Finance, Funding and Grants in Newcastle under Lyme

Green Solutions is a programme that offers support to businesses in Staffordshire Local Authority areas (except Stoke-on-Trent) to enable you to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The support available has 3 elements:

- Carbon Literacy Training - Offering a FREE 8-hour training course will provide you the knowledge and skills to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You can choose whether to attend an in-person or online course, and the training is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project.

- Energy Efficiency Review - A FREE review that will look at your energy consumption and provide recommendations to save money and reduce your carbon emissions.

- Low Carbon Grant - A grant of between £1,000 and £20,000 (cover up to 50% of eligible costs) is available per business to implement any of the recommendations from the Energy Efficiency Review.

Eligibility: Available for trading businesses in Staffordshire (except Stoke-on-Trent)

Website: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Business/Staffordshire-means-Business/Environmental-Business-Support/Green-Solutions.aspx

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II offers commercially focussed finance through Small Business Loans, Debt Finance, Proof of Concept and Equity Finance funds. 

For more information on the types of loans available, go to the following links:

Small Business Loans - from £25,000 - £100,000
Smaller Loans - British Business Bank (british-business-bank.co.uk)

Debt Finance - Business loans from £100,000 - £2 million
Debt Finance - British Business Bank (british-business-bank.co.uk)

Equity Finance - Later stage equity finance up to £5 million
Equity Finance - British Business Bank (british-business-bank.co.uk)

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading.

Main website: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/nations-and-regions-investment-funds/midlands-engine-investment-fund-ii-meif-ii/

Medilink Midlands provides support to companies in the life sciences sector to help them form partnerships, secure grant funding, develop new products and services and share ideas.

Eligibility: Less than 250 employees and/or less than €50million annual turnover, are working in, or looking to work in, life sciences, have business premises located in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire or the South East Midlands or are thinking about moving into the area.

Website: https://www.medilinkmidlands.com/business-support-programme-overview/

Is your business looking for a loan between £10,000 and £150,000?

ART is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) which provides business loans to existing businesses and social enterprises in the West Midlands that are unable to receive their full funding requirements from their bank. 

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading.

Website: http://www.reinvest.co.uk/

Tel: 0121 359 2444

E-mail: [email protected]

BCRS offers business loans from £10,000 to £150,000 to businesses that are unable to access mainstream finance from sources such as banks. They also offer loans to businesses making a positive contribution to the social, environmental, or economic well-being within their area.

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading. Lend to most market sectors including construction, engineering, IT services, manufacturing, service providers and wholesalers.

Website: https://bcrs.org.uk/

Tel: 0345 313 8410

E-mail: [email protected]

SMEs based in the West Midlands who conduct commercial operations within the centre of Birmingham could be eligible for financial incentives through Birmingham City Council, designed to offer support towards replacing their LGV (Light Goods Vehicle) and HDV (Heavy Duty Vehicle) to meet required emission standards. 

These include a grant of up to £15,000 for a heavy goods vehicle and up to £4,000 for a light goods vehicle.  The fund can be used towards the cost of retrofitting existing vehicles, purchasing and/or leasing compliant vehicles or exit/relocation costs.

Registered owners of Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicles, licensed by Birmingham City Council, who have owned their vehicles since before 2018 are also able to access support between £5,000 - £10,000 depending on the vehicle, towards the costs of a clean vehicle retrofit accreditation scheme (CVRAS) approved Retrofit Solution, or towards the operating expenses of a Birmingham licensed electric or ULEV HC vehicle.

Eligibility: Businesses must have been trading for over 12 months and own or lease a qualifying vehicle that does not meet the Birmingham City area Clean Air Zone emission standards. They will need to be able to prove the frequency of travel into the Clean Air Zone (based on current operations) and the current emissions standard of the eligible, non-compliant vehicle.

Location: Businesses must be based in the West Midlands and carry out commercial operations within the centre of Birmingham.

E-mail: https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/info/27/financial-incentives/2/clean-air-zone-1/4
Apply via the website.

If you are looking for funding then Key Fund may be able to help.

Providing tailored grants and loans to support the development and growth of new and existing social enterprise activity in the North of England. Funding can be used to support revenue or capital costs, including bridging facilities, capital purchases, cashflow, refurbishment costs, running costs, set-up costs, and wages.

They also deliver bespoke workshops and one-to-one support.

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading but you must be a registered/incorporated company providing positive social or environmental impact. The fund can not support sole traders or partnerships of individuals. Applicants must have already approached a commercial lender and been refused, prior to submitting a proposal.

Website: https://thekeyfund.co.uk/

Tel: 0330 202 0559

E-mail: [email protected]

UKSE can help your business if you are looking for a loan or equity finance.

Funding can be used for working capital, equipment purchase, premises, relocations, management buy-outs (MBOs), management buy-ins (MBIs), starting-up and other funding requirements across many business sectors including manufacturing and services to businesses.

- Loan finance from £25,000 (for start-up and growth)

- Equity finance up to £1,000,000 (growth)

Eligibility: Available for businesses in steel areas. North England, Tees Valley & Derwentside, West Cumbria, Yorkshire & Humber - South Yorkshire, Chesterfield & Worksop, Humberside, The Midlands, Birmingham, The Black Country, Staffordshire, Coventry and Corby. Please use the eligibility checker on the website to confirm you are in an eligible area.

Website: https://www.ukse.co.uk/investment/

Tel: 0114 270 0933

E-mail: [email protected]

Looking to add investment into your business?

The Regional Debt Fund provides loan/equity investment in amounts from £250K up to £2m towards growth capital, job creation, capital expenditure, product development, export development or marketing development.

