Best business start up grants and schemes in the UK

Launching a startup in the UK? All new businesses need some initial capital to get up and running, whether it's to develop prototype products, hire staff or purchase initial inventory.

A startup grant could be an essential source of funding for your new company.

Here, we’ll run through some of the best business start up grants available in the UK in 2025 - including grant amounts, requirements and eligibility.

And while you’re exploring financial options for your startup, make sure to check out the Wise Business account. It’s ideal for companies of all sizes, especially if you have big ambitions to one day go global.

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8 of the best UK start up business grants and schemes

Let’s dive right in with a look at some of the best startup business grants open for applications right now. Most are regional, offered by local authorities or government start up schemes, but there are some which operate nationwide.

One of the best ways to find suitable start-up grants near you is to use the UK Government’s Business Finance Support Finder.

Grant/scheme	Amount	Region	Eligibility
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)1	Raise up to £150,000	Nationwide	UK startups under 2 years old (max. 25 employees)
Innovate UK3	Between £25,000 and £10 million	Nationwide	Startups working on innovation or tech projects
Social Entrepreneur Awards from UnLtd4	Varies	Nationwide	Social entrepreneurs and ventures
King’s Trust Enterprise5	Up to £5,000	Nationwide	18-30 year-olds
Business Development Grant Scheme – Scarborough6	Up to £1,000	Scarborough	Scarborough-based startups
Business Start-up Grant Scheme - Mansfield7	Up to £2,500	Mansfield	Mansfield-based startups
Elmbridge Start-up Boost8	Up to £1,000	Elmbridge	Elmbridge-based startups
AD:VENTURE Business Growth Grant9	£1,500 to £5,000	West Yorkshire	West Yorkshire-based startups

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) isn’t a grant, but it is still very much worth considering if you’re a UK startup in need of initial funding.

SEIS offers tax breaks to investors in return for investing in an eligible UK startup. The aim is to incentivise startup investment in this way, helping to boost innovation and economic growth.

It’s a UK government initiative which has been around since 2012. If you qualify for SEIS as an entrepreneur, you could potentially raise up to £150,000 through the scheme.¹ To be eligible, your startup must meet the following requirements:²

• A UK-based company under 2 years old
• Fully independent
• Not listed on any major stock exchange
• Operating in a qualifying industry or profession
• Fewer than 25 employees.

You can find out more on the SEIS website.

Innovate UK

Innovate UK offers grant funding of between £25,000 and £10 million to UK startups and individuals working on specific innovation or technology projects.³ Grant funding is often available in the following areas:³

• Artificial intelligence and data
• Ageing society
• Clean growth
• Future of mobility.

So if your company is working in any of these areas, it could be worth applying. Find out more here.

Social Entrepreneur Awards from UnLtd⁴

UnLtd is a charitable organisation that offers awards, grants, business support and networking to social entrepreneurs and organisations operating in the UK.

If your startup is a social venture, a profit for purpose business with a social mission at its heart, it could benefit from UnLtd’s Social Entrepreneur Awards. Two UK-wide programmes are running at the moment:

• The Funding Futures Programme - for 16 to 30-year olds with an idea or a startup that has been operating for less than 4 years. The focus is the financial inclusion sector.
• The Millennium Awards Trust - for anyone over 16 in any sector who has an idea or a startup has been operating for less than 4 years.

Grant awards vary on application, depending on the needs of your startup. Along with funding, UnLtd also provides a dedicated support manager, upskilling opportunities with peers, expert guidance and legal adviser consultancy services.

Find out more here.

King’s Trust Enterprise⁵

The King’s Trust Enterprise programme is designed to provide funding and support to young people aged 18 to 30, who are looking to start a business or have been actively trading for less than a year.

The programme is run by the King’s Trust, a global network of charities founded by His Majesty The King to provide support, courses and resources to help young people find work or start a business.

There are two start-up business grants available in the UK right now:

• Test My Business idea grants of up to £500
• Start Up grant of up to £5,000.

To be eligible for funding, you’ll need to be within the target age range - although applicants can apply from across the UK. You’ll need a business plan, market research and a cashflow forecast. You’ll also need to be willing to take part in workshops, and take advantage of other non-financial support services offered by the scheme.

More information is available here.

💡 See more funding options for startups

Regional startup grants

We’ve looked at UK-wide grant schemes for startups where there’s no specific geographical requirement, but there are also a number of region-specific grants available.

So if your startup operates in a particular area, you could benefit from an extra pot of funding to help with initial overheads.

Business Development Grant Scheme – Scarborough⁶

The Business Development Grant Scheme in Scarborough is a business support programme run by Scarborough Borough Council. It’s only open to new start-ups and established SMEs in the Scarborough area, or those that are looking to relocate there.

Startups (with a maximum of 10 people) can benefit from grants of up to £1,000, although the maximum grant will be for 50% of eligible project costs.

Find out more here.

Business Start-up Grant Scheme - Mansfield⁷

Another regional scheme supporting startups, the Business Start-up Grant Scheme in Mansfield is organised by Mansfield District Council.

Available exclusively to new businesses in the Mansfield area, the scheme offers grants of up to £2,500. This money can be used to cover essential start-up costs such as:

• Office furniture and shop fittings
• Machinery and equipment
• Business stationery
• Marketing
• Security equipment.

Find out more here.

Elmbridge Start-up Boost⁸

Startups located in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey can apply for the Elmbridge Start-up Boost scheme. This offers grants of up to 50% of eligible project costs, up to a maximum of £1,000 (founders will need to fund the other 50% themselves).

Organised by Elmbridge Borough Council, the programme is only available to companies that are looking to launch in the local area. You can’t apply if you’ve already launched (within the last 6 months) or have taken over an existing business.

To apply, you’ll need the following:

• A business plan or proposal
• A 24-month financial forecast
• A sustainability plan
• 2 comparable quotes per element you’re applying for (i.e. the purchase of equipment or one-off marketing campaigns).

More information is available here on the Elmbridge Borough Council website.

AD:VENTURE Business Growth Grant⁹

AD:VENTURE is a business support programme operating in West Yorkshire and led by Leeds City Council.

It offers an AD:VENTURE Business Growth Grant for startups operating within certain parts of West Yorkshire. This includes the local authority regions of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale.

The grant is between £1,500 and £5,000, and is designed to cover 50% of total project costs - with the company match-funding the remaining 50%.

To qualify, your business must be less than 3 years old, with fewer than 250 full-time employees and an annual turnover of less than £43 million. This means that most startups in the area will qualify.

You’ll also need a business bank account, and a business plan and cashflow forecast which demonstrates that the business is viable and has high growth potential.

The funds can be used for tools and production equipment, website design and development and IT equipment and office furniture. You can’t use it for ongoing running costs like buying stock, paying staff or renting premises.

Find out more on the AD:VENTURE website.

Grow your company and go global with Wise Business

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With a truly global account, you’ll be all set to grow your business worldwide.

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Sources used for this article:
1. SEIS - About SEIS - FAQ
2. SEIS - Criteria
3. GOV.UK - Innovate UK - grant funding, innovation loans and expert support
4. UnLtd - Award
5. King’s Trust - Funding for your business
6. GOV.UK - Business Development Grant Scheme – Scarborough
7. GOV.UK - Business start-up grant scheme - Mansfield
8. Elmbridge Borough Council - Elmbridge start-up boost
9. AD:VENTURE - AD:VENTURE Growth Grant

Sources checked on 30-April-2025