Find support and funding
Many organisations can help your business on its path to net zero. Some provide grants, matching funds and interest-free loans. Others require membership or annual fees.
This list was last updated in March 2022.
Use our add support or funding form to have a program added to this page.
National support and funding
Regional support in England
- Greater London
- South East
- South West
- East of England
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire and Humber
- North East
- North West
Anywhere in the UK
These support schemes and networks are available anywhere in the UK:
- Clean Growth Fund invests in early stage UK companies that are seeking investment capital for low carbon innovation
- Gigabit vouchers give up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses to install high speed internet in rural areas`
- Smarter Choices gives SMEs free energy assessments and carbon reduction verification funding – must have £20,000 in annual energy costs to qualify
- BEIS Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator partners energy efficient technologies with companies willing to implement them
You can also join your local chamber of commerce from anywhere in the UK.
England
These support networks are available in England:
- The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives up to £6,000 for small businesses to install a heat pump or biomass boiler
- Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) growth hubs provide advice on funding, growth and sustainability in 38 regions across England
- Peer Networks is a government-funded programme that connects similar businesses in LEP areas
Scotland
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in Scotland:
- Business Energy Scotland gives SMEs access to consulting, loans (up to £100,000) and grants (up to £20,000) for energy efficiency and renewable heat measures
- Circular Economy Investment Fund gives SMEs and non-profit organisations matching funds to reduce waste and develop green products
- Domestic charge point funding gives up to £700 toward the installation of an electric vehicle charge point
- eBike loans offer interest-free loans of up to £6,000 for the purchase of an approved electric bike – the repayment period is 4 years
- Electric vehicle (EV) loans gives interest-free loans up to £28,000 to buy a new EV or £10,000 for a motorcycle or scooter – the repayment period is 6 years
- Energy Savings Trust gives funds for vehicle retrofits and safe disposal of non-compliant vehicles – must be a SME with 9 employees or less and located within 20km of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Dundee
- Energy Investment Fund offers loans and investments for commercial and community-based low carbon energy projects
- Funding for green jobs gives matching funding from £50,000 to £500,000 for the creation of green jobs – must be a registered company within the Scottish Enterprise area
- Home Energy Scotland offers interest free loans and cashback for energy efficiency and renewable upgrades to a domestic property – maximum loan amount is £32,500 and cashback is £14,000
- NESTRANS Sustainable Travel Grant Scheme gives SMEs up to £10,000 in matching funds for sustainable transport initiatives – must be based in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire
- Private Rented Sector Landlord Loans lets property management businesses borrow up to £15,000 for energy efficiency and £17,000 for renewable systems – interest and fees apply
- SME Loan Scheme offers interest-free loans from £1,000 to £100,000 to pay for energy efficiency and carbon reducing upgrades – up to £20,000 can be provided as a grant if installing eligible equipment
- Used Electric Vehicle Loan for Business gives interest-free loans up to £20,000 for businesses of all sizes to buy a used electric car, van or moped
- Zero Waste Scotland also offers free support and advice for businesses, including a free energy assessment and comprehensive report with actions you can take to reduce emissions
Wales
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in Wales:
- The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives up to £6,000 for small businesses to install a heat pump or biomass boiler
- Business Wales is a government-funded organisation offers specialist sustainability support in regional centres
- Caerphilly Enterprise Fund gives up to £2,000 in matching funds to SMEs for property improvements, website costs and more – must be located in Caerphilly County
Northern Ireland
Invest Northern Ireland offers advice on how to operate more efficiently. Support includes:
- consultancy for energy and waste management strategies and recommendations
- resource matching service to manage waste and reduce costs
- investment funding for energy saving equipment
Greater London
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in Greater London:
- Better Futures+ provides up to £1,000 in free business support for London-based businesses with at least two full-time employees and turnover between £100,000 and £43M
- Greater London Fund invests in early stage companies with an average investment of £400,000 to £1M – part of the fund is set aside for companies that reduce waste
- Greater London Investment Fund offers loans from £100,000 to £1M to limited company SMEs – repayment term is 3 to 5 years and interest rates vary
- Heart of the City gives SMEs free courses on measuring carbon footprints, setting targets and disclosing progress – must have a significant proportion of operations in the Square Mile
South East
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the South East of England:
- Community Solar Accelerator provides SMEs up to £25,000 in matching funds to install solar panels or EV chargers – must be located in the Coast to Capital LEP
- Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) gives SMEs up to £10,000 to help reduce carbon – must be located in the LEP areas of SELEP, Coast to Capital, Enterprise M3 and Solent
- East Sussex Council free energy audits and grants gives SMEs up to £10,000 to invest in carbon reduction – must be located in East Sussex
- Energy Efficiency Grants for East Sussex gives SMEs £200 to £1,000 in matching funds to improve energy efficiency – must be located in East Sussex, excluding Brighton and Hove
- EMphasis3 CO2 Reductions Project gives SMEs up to 36% in matching funds to improve energy efficiency and commercialize green products
- Greentech South’s Low Carbon Solent gives free business support from postgraduate students at the universities of Portsmouth and Winchester
South West
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the South West of England:
- Clean Growth UK (South West Hub) offers SMEs funding, coaching and grant application support
- Low Carbon Dorset gives SMEs up to £40,000 in matching funds for renewable energy and efficiency projects – must be located in Dorset, Bournemouth or Poole
- West of England Green Business Grant gives SMEs up to £15,000 to improve energy efficiency and install solar panels – must be located in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire
East of England
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the East of England:
- Business Energy Efficiency gives enterprise SMEs up to £10,000 in matching funds for energy efficiency improvements, electric vehicles and new machinery – must be located in Suffolk or Norfolk counties
- Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) gives SMEs up to £10,000 to help reduce carbon – must be located in the LEP areas of SELEP, Coast to Capital, Enterprise M3 and Solent
East Midlands
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the East Midlands:
- Business Growth Grant gives SMEs matching grants of £2,000 to £25,000 for new products or services, premises upgrades and new equipment – must be located in Leicestershire
- Choose How You Move gives SMEs up to £5,000 in matching funds to increase sustainable travel for employees – must be located in Leicestershire
- DE-Carbonise gives SMEs £1,000 to £20,000 in matching funds to develop renewable energy generation and lower carbon products – must be located in Derbyshire
- Energy for Business gives up to £8,000 in matching funds for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions – must be located in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire
- Electric Van Experience gives SMEs a free electric van for 30 days, including the install of a charger at your business – must be located in Nottingham city
- Green BELLE gives SMEs £1,000 to £10,000 in matching funds for energy efficiency upgrades – must be located in Leicestershire
- Green Entrepreneurs Programme has a small grants from £10,000 to £20,000 and a large grant that starts at £100,000 – must be located in Derbyshire County
- Low Carbon Workspaces gives SMEs matching grants of £1,000 to £5,000 for premises improvements that reduce emissions – must be located in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Milton Keynes or Northamptonshire
- Sustainability in Enterprise gives SMEs free expertise in sustainable business operations, building management, product design and employee engagement – must be located in the Greater Nottingham area
- University of Derby’s Invest to Grow programme gives grants and loans from £15,000 to £250,000 to B2B companies in the East Midlands that create jobs in different sectors, including low carbon
- Workplace Travel Service Grants give SMEs up to £25,000 for travel improvements such as electric vehicle chargers, showers and bicycle parking – must be located in Nottingham city
West Midlands
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the West Midlands:
- Agri-tech Growth and Resources for Innovation (AGRI) gives SMEs free innovation support from experts at local universities – must be located in the Marches region
- Alternative Raw Materials with Low Impact (ARLI) gives free energy efficiency advice and technical support to SMEs in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull areas
- ATETA gives SMEs free expertise and research support for business energy challenges – must be located in the Black Country, Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull areas
- Birmingham’s Heavy Duty Vehicle Fund gives SMEs up to £15,000 per vehicle to comply with the city’s new clean air zone.
- Birmingham & Solihull Industrial Symbiosis Project (BASIS) gives SMEs 12 hours of free consulting to transition waste products into useful resources for other businesses – must be located in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull areas
- Built Environment Climate Change Innovations (BECCI) gives free advice and research support to SMEs in the low carbon construction sector
- Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) provides energy assessments and gives SMEs up to £20,000 in matching funds to reduce emissions – must be located in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin
- Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme gives SMEs up to £50,000 in matching funds for energy efficiency, and up to £6,000 to bring green products to market
- Crest at UCS gives free expertise to SMEs to reduce environmental impact and develop new products. Must be a B2B business in Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin.
- Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) gives SMEs expert advice and research support to develop low carbon products and services
- Environmental Technologies & Resource Efficiency Support Service (EnTRESS) gives SMEs free business and research support from experts at the University of Wolverhampton – must be located in Black Country or Stoke and Staffordshire
- GrowAgri gives SMEs 12 hours of expert support to adapt products for the horticulture and agriculture sectors – must be located in Worcestershire
- Low Carbon Business Evolution Programme (LCBEP) gives SMEs up to £20,000 in matching funds for improving energy efficiency in business processes and premises – must be located in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire
- Low Carbon Opportunities Programme (LoCOP) – gives SMEs free energy assessments and matching grants up to £100,000 to install renewable energy systems – must be located in Worcestershire
- Low Carbon SMEs gives free energy audits and matching funds up to £12,250 for energy saving equipment or new business processes – must be located in Black Country, Greater Birmingham and Solihull
- Manufacturing and Technology Innovator Growth Programme provides free expertise from the Aston Business School – must be located in Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP areas
- PIVOT gives businesses from £40,000 to £70,000 in matching funds to transfer technology across industries – currently in pilot phase, must be located in Black Country, Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire
- Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) gives SMEs free expertise from consultants and graduate researchers at Keele University – must be located in Staffordshire
- Smarterials provides free expertise from Aston University for research and testing in material science
- Sustainability West Midlands in the regional hub for support and funding sustainable business
- University of Wolverhampton’s Smart Concept Fund gives SMEs up to £16,500 in matching funds to SMEs located in Black Country, The Marches, or Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire LEP areas
- West Midlands Innovation Programme provides targeted support to SMEs to access more national innovation funding
- Worcestershire County Business Energy Efficiency Programme gives SMEs up to £20,000 for energy assessments – must be located in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin or Shropshire
Yorkshire and Humber
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in Yorkshire and the Humber:
- Green Port Hull gives SMEs a minimum of £10,000 to businesses in the low carbon and renewable sectors – must be located in Hull or the East Riding of Yorkshire
- Resource Efficient Business (REBiz) gives SMEs free advice and financial support (of up to £40,000 at 40% of project costs) to become more resource efficient and adopt circular business models – must be located in West Yorkshire, Craven, Harrogate, Selby or York
North East
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the North East of England:
- Durham’s North East Business Support Fund gives SMEs up to £3,200 in matching funds for business improvements
- Northumberland’s North East Business Support Fund gives SMEs up to £2,800 in matching funds for business improvements
- North of Tyne Growth Fund gives SMEs up to 30% in matching funds when they plan to invest at least £67,000 in premises improvements and other capital costs. Must be located in Newcastle, North Tyneside or Northumberland.
- Tyne and Wear’s North East Business Support Fund gives SMEs up to £2,800 in matching funds for business improvements
North West
The following grants, schemes and loan programmes are available in the North West of England:
- Chamber Low Carbon gives SMEs free ‘1-2-1’ consulting to improve energy efficiency and develop low carbon products. Must be based in Lancashire
- Eco-I North West offers SMEs R&D funding, capital grants and collaboration with universities to help transition to a low carbon economy – must be located in Cumbria, Lancashire, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire & Warrington or Greater Manchester
- Enexus Energy provides SMEs with comprehensive energy audits – must be a members of the Cumbria Tourism organization
- LCR Future Energy gives SMEs matching funds up to £7,500 towards consulting costs to help develop products, systems and processes for a green supply chain – must be located in Liverpool City Region
- Low Carbon Barrow Grants provides SMEs with matching grants up to £10,000 for energy efficenergy efficiency and environmental performance – must be located in the borough of Barrow-in-Furness
- Low Carbon Lake District gives SMEs matching funding up to £20,000 for low carbon energy generation, energy efficiency and sustainable transport – must be located or operate in the Lake District National Park area
- GC Business Growth Hub provides fully funded resource efficiency support to SMEs located in Greater Manchester – includes a virtual Journey to Net Zero programme for SMEs that are at an early stage on their path to net zero emissions