Eligibility: Available to businesses trading over 24 months.

Website: https://www.frontierdevelopmentcapital.com/funding/regional-debt-fund/

Tel: 0345 319 4528

E-mail: [email protected]

A UK-wide, government-backed initiative financed through British Business Bank, providing loans for people starting a new business or have been trading for less than 3 years. Loans range from £500 to £25,000 with a fixed interest rate of 6% over 1-5 years. The scheme also offers 12 months of mentoring for successful loan applicants.

- The scheme is open to those over the age of 18 at the time of application

- Applicants must live in the UK. They must also have the right to remain in the UK for the duration of the loan term and the right to be self-employed.

- Applicants should be unable to access alternative finance for starting a business elsewhere.

- As part of the application process, a credit check will take place. Applicants with recent defaults or poor credit histories should check with a credit reference agency to ensure their records are up to date before applying.

Eligibility: https://www.startuploans.co.uk/faqs-2/eligibility/

Website: https://www.startuploans.co.uk/

Tel:0344 264 2600

E-mail: [email protected]

Start Up Loans also offers the below products through the listed dedicated providers.

Sharia compliant finance
The Start Up Loans Company provides a Sharia compliant investment product. This is provided through the Financing Startup Enterprise Group.
https://www.startuploans.co.uk/sharia-compliant-finance/
Tel: 0330 056 2528 

Creative Businesses
The Start Up Loans company provides loans specifically for the creative sector. This is provided through Creative England.
https://www.wearecreative.uk/investment/
Apply via the website.

Ex-service personnel
For military spouses & partners, reservists, cadets and children of forces personnel with entrepreneurial ambition.
Website: https://www.x-forces.com/
Tel:0800 368 9533
E-mail: [email protected]

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is an equity scheme aimed at small riskier, early stage UK companies willing to hand over equity in their business in exchange for capital funding. It is designed to boost economic growth in the UK by promoting new enterprise and entrepreneurship. You can raise a maximum of £250,000 through SEIS.

The following criteria must be met by the company in order to be eligible and remain SEIS compliant:

- Must be established in the UK
- Must be fully independent (has not been controlled by another company since their date of incorporation)
- Must not be a member of a partnership
- Does not control another company unless that company is a qualifying subsidiary
- Must be unquoted before beginning SEIS (not listed on any major stock exchange)
- Has no arrangements to become a quoted company or a subsidiary of one at the time of the share issue
- Must be operating in a qualifying trade
- Must have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees when the shares are issued
- Must not have gross assets over £350,000 when the shares are issued

Website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme 

E-mail: [email protected]

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency and works with companies and partner organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.

They do this by offering loans, grants, competitions, and access to academic resources and support via Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Innovate UK Business Connect, and Catapult Centres.

They have also produced the good application guide to help you prepare your best funding application.

Website: https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/

Funding website: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/search

Tel: 0300 321 4357

E-mail: [email protected]

Is your business over 12 months old and looking to grow? The Government's new Help to Grow programme could help.

The scheme offers decision-makers and senior managers access to a 12 week programme, designed to be manageable alongside full-time work. It combines a practical curriculum with 1:1 mentoring, peer-learning and alumni networking. Participants are enabled to develop their skills in areas such as financial management, innovation and digital adoption, working towards a tailored business growth plan to lead their business to its full potential.

Delivered by leading business schools across the UK, the programme is 90% subsidised by the government, with participants contributing £750. Some business schools delivering the Help to Grow Management programme are providing bursaries of £750 - more information is available directly from the business schools.

Eligibility: Available for limited companies who have been trading over 12 months with between 5-249 employees. If your business employs between 10 and 249 people, you can send up to two participants on the course. For more information, please read the FAQs.

Website: https://smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management/


As well as this scheme, you can find more information and support resources for starting and growing a business on the Government's Help to Grow campaign website: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/

Advanced Learner Loan helps with the costs of a college or training course. The course must have started on or after 1 August 2016 and be an eligible Level 3, 4, 5, or 6 courses, e.g. A-Levels or graduate certificate. Information about how to apply can be found here. The loan, which must be paid back, doesn't depend on income and there are no credit checks.

If you’re studying a Level 3 qualification, you might be eligible for an ‘Adult Education Budget’ grant instead of an Advanced Learner Loan. If you get a grant, you do not need to repay it. Ask your college or training provider about grants before you apply for a loan.

There is also a bursary fund; you may be eligible for support from the Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund for help with learning or living costs, e.g. childcare, accommodation expenses, course materials, a support assistant for learners with a disability or learning difficulty.

Applications for the bursary are made directly to the college or training provider and can be applied for as soon as you have received your confirmation letter of the Advanced Learner Loan. In some cases, money from the fund may have to be paid back.

In regards to making repayments if you are an employee, your employer will work out the repayments due and deduct them from your salary (with prior agreement). If you are self-employed you can make repayments as part of your self-assessment tax return. Additional repayments can be made at any time without an extra charge.

To support employees who wish to undertake professional development, employers can elect to make voluntary payments for part or the whole of the loan amount, on behalf of their employees. Employers can also make individual agreements with their employees about loan repayments. In either case, employers are urged to take their own independent advice on how the tax rules apply to them and their employees and any consequences of potential payments that they may make for their employees.

There are no upfront fees for this facility and you will only have to start repaying the loan the April after your course ends - details of Plans and income thresholds can be found here (though you can choose to start paying before this without any penalties). Speak to your preferred college for information on whether the course that you will be studying is eligible and which Plan you will be on when you start repayments.

Website: https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan