Help & FAQ
Questions about North East business funding, answered
Plain-English answers on finding grants, applying, how we check every scheme, the Monday newsletter, sponsorship and tenders. Search below or jump to a topic.
Finding grants
What grants are available for small businesses in the North East in 2026?
Current examples include the Sunderland Business Support Fund (up to 40% of eligible projects costing £3,000–£6,000 excluding VAT, so a maximum grant of £2,400) and Made Smarter Adoption North East for manufacturers (up to £20,000 towards software or equipment). The North of Tyne Business Support Fund is fully allocated for now, according to NBSL. Every scheme on Sourced North East links to its official source and shows the date we last checked it.
Can I get a grant for a new website in the North East?
Yes, in some areas. The Sunderland Business Support Fund lists website design and development as eligible projects. The North of Tyne Business Support Fund (Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland) also covers websites, but NBSL says its funds are currently fully allocated. Check the eligibility on the official page before you commit spend.
Is there funding for equipment or machinery?
Options include the North East Elevate Fund (loans from £50,000), the Business Growth Fund for investments in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and Sunderland, and Made Smarter for manufacturers. Availability changes, so check with the funder.
What funding is there for start-ups in the North East?
Start Up Loans offer £500–£25,000 per owner at a fixed 7.5% a year. Young founders aged 18–30 can apply to the SWEF grants (up to £500 or £2,000) through Community Foundation North East or Point North.
Is there funding for small music, theatre or performance venues in the North East?
Yes. The Mayor's Small Venues Fund from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority offers grants from £3,000 to £100,000 for permanent venues whose main business is live creative events, roughly 50 to 300 seated or 50 to 500 standing. Revenue grants can pay for things like business planning, website development and marketing, and capital grants for sound, lighting, staging, accessibility and refurbishment. Check dates with the funder before you apply.
Is there free business support for rural, farm or food businesses in the North East?
Yes. The North East Rural Growth Programme, backed by £8.5m from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, offers fully funded specialist advice, training and peer-to-peer learning for businesses and individuals in rural parts of Northumberland, County Durham and Gateshead. It also includes a North East Farm Business Support Service for farming, forestry and timber businesses, and specialist Food & Drink Support across the North East. Support runs until March 2029, subject to eligibility and availability.
North East Rural Growth Programme →Free advice and support →
Are there AI grants North East businesses can apply for?
Yes, through UK-wide Innovate UK competitions that are open to North East firms. As of 21 October 2026: Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1 funds feasibility studies with total project costs of £150,000 to £250,000 (single SMEs, closes 11 November 2026, 11am). Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems funds SME projects of £50,000 to £150,000 (closes 18 November 2026, 11am). BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst is due to open on 21 October 2026 (it was not yet taking applications when we checked) for consortiums of 2 or 3 organisations led by an SME with an existing AI or machine learning product, with grant requests of £100,000 to £200,000 across three strands (closes 8 December 2026, 11am). For smaller, local help adopting digital tools, manufacturers can ask about Made Smarter Adoption North East. Always check eligibility on the Innovate UK competition page before applying.
Frontier AI: SME Champions →Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI →BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst →Innovation & R&D funding →
Is there finance for property developers or construction firms in the North East?
Yes. FW Capital runs two property funds backed by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority. The North East Property Fund offers loans of £250,000 to £2m for residential and non-speculative commercial developments in County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear, covering up to 100% of build costs with repayment terms of up to two years. The North East Commercial Property Investment Fund lends £1m to £7m for speculative and non-speculative commercial developments across the seven North East Mayoral Strategic Authority council areas, with terms of up to five years. In Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, the Teesside Flexible Investment Fund offers property development loans of £250,000 to £3m. Enquire with FW Capital before you commit to a scheme.
North East Property Fund →Commercial Property Investment Fund →Premises funding →
Which areas do you cover?
Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham and the Tees Valley, with separate pages for Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, plus UK-wide schemes that North East businesses can apply for.
Eligibility & applying
Are you a funder or a grant consultant?
Neither. We do not award funding or take a cut of grants. We list schemes, link to the official source and explain them in plain English. You always apply directly to the funder.
How do I apply for a scheme I find on the site?
Every listing has a "Go to the official page" button that takes you to the funder or delivery partner. Check the eligibility and deadline there, then apply directly with them.
Can I find suppliers that help with grant applications?
Yes. Grant writers, funding advisers and accountants who help with grant bids and match funding will have their own category in our suppliers directory, which is being built now.
How we check
How does Sourced North East verify schemes?
Every listing is taken from an official or delivery-partner source page and linked to it, with a last-checked date. Where a detail is unclear we write "check with funder" rather than guess. We re-check open schemes every week.
How often are listings checked?
Every listing shows the date we last checked it against the official source. Open schemes are re-checked weekly, and deadlines and amounts are checked again before each Monday newsletter.
I found a mistake or a scheme you are missing. What should I do?
Email [email protected] with a link to the official page. We check every report and update the listing, usually within a working day.
Does Sourced North East charge businesses to use the grants finder?
No. Searching and reading listings is free. The site is funded by clearly labelled sponsors, who never change grant content.
Sponsors & suppliers
Do sponsors affect which grants you list?
No. Sponsors never influence which schemes are listed, what we say about them or the order they appear in. Sponsored placements are always labelled.
How much does it cost to sponsor?
From £19 a month for a directory profile up to £79 a month for the Headline Partner. A Section Sponsor (one area or one category, exclusive) is £39 a month. These are launch prices, and the first 5 sponsors keep their price fixed for 12 months. Newsletter sponsorship is paused until we reach 100 subscribers. We are not VAT registered, so no VAT is added.
What is the founding sponsor price lock?
The first 5 sponsors to book keep their launch price fixed for 12 months, even if our prices rise as the audience grows. Placements are monthly and rolling, with 30 days' notice to cancel.
Is it free to list my business as a supplier?
Yes. A basic listing is free and always will be. Featured listings are coming soon. Section sponsorships (one area or one category) are £39 a month. We are not VAT registered, so no VAT is added.
Tenders
Where do North East councils advertise tenders?
The 12 North East councils advertise most contracts on the Open e-tendering portal run by NEPO, the North East Procurement Organisation. Higher-value contracts are also published on Find a Tender, and many appear on Contracts Finder.
Does it cost anything to bid for council contracts?
No. Registering on the NEPO Open portal, Find a Tender and Contracts Finder is free, and so is downloading tender documents.
When will Sourced North East launch tender alerts?
We are building a weekly North East tenders feed. Join the Monday newsletter and we will tell you as soon as tender alerts are ready.
Still got a question?
Email us and a real person will reply, usually within a working day. Spotted a mistake or a missing scheme? Send us the official link.
Get new North East grants every Monday
One short, free email each Monday: new schemes, changed amounts and deadlines closing that week. Every item links to its official source.