Updated 31 October 2026

Business grants and funding in Scotland

Every scheme open to a business in Scotland today, taken from the funders' own published criteria and re-checked daily. Some are Scotland only; the rest are UK-wide and open to you as well.

49 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.

The 49 open today

• Grant

  DRIVE35 Scale-up Fund Drawdown 5

  Innovate UK

  Up to£20,000,000

  A competition offering grants to UK registered organisations that want to build or convert pilot-scale or demonstration-scale manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies and their supply chain. Grant requests must sit between £2.5 million and £20 million, with total eligible project costs above £5 million, and applicants must show they can unlock private co-investment worth at least twice the grant. Projects are expected to start from 1 June 2027 and finish by 31 March 2030.

  Closes 4 November 2026The funder’s page

• Mixed

  Investment Fund for Scotland

  British Business Bank

  Up to£5,000,000

  A £150 million British Business Bank fund providing commercial finance to new and growing businesses across Scotland, made up of Smaller Loans, Debt Finance and Equity Finance. It aims to increase the supply of early-stage finance for smaller Scottish businesses that might otherwise struggle to access investment.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Loan

  Investment Fund for Scotland (Debt)

  The FSE Group

  Up to£2,000,000

  The Investment Fund for Scotland (Debt) provides business loans of £100,000 to £2 million to Scottish SMEs seeking growth finance. It is managed by the FSE Group as part of the British Business Bank's Nations and Regions Investment Funds, and is aimed at SMEs with a proven business concept, commercial traction and a viable growth plan.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Equity

  Scottish Enterprise investment funds (Scottish Co-investment Fund and Scottish Venture Fund)

  Scottish Enterprise

  Up to£2,000,000

  Scottish Enterprise runs two equity funds — the Scottish Co-investment Fund and the Scottish Venture Fund — that put money into innovative, high-growth Scottish companies alongside experienced private sector investors. Scottish Enterprise typically takes shares, investing between £100,000 and £2 million and covering up to half of a funding package, with a cumulative cap of £2 million per company. You need a private investor already in place: for the Co-investment Fund that must be an accredited partner, and for the Venture Fund a lead private investor who has made an offer.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Loan

  Scottish Loan Scheme

  Scottish Enterprise

  Up to£2,000,000

  Scottish Enterprise lends between £250,000 and £2 million to growth-focused companies based in Scotland (or committed to relocating there) that can show a viable plan and the ability to repay. The money can be put towards working capital, capital spending, growth, international expansion or marketing. It is repayable debt, typically over one to seven years, with interest priced according to risk and security, plus a 1% arrangement fee.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  International Bilateral Fund - Call 3

  UK Space Agency

  Up to£1,500,000

  The UK Space Agency is funding space sector projects that build international partnerships, with grants of up to £1.5m per project. Projects must be led by a UK organisation, must include an international partner, must provide matched contributions, and must start on 1 April 2027 and run for no more than 18 months. Only one application is allowed per lead organisation, and the call closes at 3pm on 4 November 2026.

  Closes 4 November 2026The funder’s page

• Grant

  Depot Charging Scheme

  UK Government (published on GOV.UK Find a grant)

  Up to£1,000,000

  A government grant that pays part of the cost of installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure at fleet depots, so operators can run battery-electric vans, HGVs and coaches. The first window (25 March to 30 June 2026) covered 70% of charge point and civil costs up to £1 million per organisation, with works to finish by 31 March 2027. A further window is expected to open on 28 October 2026 for projects running to 31 March 2028, but the page says terms and grant rates for that phase are not yet confirmed.

  Closes 29 January 2027The funder’s page

• Loan

  Social Investment Scotland loan finance

  Social Investment Scotland

  Up to£875,000

  Social Investment Scotland (SIS) provides repayable loan finance to social enterprises, charities and community organisations, for uses such as scaling operations, working capital or buying property. There is no application form; SIS instead discusses your plans and financials directly. Typical pricing is 7-12% APR for term loans or around 1% per month for bridging loans, plus an arrangement fee.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Industry Impact Fund

  Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

  Up to£500,000

  CITB's Industry Impact Fund helps levy-registered construction employers design and pilot new skills and training solutions that don't already exist. Successful proposals can receive up to £500,000 to develop a scalable, sustainable idea addressing workforce challenges such as productivity, digital skills, net zero, or worker retention.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Loan

