Finding government grants

Government grants do not have to be repaid, which makes them attractive, but they are competitive and each comes with its own eligibility criteria. Start your search early, check you qualify before you spend time on an application, and read the application requirements carefully.

Where to search for grants

Use the GOV.UK Find a Grant service to search over 100 government grant schemes. Create an account using GOV.UK One Login to save searches, track applications, and get email alerts when new grants are added.

Also check:

• your council, which may offer business rates relief, premises grants or local growth funding
• Innovate UK, for research and development grants (typically £25,000 to £2 million or more)
• the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which funds local investment in communities, businesses and skills

Types of grants

• Capital grants pay for equipment, fitting out premises or other physical assets. They usually need match funding, where you contribute 30% to 70% of the costs.
• Revenue grants cover running costs such as training, consultancy or marketing. They are less common and usually time-limited.
• Research and development (R&D) grants fund innovation and product development, often through competitions with set application windows.
• Sector-specific grants target particular industries, such as clean energy, agriculture, creative or digital. Check whether your sector has dedicated funding.

Check eligibility before you apply

Most grants have specific criteria. Check these before investing time in an application:

• Location: many grants are restricted to a region or to certain local authority areas.
• Sector: some grants target specific industries or activities.
• Business size: most grants target SMEs with fewer than 250 employees, and some are for micro businesses only.
• Business age: some grants require a trading history, while others target startups.
• Use of funds: grants specify what you can and cannot spend the money on.
• Match funding: many grants require you to pay part of the project cost from your own funds.

Subsidy control rules

The Subsidy Control Act 2022 replaced EU state aid rules from January 2023. Most SME grants fall under the Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) exemption.

Under MFA, your business can receive up to £315,000 in total government subsidies over any rolling 3-year period (the current financial year plus the 2 preceding years) without triggering full subsidy control assessment.

Grant-awarding bodies must check your cumulative subsidy total. You may be asked to declare any other public subsidies you have received in the past 3 years.