North East business grants & funding

51 schemes, all checked on 21 Oct 2026. Closed schemes are kept at the bottom so you don't waste time on them.

Areas:

NewcastleNorth TynesideNorthumberlandGatesheadSouth TynesideSunderlandCounty DurhamTees ValleyHartlepoolMiddlesbroughStockton-on-TeesRedcar & ClevelandDarlingtonUK-wide (open to North East firms)

Categories:

Growth & business adviceMarketing & websiteCapital & equipmentInnovation & R&DLoans & equityStart-upsPremises & shop frontsExportDigital & manufacturingCreative & cultural

All schemes

51 of 51 schemes

Open

Sunderland Business Support Fund

NBSL (North East Mayoral Strategic Authority) · Grant

Up to 40% of eligible spend on projects costing £3,000–£6,000 excluding VAT (a maximum grant of £2,400)

Sunderland · Checked

Open

BIPC Citylife Business Support

Business & IP Centre North East · Fully funded expert support (grant-paid)

Up to 12 hours of expert support, fully funded

North Tyneside · Checked

Open

North East Accelerate Fund

North East Fund, managed by Mercia Ventures · Equity / convertible loan

Initial £50,000–£350,000, up to £1m in total

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham · Checked

Open

North East Elevate Fund

North East Fund, managed by FW Capital · Loan / mixed loan-equity

Loans from £50,000, up to £1m for established businesses

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham · Checked

Open

Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II: NEL Smaller Loans

NEL Fund Managers (British Business Bank NPIF II) · Loan

£25,000–£100,000 (per Review North)

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Tees Valley · Checked

Open

Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II: NEL Debt Finance

NEL Fund Managers (British Business Bank NPIF II) · Loan

£100,000–£2m (per Review North)

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Tees Valley · Checked

Open

Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II: Maven Equity Finance

Maven Capital Partners (British Business Bank NPIF II) · Equity

Up to £5m (per Review North). Check with funder.

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Tees Valley · Checked

Open

Finance Durham

Durham County Council, managed by Maven · Debt and equity

Investment range: check with funder (from £150,000 per Review North)

County Durham · Checked

Open

North East Rural Growth Programme

North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (lead delivery partner: Northumberland County Council) · Fully funded advice

Fully funded specialist advice, training and peer-to-peer learning, backed by £8.5m from the Mayor. Check with funder.

Northumberland, County Durham, Gateshead · Checked

Open

Durham Business Growth (productivity support)

Business Durham / Durham County Council · Fully funded advice

One-to-one engagement, action plans and productivity interventions (no cash amount)

County Durham · Checked

Open

Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1

Innovate UK · Grant

Share of up to £3.1m. Total eligible project costs must be £150,000 to £250,000. Feasibility studies: up to 70% of costs for micro or small firms, up to 60% for medium-sized firms.

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Open

Growth Cohorts: Next-gen low carbon concrete, Round 2

Innovate UK · Cohort entry with funding access

Up to £11.5m across a two-stage competition. Stage 1 grant funding request must be exactly £54,400: £50,000 of grant you can claim against eligible costs plus £4,400 of in-kind support from Innovate UK Business Connect.

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Open

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

Innovate UK · Part-funded partnership

Share of up to £12.5m in the 2026 to 2027 Round 4 competition. Business contribution: check with funder.

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Open

Start Up Loans

Start Up Loans Company (British Business Bank) · Loan

£500–£25,000 per owner (up to £100,000 per business), fixed 7.5% a year, 1–5 year term, 12 months' free mentoring

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Open

Teesside Flexible Investment Fund

FW Capital (backed by Teesside Pension Fund) · Loan and equity

£100,000 to £3m: property development loans £250,000–£3m, contract bond loans £100,000–£2m, loans and equity for buying a business £250,000–£3m

Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees · Checked

Open

UKSE business funding

UKSE · Loan and equity

Check with funder

Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool · Checked

Open

Flexible Social Finance

Big Issue Invest (North East Mayoral Strategic Authority area) · Loan

£30,000–£400,000, repayable over 1 to 7 years. Interest rate negotiated, depending on affordability.

County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland · Checked

Open

North East Property Fund

FW Capital (backed by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority) · Loan

Loans from £250,000 to £2m for residential and non-speculative commercial developments, up to 100% of build costs, repayment terms up to two years. £20m fund.

County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland · Checked

Open

North East Commercial Property Investment Fund

FW Capital (backed by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority) · Loan

Loans from £1m to £7m for speculative and non-speculative commercial developments, up to 100% of build costs, repayment terms up to five years. £35m fund.

County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland · Checked

Open

Full ADOPT Grant: Round 10 (on-farm trials)

Defra and Innovate UK (Farming Innovation Programme) · Grant

Share of up to £5m. Each project's total eligible costs must be between £50,000 and £200,000.

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Open

Climate Tech FOAK Builder: programme entry expression of interest

Innovate UK · Support programme

Support worth up to £315,000 (expert advisory, technical assistance, mentoring and upskilling) to develop a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) climate tech project. Successful companies could be invited to apply for a larger grant in Phase 2.

UK-wide (open to North East firms) · Checked

Rolling

SWEF Enterprise Fund: Start-up Grant

Community Foundation North East · Grant

Up to £500

Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland · Checked

Check with funder

Business Growth Fund

North East CA, delivered by UMi (UKSPF) · Grant

£20,000–£300,000 discretionary grants (per Invest North East England)

Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland · Checked

Check with funder

Culture and Creative Investment Programme

North East CA with Creative UK · Finance plus business support

Combined finance and support package. Amounts: check with funder

North Tyneside, Northumberland, Newcastle · Checked

Check with funder

Made Smarter Adoption North East

Made Smarter with North East Growth Hub and Tees Valley CA · Grant plus support

Up to £3,500 for technical advice. Up to £20,000 (max 50% of cost) for software or equipment

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Tees Valley · Checked

Check with funder

North East Early Stage Equity Fund

North East Fund, managed by Mercia Regional Ventures · Equity

£35m fund. Deal sizes: check with funder

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham · Checked

Check with funder

The Mayor's Small Venues Fund

North East Mayoral Strategic Authority · Grant (revenue and capital)

Grants from £3,000 to £100,000 (£2.2m fund over three years)

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham · Checked

Check with funder

Business Northumberland Investment Fund (BNIF)

Northumberland County Council / Business Northumberland (Northumberland Growth Fund) · Debt and equity

£20 million fund. Investment up to £2m: equity, mezzanine finance, business loans and hybrid investments

Northumberland · Checked

Closed

North of Tyne Business Support Fund

NBSL (North East CA, UKSPF) · Grant

Up to 50% of eligible spend on projects costing £3,000–£8,000 (up to £4,000)

Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland · Checked

Closed

Durham Business Growth Grant

UMi · Grant

Previously £10,000–£200,000 (per Invest North East England)

County Durham · Checked

Closed

Tees Valley Export Fund

Tees Valley Combined Authority (UKSPF) · Grant

£3,000–£10,000, 25% match funding

Tees Valley · Checked