Start Up Loans
The British Business Bank offers Start Up Loans https://www.startuploans.co.uk to help new businesses start and grow. Start Up Loans offers the opportunity to borrow up to £25,000 at a fixed interest rate of 6% per annum, repayable over 1-5 years. As well as providing access to early financing, the loans will also include 12 months of post-investment mentoring support for recipients. A UK based business which has been trading for less than 36 months can apply. New ‘second loans’ are available for businesses that have been trading for up to five years to provide much-needed support for the UK’s innovators and entrepreneurs.
Funding Circle
Funding Circle is an online marketplace, which allows savers to lend money directly to small and medium sized businesses. Funding Circle directly connects people and organisations who want to lend, with vetted, established businesses who want to borrow.
British Business Bank Finance Hub
The British Business Bank is a Government-owned, independently-run development bank that helps growing businesses find the right finance option to help them reach their next ambition. The British Bank Finance Hub helps businesses understand and discover the finance options that could enable them to grow.
NW Access to Finance
Access to Finance service offers help from a team of impartial, experienced financial advisors to find the right funding for your business. The service, is funded by Lancashire County Council and UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This service offers help from a team of impartial, experienced financial advisors to find the right funding for your business. The service, which is funded by Lancashire County Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is available free of charge to eligible Lancashire businesses. Please see Access to Finance | Boost Lancashire (boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk) for more information.
Rosebud
Rosebud funding can support growing businesses in the following high growth business sectors: Advanced Manufacturing; Aerospace; Finance and Professional; Creative and Digital; Energy and Environment; and Health. Businesses should be based in Lancashire or relocating here. Rosebud Micro provides finance from £10,000 to £49,000. While Rosebud Business Finance provides funding from £50,000, along with a package of customised business support and advice.
Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund
Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund https://www.npif.co.uk is an initiative launched by the government-owned British Business Bank. It provides commercial finance through three types of product funds: microfinance, debt finance and equity finance. These funds provide funding options that are designed to plug common gaps in the provision of finance, giving your business access to the funding it needs to help it grow.
HSBC
HSBC offers a Female Entrepreneur Fund, which provides lending to female-owned businesses. This sits alongside the HSBC Roar initiative, which enables female entrepreneurs to access a range of masterclasses and networking opportunities.
NWCRC
The NWCRC has a number of regional fully-funded programmes available for small to medium businesses, which encompass training and resources to help protect against cyber threats. The programmes are funded by the regional police forces and the Police and Crime Commissioners from proceeds of crime funding. Currently, there are free places available for businesses in Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire counties. Find out more here.
Creative England
Creative England https://www.wearecreative.uk/investment offers advice, access to funding, loans, and growth mentoring for businesses in the creative sector. Creative England has partnered with Triodos Bank on the Creative Growth Finance Fund to offer loans of £100,000 to £1m that will help businesses to grow.
https://www.wearecreative.uk/support/creative-enterprise/investment/creativegrowthfinance
Venture Capital
There are 4 schemes designed to help small or medium sized companies and social enterprises grow by attracting investment. The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS); Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS); Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR); and Venture capital trust (VCT)
They offer tax reliefs to individuals who buy and hold new shares, bonds or assets for a specific period of time. Please see the GOV website for details.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-raise-money-by-offering-tax-reliefs-to-investors