  SIS Bridging Loans

  Social Investment Scotland

  Up to£375,000

  A short-term bridging loan from Social Investment Scotland (SIS) for charities, social enterprises and community organisations that have already secured grant funding but need upfront cashflow to deliver the project before the grant is paid. The loan is repaid directly from the grant once it arrives.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Loan

  Flexible Growth Funding

  NatWest Social & Community Capital

  Up to£350,000

  Social & Community Capital is an independent charity backed by NatWest that lends to charities, social enterprises and community businesses in the Midlands, North West of England and Scotland that cannot access mainstream finance. Its Flexible Growth Funding loan of £30,000 to £350,000 helps organisations grow and increase their impact, and it also offers separate property, working capital and bridging loans.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  HIE Innovation Programme

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Up to£100,000

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise offers funding to help organisations in the Highlands and Islands develop innovative products, services and processes. Specialist advice grants of up to £10,000 support feasibility and technical work, while larger research and development grants of up to £100,000 support eligible R&D projects.

  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

  Postcode Trust Funding

  People's Postcode Trust

  Up to£50,000

  People's Postcode Trust offers three-year, flexible core funding to registered charities, community interest companies and charitable community benefit societies with annual income between £10,000 and £1 million. Awards are up to £50,000 total spread over three years and are not tied to a specific project.

  RollingThe 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

  Town Centre Premises Grant

  Renfrewshire Council

  Up to£25,000

  Renfrewshire Council's Business Gateway offers a grant of up to £25,000, covering up to 50% of project costs, to small and medium businesses moving into a previously vacant ground-floor commercial property in Paisley, Renfrew, Johnstone, Linwood or Erskine town centres. Community groups, charities and a long list of named trades such as betting shops and beauty businesses cannot apply, and the grant cannot be used for costs already incurred.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Advanced Innovation Voucher

  Scottish Enterprise, delivered by Interface

  Up to£20,000

  A matched grant, offered on a sliding scale up to £20,000, that funds a Scottish organisation to run an innovation project in partnership with a Scottish university or college. Interface administers applications on behalf of funding partner Scottish Enterprise.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Workplace Charging Scheme

  Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), administered by DVLA

  Up to£14,000

  A voucher-based grant that contributes towards buying and installing electric vehicle chargepoint sockets at workplace sites across the UK. It covers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026, with a limit of 40 sockets per applicant across all their sites. Applicants apply online, receive a voucher valid for 180 days, and an authorised installer claims the grant once the work is done.

  Closes 31 March 2027The funder’s page

• Grant

  Community Enterprise Fund

  Firstport

  Up to£5,000

  The Community Enterprise Fund, delivered by Firstport with money from the Scottish Government's Social Entrepreneurs Fund, gives grants of up to £5,000 to help community groups in Scotland start trading or set up a social enterprise. It covers most start-up costs but not existing activities, repairs or property improvements, and is a rolling, open programme.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation Community Fund

  Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation

  Up to£5,000

  Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation offers match funding of up to £5,000 for community-based crowdfunding projects run through Crowdfunder. Pledges up to £250 are matched at a 3:1 ratio, and each project needs a sponsor connected to Mortgage Advice Bureau. It is open to registered charities and Community Interest Companies based in England, Scotland or Wales.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Scottish Funding Council Innovation Vouchers

  Scottish Funding Council

  Up to£5,000

  A national voucher scheme funded by the Scottish Funding Council that lets Scottish-based SMEs claim up to £5,000 towards the cost of a new collaborative project with a Scottish university, such as Abertay. The business must match the voucher with its own cash or in-kind contribution, and the voucher can only be used to start a new university partnership, not to continue an existing one.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• In-kind support

  Employer Networks

  Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

  Up to£4,500

  CITB funds local Employer Networks that pay part of the cost of construction training for member employers. From April 2026, micro-to-medium employers (1-249 staff) can book training at 50% match funding, with an annual claim cap set per employer size band; large employers have a separate fund. CITB pays the training provider directly for its share of the cost.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  CITB Apprenticeship Grants

  Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

  Up to£3,500

  CITB pays registered, levy-paying construction employers a grant while their directly-employed apprentice attends an approved apprenticeship, plus a further grant when the apprentice achieves the qualification. An extra top-up is available for Interior Systems Installer apprenticeships, and CITB separately funds apprentice travel and accommodation.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Youth Jobs Grant

