There is a range of local and national support to help you find available funding and finance opportunities:
- Foreign owned companies – ERDF Inward Investment Support Grant Scheme – Heart of the South West LEP – for foreign owned SME businesses based in the HotSW region
- Finance and support for your business – this is the main portal for searching for government-backed support and finance for business
- Innovate UK – funding for research & innovation
- SWIG Finance – business loans and advice on accessing finance
- Better Business Finance – support and a search facility to find a finance provider
- GAIN – support services including grant-finder for businesses in the South West
- Heart of the South West Growth Hub – Funding and grant news
- Devon Funding News – regular updates
Alternative Funding
With grants becoming harder to find, businesses are turning to other ways of raising the funds they need, often with great success:
Crowdfunding
There is a growing list of crowdfunding websites where you can pitch your idea and invite prospective investors to contribute. You can find out more about crowdfunding or have a look at our world-leading local Crowdfunding platform, Exeter-based Crowdcube.
Peer-to-peer lending
This is a new way of making a direct connection between businesses seeking a loan and people looking for a competitive return on their investment:
- Funding Circle – an online marketplace that enables individuals and businesses to lend directly to other small businesses
- Folk2Folk – a South West peer-to-peer lending company