Updated 31 October 2026
Grants and funding for creative and media businesses
Schemes open today that name creative and media businesses in their published criteria, or fund the kind of work creative and media businesses do. Read from the funders' own pages and re-checked daily.
21 open today. Whether your business qualifies for any of them depends on your legal form, your size, your age and where you are, which is what the check does.
Which of these can you actually get?
Enter your company number. We read each funder’s own page against your business and tell you which fit, which do not, and why.
Check my businessWhat kind of funding these are
- Grants
- 13
- Tax reliefs
- 4
- Loans
- 2
- In-kind and free support
- 1
- Mixed
- 1
A grant is money you keep. A tax relief lowers a bill rather than arriving as cash. In-kind support is training, credits or expert time instead of money. Loans and equity have to be paid back or bought back, and are worth treating as a different decision entirely.
Who can apply
Every one of these has published criteria. Across the 21, the conditions that come up most are that you must:
- work in a named sector16 of 21
- be under a headcount limit5 of 21
- be a particular kind of organisation5 of 21
- be under a turnover limit3 of 21
- be spending within a range2 of 21
- be at a particular stage2 of 21
Which of them you meet depends on your legal form, size, age and where you are registered. That is what the check reads for you, scheme by scheme, and it quotes the funder’s own sentence beside each answer.
What the money is for
- Creative industries 13
- Business growth 4
- Staff training 3
- Equipment 3
- Marketing 3
- Premises 2
- Property improvements 2
- Staff recruitment 2
How to apply
You apply to the funder, never to us. Every scheme above links straight to its own page, and that page is the only thing that decides whether you get it.
Before you spend an afternoon on a form, three things are worth checking: that you are inside the deadline — 1 of these close within the month; that you have not already started or paid for the work, which a great many grants refuse; and that you can fund the share they expect you to.
Most refusals are not close calls. They are a rule the applicant never saw, in a sentence on the funder’s own page.
Where else to look
The government publishes its own list, free, and you should use it. What is above is wider than that list, because it also holds council schemes, tax reliefs and in-kind support that Find a Grant does not carry — but if you only want a list, start there.
Find a grant, on GOV.UKThe 21 open today
Loan
Midlands Engine Investment Fund II – Debt Fund
Department for Business and Trade
Up to£2,000,000
A flexible debt fund providing loans between £100,000 and £2 million to established SMEs trading business to business across the East and West Midlands, to support growth plans such as working capital, asset purchase, product development, new staff and marketing. It cannot be used to refinance existing debt.
RollingThe funder’s page
Loan
Regional Growth Loan Scheme - East of England
The FSE Group
Up to£500,000
A loan scheme run by The FSE Group offering growth finance to established SMEs across the East of England. Loans range from £50,000 to £500,000 for businesses with turnover of at least £100,000 and a clear plan for significant growth.
RollingThe funder’s page
Mixed
Yorkshire Content Fund
Screen Yorkshire
Up to£500,000
A public-private investment fund providing finance of up to £500,000 per project to TV, film, video games and digital businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber that cannot raise enough finance from conventional sources, working alongside conventional financiers to complete funding packages.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
UK Games Fund - Content Fund
UK Games Fund
Up to£250,000
The UK Games Fund, run by the UK Games Talent and Finance CIC with continued DCMS backing, offers commercial games-for-entertainment content grants of £100,000 to £250,000 to support UK games studios. The Content Fund is currently open for Expressions of Interest.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
Project Post Fund
Screen Scotland
Up to£100,000
A Screen Scotland fund that pays large-scale film and TV productions to carry out post-production and VFX work with a Scotland-based facility. Grants of £5,000 to £100,000 are available on a rolling basis, provided the production spends at least five times the grant amount in Scotland.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
UK Global Screen Fund: International Distribution (P&A Support)
British Film Institute
Up to£100,000
A BFI-administered non-recoupable grant scheme that helps get UK films wider, higher-profile international cinema releases by supporting the prints-and-advertising (P&A) costs of the international distributors releasing them. It is applied for by the film's UK-based international sales agent, or the lead UK producer if no sales agent is appointed.
Closes 31 March 2028The funder’s page
Grant
National Lottery Film Festival and Screening Programme Fund
Screen Scotland
Up to£45,000
Screen Scotland funding for organisations that produce and deliver film festivals and public screening programmes in Scotland, prioritising underrepresented and underserved audiences. Awards run from £15,000 to £45,000, with an optional two-year Development Funding stream for established festivals.
