Business funding and grants help for UK businesses
Funding is out there, and so is a lot of noise. We help you work out which routes might suit you, prepare properly and keep your evidence straight, with no promises about what comes in.
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Who this is for
You run or lead a business that has something worth backing: a product, a team, a piece of research or a plan. You suspect public or private money could help, but the forms, scoring and jargon are a maze, and every hour spent on them is an hour not spent on the business.
Explore Business funding
- Innovate UK fundingHow Innovate UK competitions are scored, and how to prepare an application a busy assessor will read with interest.
- Knowledge Transfer PartnershipsWorking with a university and a graduate associate on a defined project, and how to find the partner and shape the idea.
- Investor readinessGetting ready to raise: your story, your numbers, a tidy data room and the questions investors will ask.
- Business funding guideLive UK grants and funding, refreshed every Monday, so you can see what is open without trawling dozens of sites.
- R&D tax creditsWhat R&D tax relief is, who it is meant for and how a claim works, in plain English.
- Grant writingWhat makes a grant application worth reading, and how to write one that is clear, honest and well evidenced.
Good to know: UK R&D tax relief changed. For accounting periods starting on or after 1 April 2024, the two older schemes (SME and RDEC) merged into one. Check the current rules on GOV.UK before you rely on this. Read the GOV.UK guidance on the merged scheme
Why funding feels harder than it should
Too many schemes to compare
Grants, loans, tax relief, regional pots and investors all sound relevant. Nobody tells you which fit your stage, and the wrong choice costs weeks.
Applications that read like forms
You answer each question honestly but flatly. Assessors can read a great many in one sitting, and a plain account of a good idea often loses to a sharper one.
Evidence you cannot find in time
Costs, time records, customer proof and project plans are scattered. A deadline arrives and you assemble them from memory, which weakens the case.
Money with strings you did not read
Match funding, reporting duties, state aid rules and claw back clauses can change a good deal into a burden. Few people check until after the offer.
How we help with funding
Scope &
Strategy
We talk through what you are building, what it needs and when, then shortlist the kinds of funding worth your effort and the ones to leave. You get an honest view of effort against likelihood.
About Scope & StrategySystems &
Solutions
We set up the records funders ask for: costs, time, milestones and evidence in one organised place, so applications and later reports draw from the same source instead of starting again.
About Systems & SolutionsSecurity &
Support
Funders and investors look closely at how you handle data and money. We help you keep controls sensible and your answers accurate, and we stay on hand as grant conditions and reporting duties come due.
About Security & SupportQuestions people ask
What funding is available for UK small businesses?
It varies by sector, region, size and stage, and it changes often. Common routes include innovation grants, tax relief for research and development, loans, regional schemes and investment. Check GOV.UK and the funder directly for what is open now.
Is it worth applying for a grant?
Sometimes, but applications take real time and most are unsuccessful. Weigh the effort against what the money would let you do, how well you fit the criteria and what you give up while writing. A clear no is a useful answer too.
Can someone write a grant application for me?
Help is possible and common, but the content must be yours, accurate and in your voice, and funders can check. We help you shape the story, test the numbers and tidy the evidence. You stay responsible for what is submitted.
How do I start with NYAS on funding?
Book a call. We will ask what you are building, what stage you are at and what you have tried. We give you an honest view of where to look and whether we can help. No funding is promised, and no commitment follows.
Talk to us about business funding.
You tell us what is going on. We tell you honestly whether we can help, and if we cannot, we will say so.