Business Grants in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland offers unique business funding opportunities through Invest NI, local councils, and cross-border programmes with the Republic of Ireland. Belfast and other NI businesses can access support for innovation, exports, and growth.
Invest NI Funding
Invest Northern Ireland is the main business development agency for NI. They provide grants, loans, and support for businesses looking to grow, innovate, or export. Their programmes cover R&D, capital investment, skills development, and market entry.
Local Council Support
Northern Ireland's 11 councils offer their own business support programmes. Belfast City Council, Derry City and Strabane, and other councils run grant schemes for local businesses, particularly SMEs and startups.
Cross-Border Programmes
NI businesses can also access cross-border funding programmes with the Republic of Ireland and EU-funded initiatives. InterTradeIreland supports cross-border trade and innovation projects.
Northern Ireland Business Grants
225 grants found
Vinehill Trust Health Applications Guidelines
Funding for healthcare delivery projects directly benefiting UK residents, covering permanent focus areas like acute conditions as well as annual temporary focus areas across physical and mental health.
Rapid Response Fund
Supports new research and urgent opportunities to tackle emerging infections and future pandemic threats requiring rapid activation and commissioning.
Funding opportunity: AHRC UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency: applicant-led mode
Apply for funding to work with overseas researchers in the United States and submit a collaborative research grant application within the remit of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE). Note that the opportunity is currently paused and will not consider expressions of interest or applications until further notice.
GBE Community Fund
Grant funding to help community organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland develop and build community-owned clean energy projects. The fund provides staged grants to test project viability, turn viable ideas into investment-ready projects, or bridge capital funding gaps for construction-ready clean energy projects.
Festive Connections Grant Programme
Grants provided by the McCarthy Stone Foundation for grassroots charitable organisations supporting people over 65 with core cost funding or project funding.
Fruit & Veg Grants
Grant funding aimed at supporting schools, registered charities, and not-for-profit organisations to improve access to free fruit and veg for children, supporting a healthy and nutritious diet.
The Content Fund
Commercial games-for-entertainment content grants funded by DCMS and managed by UKGTF/UK Games Fund as part of the UK Government's Growth for Games strategy to drive growth, build talent, and develop skills across the games sector.
NMIP sandpit: Digital materials for accelerated innovation
Apply to attend a three to five-day sandpit to develop high-impact projects that address the challenges and opportunities of integrating digital approaches to accelerate the translation of materials research.
Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: challenge awards
Apply for funding to bring people, expertise and ideas together in ambitious, larger-scale programmes. Challenge awards tackle major research, economic and societal challenges, generating impactful new knowledge and innovation.
Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: explore awards
Apply for funding to advance knowledge through ambitious, curiosity-driven social science. The opportunity seeks creative, innovative, and bold proposals within ESRC’s remit that advance knowledge by pushing disciplinary, methodological, or conceptual boundaries.
ESRC applicant-led: grow awards
Apply for funding to build the skills, experience and confidence to make a step-change in your research career. Grow awards support individuals at key career points to develop new capabilities or pivot in a new direction, strengthening the long-term capacity, adaptability and resilience of the UK’s social science research base.
Music Creators Growth Fund (MCGF)
A new investment programme designed to provide direct grant support for living, UK-based artists, artist collectives, bands, composers, DJs, groups, producers, and songwriters to grow their careers, strengthen skills, develop sustainable careers, create high-quality work, and innovate income streams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about business grants in Northern Ireland