UK Games Fund (UK Games Talent and Finance CIC, DCMS-backed) · Open now · Closes 31 Mar 2029
AWS Activate (cloud credits)
Amazon Web Services · Open now · Credits, not cash
Google Ad Grants (nonprofits)
Google for Nonprofits · Open now · Credits, not cash
BFI UK Global Screen Fund — Video Game Release
BFI (British Film Institute) / DCMS · Open now
Growth Cohorts: Next-gen low carbon concrete (cohort entry Round 2)
Innovate UK (UKRI) / Innovate UK Business Connect · Closing soon · Closes 2 Dec 2026
BFI UK Global Screen Fund — Festival Launch
BFI (British Film Institute) / DCMS · Open now
The King's Trust Enterprise Programme
The King's Trust · Open now
Architectural Heritage Fund — Loans
The Architectural Heritage Fund · Open now · Loan (repayable)
HubSpot for Startups
HubSpot · Open now · Discount, not cash
Great British Energy Supply Chain Fund: Offshore Wind and Networks
Great British Energy · Open now · Closes 10 Dec 2026
Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC), including the Independent Film Tax Credit
HM Revenue and Customs · Open now · Tax relief
Theatre Tax Relief
HM Revenue and Customs · Open now · Tax relief
Orchestra Tax Relief
HM Revenue and Customs · Open now · Tax relief
Innovate UK Innovation Loans
Innovate UK (Innovate UK Loans Ltd) · Paused · Loan (repayable)
Defence Innovation Loans (DASA)
DASA / Innovate UK Loans Ltd · Paused · Loan (repayable)
Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards
Innovate UK (UKRI) · Closed
Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS)
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, delivered with the BPI · Between rounds
UnLtd — Awards for Social Entrepreneurs
UnLtd (Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs) · Opening soon
Which of these is your business owed?
Check your business in about two minutes: your top three matches are shown free, by name. The £19.95 report names every match, explains every rule and drafts the applications.
Find my fundingContains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 · schemes change, so every scheme page shows the date it was last checked.