Closes 12 November 2026The funder’s page
Grant
Screen Education Fund
Screen Scotland
Up to£30,000
Funding for projects that help people in Scotland access, understand and create film and screen content, including professional learning for teachers and educators. Grants of £1,000 to £30,000 are available for projects lasting up to 12 months, applied for at any time subject to budget.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
Cardiff Grassroots Venue Fund
Cardiff Council
Up to£20,000
Cardiff Council's Local Growth Fund Grassroots Venue Fund offers capital grants of £1,000 to £20,000, covering 75% of eligible project costs, to help existing grassroots venues in Cardiff invest to become more financially or environmentally sustainable. Eligible spend includes machinery and equipment, signage and property improvements, energy efficiency and accessibility upgrades.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
AD:VENTURE Growth Grant
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Up to£5,000
AD:VENTURE's Growth Grant offers West Yorkshire SMEs £1,500 to £5,000, covering up to 50% of eligible capital project costs, for growth investment such as equipment and IT. It is paid in arrears after the applicant has joined the AD:VENTURE programme and worked with a Business Manager on a diagnostic and action plan.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
Broadcast Content Fund
Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland's Broadcast Content Fund supports Scottish production companies with development or production funding for broadcast content across all genres, factual and scripted, where there is a demonstrable need for public funding. No award amount is stated on this page; full financial detail sits in a linked guidance document.
RollingThe funder’s page
Tax relief
Business rates relief for live music and pubs
Islington Council
Islington Council gives music venues and pubs in the borough a discount on their business rates. Eligible premises get 15% off their bill from 1 April 2026.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
Film Development and Production Fund
Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland's Film Development and Production Fund supports the development and production costs of feature-length films and documentaries made by filmmakers based in Scotland. It covers single-project development funding and film production funding, and applicants must meet the BFI Diversity Standards as part of the eligibility criteria.
RollingThe funder’s page
In-kind support
Fit To Bid
Department for Business and Trade
A fully-funded programme of workshops and 1:1 advice delivered by Brandiun Business Support Ltd to help small and medium-sized London businesses win contracts with Tier 1 suppliers, including a bid capability assessment and tendering guidance.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
Market and Festival Attendance Fund
Screen Scotland
A contribution towards the costs of Scotland-based film and TV professionals attending key UK and international markets and festivals, to support the financial or late-stage creative progression of a specific project.
RollingThe funder’s page
Tax relief
Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief
HM Revenue & Customs
Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief is a UK Corporation Tax relief for primary and secondary production companies that put on a qualifying exhibition for a museum or gallery. It works as an extra deduction against profits, or a payable tax credit if the company makes a loss on the exhibition.
RollingThe funder’s page
Tax relief
Orchestra Tax Relief
HM Revenue & Customs
Orchestra Tax Relief lets a qualifying production company reduce its Corporation Tax bill by claiming an additional deduction on the costs of producing a live orchestral concert. Loss-making companies can instead surrender some or all of the loss for a payable cash tax credit.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
People and Research
Historic England
Historic England grants for engagement, skills, training and heritage project posts, as well as research into England's historic environment, such as scientific and technical conservation, surveys, publication and archiving. Registered companies and self-employed sole traders can apply alongside charities, local authorities and educational institutions.
Closes 31 March 2027The funder’s page
Grant
Production Funding
Northern Ireland Screen
Northern Ireland Screen tops up the budgets of feature films, TV drama, factual and entertainment programmes, animation and interactive content projects that are almost fully financed. It favours commercially viable productions that bring economic benefit and jobs to Northern Ireland's screen industry.
RollingThe funder’s page
Grant
UK Global Screen Fund International Distribution Festival Launch funding
British Film Institute (BFI)
The BFI offers non-recoupable grants to UK sales agents and UK producers to cover enhanced publicity, marketing and logistical costs of launching a UK film at an eligible international festival. Applications are accepted year-round but must be submitted at least four weeks before the festival's start date.
RollingThe funder’s page
Tax relief
UK Investment Zones Tax Site Incentives
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Businesses investing in one of 13 UK Investment Zones get access to a 10-year package of tax reliefs on designated sites plus support for skills, infrastructure and innovation. On designated tax sites this includes full Stamp Duty Land Tax relief, zero-rate employer National Insurance on new employees' earnings up to £25,000 a year for 36 months, a 100% first-year capital allowance on plant and machinery, an enhanced structures and buildings allowance, and full business rates relief for eligible new or expanding businesses.
RollingThe funder’s page