  Department for Work and Pensions

  Up to£3,000

  The government's Youth Jobs Grant pays employers up to £3,000 per job for recruiting an eligible young person aged 18-24 who has been on Universal Credit and out of work for six months or more, provided the role lasts at least 16 weeks. It is open to employers of all sizes and sectors across Great Britain.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Plant Standards and Grants

  CITB (Construction Industry Training Board)

  Up to£880

  CITB pays fixed grants to construction employers whose staff complete approved plant machinery training, covering categories such as excavators, dumpers, forklifts and telescopic handlers. The grant amount depends on the plant tier (1 to 3) and whether the trainee is novice or experienced, and is claimed by the ATO/TPN training provider on the employer's behalf rather than applied for directly.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  CITB Short Course Grants

  Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

  Up to£500

  CITB pays fixed grants to CITB-registered, levy-up-to-date construction employers when their directly employed staff, business owners, partners or subcontractors complete approved short courses (at least 3 hours long) in Plant Operations, Scaffolding and other listed occupations. Grants for listed scaffolding and other short courses range from £60 to £500 per person per course, and pay automatically once an Approved Training Organisation or Training Provider Network member reports the achievement, or via direct application within 52 weeks otherwise.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for residential landlords

  Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)

  Up to£500

  Residential landlords and organisations that own or manage rented homes can claim support towards buying and installing electric vehicle chargepoints at their properties. The grant covers 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket, for up to 200 sockets a year. Applicants must be registered at Companies House or VAT registered and must use an OZEV-authorised installer.

  Closes 31 March 2027The 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

• Grant

  Capital grant

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise offers a discretionary capital grant towards the costs of large capital expenditure projects carried out in Scotland. It is aimed at projects supporting the energy transition, scaling innovation into high-growth industries, or lifting productivity and wages, with the grant covering up to 40% of eligible costs for small enterprises, 30% for medium and 20% for large. The smallest grant considered is £250,000 and applicants start by sending an enquiry form to the Scottish Enterprise team.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• In-kind support

  Creating a Strategy for Transformational Growth

  Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

  A free strategic-support programme from Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce that helps Scottish companies plan transformational growth, building resilience and leadership ambition. It is delivered as in-kind consultancy support rather than a cash award.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  DWP Jobs Guarantee Scheme (Central and East Scotland)

  Department for Work and Pensions

  This UK Government scheme fully reimburses employers in Central and East Scotland for the wage costs of a six-month, entry-level placement (up to 25 hours a week at National Minimum Wage) for a young person aged 18-21 who has been out of work for an extended period, plus employer National Insurance, minimum pension contributions and up to £250 of onboarding support per placement. It is delivered locally by The King's Trust and partners, who also provide pre-employment training and in-work support for the candidate.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Tax relief

  Enhanced Capital Allowance Relief in Freeport and Investment Zone Special Tax Sites

  HM Revenue & Customs

  Companies buying new plant or machinery for use in a designated Freeport or Investment Zone special tax site can deduct 100% of that qualifying expenditure from their profits before tax in the accounting period it was bought. The relief is claimed through the Company Tax Return and can be withdrawn if the asset stops being primarily used in the tax site within 5 years.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Tax relief

  Enhanced Structures and Buildings Allowance Relief in Freeport and Investment Zone Special Tax Sites

  HM Revenue & Customs

  Businesses that incur qualifying expenditure on constructing or renovating structures and buildings within a designated Freeport or Investment Zone special tax site can claim an enhanced structures and buildings allowance of 10% a year against their profits, instead of the normal rate, for up to 10 years. Construction must begin, the expenditure be incurred, and the building brought into qualifying use, all within the special tax site and before the relief's end date.

  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

• Tax relief

  Forth Green Freeport - tax and customs incentives

  Forth Green Freeport

  Forth Green Freeport offers customs duty relief and simplified import/export procedures to businesses authorised to trade through its customs sites, plus a package of tax reliefs - including business rates relief, capital allowances, land tax relief and reduced employer National Insurance - for investors operating within its designated tax sites across Rosyth, Burntisland, Leith and Grangemouth. Priority is given to businesses in specific target sectors such as offshore wind, advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding and logistics, though other complementary investors may also be considered.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Great British Energy (GBE) Supply Chain Fund: Offshore Wind and Networks

  Great British Energy

  A capital grant fund of up to £300 million to expand UK manufacturing capacity for components that are in short supply in the offshore wind and electricity networks sectors. Grants must pay for building new manufacturing facilities or extending existing ones in the UK, and the finished project must mainly produce one or more of the listed 'Critical Components'. Applications are assessed in rounds, with the window closing on 10 December 2026 unless the budget runs out sooner.

