Business grants in Northern Ireland for limited companies

The main sources of business grants in Northern Ireland are Invest NI, the Go Succeed service run by the 11 councils, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Grants usually open in short rounds and cover only part of a project, so each scheme below shows what it pays and its status, checked on 28 October 2026.

Worth knowing: Northern Ireland grants usually pay out after you've bought and paid for everything. The Rural Business Development Grant, for example, only reimburses costs once items are bought, paid in full, and a claim is processed, so you need the full cost up front, not just your share.

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Which Northern Ireland grants are open, closed or run in rounds

As of 28 October 2026, Groundwork for Growth is the one Invest NI call still open, closing at 12 noon on 2 November 2026. The Innovation Vouchers call closed on 16 October 2026 and the 2026 Go Succeed Grant round closed on 13 October 2026. The Rural Business Development Grant, Ambition to Grow, and the Business Innovation Grant are closed, and the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund has no open call.

Each scheme links to its official page, which has the latest dates and rules.

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Go Succeed is the starting point for new and small businesses

Go Succeed is the free business-support service that Northern Ireland's 11 councils run for new and growing businesses. It's also the only route to the Go Succeed Grant, which pays up to 50% of capital costs, from £1,000 to £4,000.

Go Succeed is funded by the UK Government and gives you a mentor, masterclasses, and help with business plans and funding applications. You can register on the Go Succeed website or call 0800 027 0639.

To apply for the Go Succeed Grant, your business needs to:

• Be actively trading in your council area.
• Have completed at least 60% of your Go Succeed mentoring before you apply, and 100% before the grant is paid.
• Employ at least one full-time employee and fewer than 50 full-time employees, or have the potential to.
• Not have had a Go Succeed Grant before.

The grant pays towards equipment, machinery, software, and websites, but not running costs such as rent, wages, or stock, or marketing, vehicles, or hire purchase. Awards are competitive and paid after the project is complete.

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Invest NI grants are for innovation and selling outside Northern Ireland

Invest NI, Northern Ireland's regional economic development agency, aims its grants for smaller businesses at innovation and at selling outside Northern Ireland. Some grants, such as Grant for R&D, are only for Invest NI clients.

The programmes below don't need you to be an Invest NI client. For anything else, Invest NI's Business Support Team is on 0800 181 4422.

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Innovation Vouchers are worth up to £10,000 of expert help

An Innovation Voucher is worth up to £10,000 of expertise from a university or college in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. Invest NI pays the knowledge provider, not your business. The scheme runs in periodic calls, and the most recent closed at 15:00 on 16 October 2026.

Vouchers are for an innovation problem you don't have the expertise to solve in-house, such as a new product, process, or material. Small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 250 employees can apply, including businesses that haven't started trading. You pay the VAT on the voucher and any cost above its value. Business plans, market research, websites, marketing, and training aren't eligible.

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Groundwork for Growth and Ambition to Grow fund growth beyond Northern Ireland

Groundwork for Growth gives up to £15,000 for market, product, or skills development, and its call closes at 12 noon on 2 November 2026. Ambition to Grow gives up to £45,000, mostly towards new jobs, but its latest call closed on 1 October 2026.

Both are for businesses that aren't Invest NI clients, with a turnover under £2m or sales outside Northern Ireland under £250,000. The main differences are:

• Groundwork for Growth: for manufacturers and tradeable services businesses with no immediate plans to hire. You need to be generating sales and have at least £8,000 to invest in the project. Retail (online included), wholesale, distribution, and tourism accommodation are among the excluded sectors.
• Ambition to Grow: up to £30,000 towards new jobs, up to £10,000 for market, product, or skills development, and £5,000 for completing an Export Health Check, an Innovate NI Self-Assessment, and two compulsory workshops. You need to be trading already.

Neither programme pays the full grant up front. Groundwork for Growth pays in arrears as a share of what you've spent, and Ambition to Grow pays each element once you've carried out or paid for the activity.

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The Business Innovation Grant is closed

The Business Innovation Grant, run by Invest NI with Innovate NI, gives £5,000–£20,000 at a 70% grant rate, but applications are closed. It funded work such as market validation, prototypes, and trade fairs outside Northern Ireland, and there was no date for a new round as of 28 October 2026.

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Rural and digital grants run in yearly rounds

The Rural Business Development Grant and the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund both pay towards equipment, and both run in rounds that are closed as of 28 October 2026. If either fits your project, ask your council when the next round opens.

