{"id":2108,"date":"2014-09-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/finding-funding-for-your-business\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:04:32","slug":"finding-funding-for-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/finding-funding-for-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to find funding for your business"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to find funding for your business\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2014-09-17T00:00:00+01:00\">17 September, 2014<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to find funding for your business\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/finding-funding-for-your-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/tracey-bird\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Tracey-Bird.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Tracey Bird<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Raising business finance to turn an amazing idea into reality or to invest in business growth plans can be challenging. Bank lending for start-up and growing businesses is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2014\/aug\/28\/business-lending-falls-for-second-quarter-smes\">still in the doldrums despite the Bank of England&#8217;s Funding for Lending Scheme<\/a>. But entrepreneurs love a challenge and there are opportunities out there, and more options are emerging to fill the funding gap and provide much needed support to SME&#8217;s. Here are some of the best resources to help you get your business funded and off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The business finance landscape is continually changing and researching available funding options can be time consuming, so here are some resources to help you find funding opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK government has pledged to do more to help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/size\/small-business\/\">small businesses<\/a> and offers grants and schemes that businesses can apply for depending on their market, geographic location and funding objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/browse\/business\/finance-support\">Gov.uk<\/a> is a good place to find government services and includes a handy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/business-finance-support-finder\/search\">business finance support finder<\/a> to search for grants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scottish-enterprise.com\/services\/support-for-entrepreneurs\">Scottish Enterprise<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bgateway.com\/finance\/\">Business Gateway<\/a> are a good starting point for businesses based in Scotland and local Business Gateway offices offer one to one advice and support so it&#8217;s worth looking up your local office on their website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government backed <a href=\"http:\/\/british-business-bank.co.uk\/\">British Business Bank<\/a> works with 80 different finance providers to lend to SME&#8217;s who may be struggling to access finance from traditional sources. Check out their comprehensive <a href=\"http:\/\/viewer.zmags.com\/publication\/703d32a6#\/703d32a6\/20\">Business Finance Guide<\/a>. The bank uses business angels, venture capital funds and trade credit providers, as well as traditional banks to fund start-ups and growing UK businesses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.startuploans.co.uk\/\">Startup loans<\/a> is a government funded scheme to provide loans and mentors for entrepreneurs. <a href=\"https:\/\/virg.in\/4f5poiD\">Virgin StartUp<\/a> is a not-for-profit organisation supported by the Virgin Group that helps entrepreneurs with the small business funding, resources and advice they&#8217;ll need to make their business idea a reality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk\/\">Better Business Finance<\/a> provides impartial information and support to businesses and entrepreneurs looking to develop and grow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/alternativebusinessfunding.co.uk\/\">Alternative Business Funding<\/a> is a non-bank funders collaboration designed to provide free and easy access to selecting alternative business funding for SME&#8217;s including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/an-introduction-to-crowdfunding\/\">crowdfunding<\/a>, invoice trading, peer-to-peer and pension-led funding, with more to join the collaboration in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raising business finance to turn an amazing idea into reality or to invest in business growth plans can be challenging. Bank lending for start-up and growing businesses is still in the doldrums despite the Bank of England&#8217;s Funding for Lending Scheme. But entrepreneurs love a challenge and there are opportunities out there, and more options [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":1864,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,6],"tags":[18,19],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[109],"coauthors":[443],"class_list":["post-2108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","category-money-matters","tag-alternative-finance","tag-crowdfunding","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Tracey Bird","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sage_KWAutomotive_DE_031116_4105.jpg","imagine_tags":{"109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/267"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}