The ultimate UK funding list for startups, scaleups, and social entrepreneurs
Grants may not provide vast sums or seed funding, but they can give founders a crucial boost to build that next product, reach a new market or spread the word more loudly.
Finding ones which are actually open to applications can be time-consuming – so here’s a monster list to help. Note that some funds, including local Growth Hub pots, reach the end of their financial cycle on March 31. In some cases, that might mean the cash is all gone, but those with funds still available may be more keen to deploy in time, so get your applications in ASAP.
Regional and local council grants
… most of these funding pools expire at the end of the financial year.
Net Zero Business Grants / UKSPF Social Funding: incentives to support the UK’s transition to Net Zero by 2030, available on a local basis across the country- look them up in your local area.
Across London, the GLA lists grants and other opportunities here.
Residents or businesses based in Tower Hamlets can access four funds, with £400,000 cash, with separate pools available to female founders. More details here
For Camden firms and locals, the Diversity Fund offers investments of up to £500,000 available for diverse-background owners in creative industries or those supporting local employment. More details here.
Southwark’s Pioneers Fund has £5000 grants and accelerator support for early-stage entrepreneurs and established businesses looking to scale. More details here.
Firms working around Old Oak and Park Royal (Brent, Ealing, and Hammersmith & Fulham) can access the OPDC Small Grants Scheme, with grants between £1,000 and £7,000 for local causes and social initiatives. Details here.
Young entrepreneurs (aged 18–30) based in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or the City of London can access the SWEF Enterprise Fund, with start-up grants of £500 and business grants of up to £2,000 available for early-stage companies. More details at East End Community Foundation here.
Residents or businesses based in Wandsworth can access the Women and Girls Revenue Grant Fund, with funding available to initiate new programs specifically for women and girls in the borough. More details at Wandsworth Open4Business here.
Startups in Elmbridge, Surrey can access the Business Boost grants, with up to £5,000 available for sustainability projects, digital upgrades, or shopfront improvements. Details here.
Firms in Babergh & Mid Suffolk can access the Rural Growth Fund, with capital grants of up to £15,000 available for projects focused on net-zero, diversification, tourism. Find out more here.
Lancashire startups can access the Nelson Town Dealwith £23,000 available for investment in new machinery, carbon reduction initiatives, or premises. Portal here.
National programmes (mostly focused on innovation and R&D)
.. most are targeting high-growth sectors, such as technology and advanced manufacturing.
Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme: Batch competitions for research and capital investment open regularly; up to £2.3 billion available until 2035, apply here
R&D Tax Credits: not a grant, of course, but claims now include AI, cloud computing, and data costs, so check eligibility here.
DRIVE35 Innovation Fund: Government funding for late-stage collaborative R&D in the automotive sector – deadline is 18 March. Apply here.
Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Call 12: large-scale health research funding, deadline 21 April. View details
Workplace Charging Scheme: Up to 75% of installation costs (capped at £350 per socket), closes 31 March 2026. Apply here
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme: Up to £4,500 for rural business fibre installation; deadline for requests is August 2026. Check if your postcode is eligible.
Social enterprise funding
…these are targeted support pools, mostly for social impact and younger entrepreneurs.
The King’s Trust Enterprise Programmeprovides huge resources in business planning and offers £5000 launch grants for ages 16–30, plus help with StartUp Loans. Apply here
UnLtd Funding Futures awards between £8,000 and £18,000 for young social entrepreneurs tackling financial exclusion. Apply via UnLtd
Selling Pepperoni to the Italians, by Tom Horvath Neumann, CEO of Properoni
“In business, I have to confess an inconvenient truth: pepperoni is not Italian.
It looks and sounds Italian, but “pepperoni” is an Italian-American invention. It’s still the UK’s favourite pizza topping, though – which is lucky for our business, which was founded in the 1930s by two Hungarian émigrés.
I joined in 2009 as the other directors were looking to retire and exit. We did what is now trendy: an ETA, or Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, buying in and ultimately buying out the business, which has supplied PizzaExpress since the late 1960s.
But yesterday’s successes are no guarantees for the future. I saw that the pepperoni products available in supermarkets were anaemic in colour and bland in flavour, a far cry from the naturally fermented, beechwood-smoked sausage Hungary has been perfecting for over 150 years.
Pepperoni was ripe for disruption. I had no experience of creating a brand – I’d previously worked in finance – but after speaking to a lot of seasoned pros, we created Properoni, with the tagline ‘pepperoni made properly.’
It is made with five ingredients; the only non-ultra processed pepperoni on the market, with that same iconic taste and flavour profile that has been quietly transforming eating occasions at pizza restaurants for decades.
Some of the best opportunities to build a business hide in plain sight. Here is my advice to anyone building in an established category.
Don’t confuse “new” with “better”. Reinventing the wheel is hard. Taking a wheel everyone already uses, and making it better, can be the smartest route.
Customers cannot always describe what they have never been offered. A line often attributed to Henry Ford is that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. When shoppers finally taste a better version, the demand often becomes obvious.
Win with clarity. When your product is simple, it stands out.
Keep asking questions. The best answers rarely arrive fully formed. Keep testing, keep listening, and keep refining.
Resilience is a strategy. Leave no stone unturned. Keep moving forward, and do not let setbacks become a pause button.”