  Closes 10 December 2026The funder’s page

• In-kind support

  Innovation support

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise offers hands-on advisory support to help companies in Scotland review their innovation activity, generate and develop ideas, and bring new products or processes to market. Advisers work with a business to build an innovation roadmap, run workshops, make connections to R&D centres, and point towards relevant grants and funding. Related strands include an Innovation Academy for senior leaders, free intellectual property advice, and Innovate UK Business Growth services delivered in partnership.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Tax relief

  Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport - tax and customs incentives

  Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport

  Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) offers a package of tax reliefs to businesses that locate within its designated tax sites in the Highlands, including Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief, an enhanced Structures and Buildings Allowance, enhanced Capital Allowances, non-domestic rates relief and a 0% employer National Insurance rate on new employees' pay. Separately, companies operating within its customs sites get simplified customs procedures and can defer duty and import VAT on goods that do not leave the site and enter the wider UK market.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• In-kind support

  LaunchMe

  Firstport

  LaunchMe is Firstport's investment readiness programme for Scottish social and community enterprises that want to scale. It gives bespoke one-to-one support, workshops, peer networking and access to expert partners to prepare a business to take on investment, loans or grants.

  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

• Grant

  Music Export Growth Scheme

  Department for Business and Trade

  MEGS offers match-funded grants to UK-based music businesses, typically management companies or record labels that qualify as SMEs, to run marketing and promotion campaigns abroad, usually tied to international touring. It is aimed at acts that have already had commercial success in the UK and are trying to break into overseas markets. Grants cover no more than half of eligible costs and cannot pay for any activity in the UK. Applications go through the delivery partner, BPI.

  Closes 31 March 2027The funder’s page

• Tax relief

  National Insurance relief for employers in UK Freeport and Investment Zone special tax sites

  HM Revenue and Customs

  Employers with a business premises in a designated UK Freeport or Investment Zone special tax site can pay a zero rate of employer Class 1 secondary National Insurance Contributions on a new employee's earnings up to the Freeport and Investment Zone Upper Secondary Threshold, for up to 36 months from the start of their employment. The employee must spend most of their working time at the tax site and not have worked for the employer, or a connected employer, in the previous 24 months.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Research and development (R&D) grants

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise offers discretionary grants towards the cost of research and development projects that create a genuinely new or significantly improved product, process or service. Support is a percentage of eligible project costs, with a higher rate for SMEs than for large companies, and the smallest grant considered is £250,000. Applications start with an enquiry form emailed to Scottish Enterprise, and part or all of an award can in some cases be repayable.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Support for life sciences companies

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise capital grant support to help life sciences companies fit out laboratory, manufacturing or regulated space to scale up in Scotland. Covers tenant-specific fit-out such as wet/dry labs, cleanrooms and GMP manufacturing space, with funding scaled by company size.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• In-kind support

  Support for manufacturers – Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS)

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise runs the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service, which gives manufacturing businesses in Scotland hands-on advisory support from experienced practitioners rather than cash. Support includes an Operational Review, a two-day fully funded Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 Review and a 10-day Business Improvement Academy, aimed at cutting costs, adopting digital technology and improving productivity and resilience. Businesses get in touch through an enquiry form to be matched with a specialist in their area.

  RollingThe funder’s page

• Grant

  Transferable Audio-Visual Equipment on Rail Replacement Coaches

  Department for Transport

  The Department for Transport is offering up to £2 million in grants to coach operators in Great Britain that run, or could run, rail replacement services. The scheme reimburses up to 75% of the cost of buying transferable audio-visual equipment (and supporting kit such as screens or portable induction loops) so coaches can give accessible next-stop and journey information under the 2023 accessible information regulations. Money is paid after purchase, so operators must fund the equipment upfront and evidence it, and the scheme runs for around six months or until the budget is used up.

  Closes 18 December 2026The 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

• In-kind support

  Women in Business: Export Programme

  Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

  A free six-month export development programme for female-founded businesses based in Scotland, run by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce with delivery partner Elevator. It combines workshops, one-to-one coaching and export plan development, plus a year of complimentary Chamber membership.

  RollingThe funder’s page