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The Rural Business Development Grant needs a workshop before you apply

The Rural Business Development Grant pays 50% of the cost of new equipment, from £500 to £7,500, for existing rural micro businesses. You must attend a pre-funding workshop before you apply, and the 2026/27 round closed on 30 July 2026.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs funds the grant and councils run it. The 2026/27 rules give a sense of what to expect next time:

• Who can apply: businesses already trading in a rural area, with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees. Businesses that haven't started trading can't apply, and each business can make one application.
• Project size: £1,000–£30,000 in total, for new equipment, machinery, IT, software, or an e-commerce website.
• Not funded: second-hand equipment, building works, anything that needs planning permission, and any project started before a Letter of Offer.
• Timetable: the window ran from 29 June to 30 July 2026, Letters of Offer are due from 15 October 2026, and every claim has to be in by 15:00 on 21 December 2026.

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The Digital Transformation Flexible Fund has no open call

The Digital Transformation Flexible Fund gives small and micro businesses £5,000–£20,000, up to 70% of a digital project, but there's no open call. Call 7 closed to new expressions of interest on 27 February 2026.

The fund is for technology that changes how a business works, not for digitising what you already do, and you put in at least 30% of the cost. Northern Ireland's councils run it, with support from Invest NI.

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Start-up grants are mostly support rather than cash

Much of the help for new businesses in Northern Ireland is free mentoring, expert help, and loans rather than cash grants. Several cash grants need you to be trading first, including the Go Succeed Grant and the Rural Business Development Grant.

If your limited company hasn't started trading yet, Go Succeed's mentoring is open to you, as are Innovation Vouchers when Invest NI next runs a call. The SWEF Enterprise Fund, with the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, gives up to £2,000, but it's for individual owners aged 18–30 from low-income households rather than for companies.

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How do you fund your share of a grant?

Many grants pay part of the cost, and you fund the rest. They often pay after you've paid your suppliers, so you need the whole amount in your bank account first, not just your share.

Here's an illustrative example, using the Rural Business Development Grant's 2026/27 rules. Say your company buys £15,000 of new equipment. The grant pays 50%, which is £7,500, the scheme's maximum, and your company covers the other £7,500. But you pay the full £15,000 to suppliers first, from your business bank account, and claim the £7,500 back afterwards. The scheme won't accept hire purchase or cash payments.

There are three common ways to cover your share and the wait for the claim, and each suits a different situation:

A grant doesn't have to be repaid and a loan does, so it's worth seeing how grants and loans compare before you commit to either.

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Public loans come from Invest NI's funds and Start Up Loans

Invest NI backs two loan funds for local businesses, the NI Small Business Loan Fund for £10,000–£125,000 and the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland for £25,000–£2m. Both lend at commercial rates.

The main public loans for a Northern Ireland limited company are:

• NI Small Business Loan Fund: £10,000–£125,000 from Ulster Community Finance, with up to £25,000 for start-ups.
• Investment Fund for Northern Ireland: £25,000–£2m of secured or unsecured mezzanine finance from Whiterock Capital, for growing businesses.
• Start Up Loans: £500–£25,000 at a fixed 7.5% a year, repaid over 1–5 years, for businesses trading for less than five years. These are unsecured personal loans, so you borrow as an individual and you're personally liable. You also get up to 12 months' free mentoring.

Start Up Loans sit alongside other government-backed business loans available across the UK.

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How to apply for a business grant in Northern Ireland

Check every condition first, then wait for a Letter of Offer before you buy anything, because costs you commit to before the offer usually can't be claimed. Strong applications show a clear project, quotes, and how you'll pay your share.

1. Find the schemes that fit. Search the nibusinessinfo Business support finder, or ask your Go Succeed mentor or Invest NI.
2. Book any required workshop. Some schemes, including the Rural Business Development Grant and Ambition to Grow, won't fund you without one.
3. Get quotes. The Rural Business Development Grant, for example, asks for two price checks or written quotes for each item.
4. Show your share and your cash flow. Explain where your match funding comes from and how you'll pay suppliers before the claim is paid.
5. Declare other public funding. Many schemes ask about other public support you've had or applied for, such as the Rural Business Development Grant's declaration of previous aid.
6. Wait for your Letter of Offer. Don't order, sign for, or pay a deposit on anything before you've accepted it.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I combine a grant with a loan?

You can usually combine a grant with a loan, as long as the scheme's rules allow it. Some grants restrict how you pay for the project, such as the Rural Business Development Grant's ban on hire purchase.

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Is a business grant free money?

A grant doesn't have to be repaid, but it comes with conditions. Funders set what you can spend it on and by when, and they can check how you used it, through audits or site visits.

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Can I apply for more than one grant at a time?

You can apply to more than one scheme, but some stop you funding the same costs twice. The Go Succeed Grant won't pay for items another scheme could fund, such as the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund or Invest NI, and the Rural Business Development Grant takes one application per business.

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Can Northern Ireland businesses apply for UK-wide grants?

Northern Ireland businesses can apply for UK-wide small business grants, such as Innovate UK competitions, as well as the schemes on this page.

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Are there similar schemes in Wales and Scotland?

Each nation runs its own schemes. See business grants in Wales and business loans in Scotland.