Northern Ireland business support finder
You can use Invest NI's business support finder database to search online for available sources of funding and support. However the main funding bodies are as follows:
Tourism NI
Tourism NI periodically runs funding programmes for events and capital development. Previous schemes can be found here.
Additional opportunities include:
To ensure you are aware of any open programmes make sure you are signed up to their mailing list. They also provide insights on financial support here.
Co-operative Marketing Fund
Tourism NI regularly provides industry support to help with the marketing of tourism businesses. It delivers a range of digital and other advertising. The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation will assist the industry in supporting this activity and securing direct business.
Hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, guest accommodation, self-catering and visitor attractions which are graded by Tourism NI through their Quality Grading Scheme, alongside some visitor experiences are eligible. The Co-operative Marketing Fund is designed to support your own advertising or PR in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There are also free promotional opportunities for graded accommodation and experiences. More details here.
Mid and East Antrim Grants Support Scheme
The Council operates a range of competitive grant and funding schemes throughout the year. Grants are available for qualifying groups throughout the Mid and East Antrim Council area. Further information on applying for various grant schemes can be found here.
Invest Northern Ireland support
Invest NI offers specialist support for the tourism industry. If you are an eligible tourist accommodation business, Invest NI may be able to offer both capability and capital support. Non-accommodation tourist businesses may qualify for capability support. Submit an online enquiry here.
Subject to eligibility criteria, they can also provide funding for innovation, research & development plus capability development and business efficiency etc. More information on innovation vouchers can be found here.
DAERA Funding
DAERA offers a wide range of grants and funding to support local farming, fisheries, rural business, communities and environmental NGOs. Further information is available here.
Ballymena Seed Fund
Ballymena Business Centre in partnership with The Gallaher Trust support the creation of new businesses in the greater Ballymena area by offering each start up business £500. For more information on the Ballymena Seed Fund E: melanie@ballymenabusiness.co.uk
NI Small Business Loan Fund
The NI Small Business Loan Fund is managed by Ulster Community Investment Trust on behalf of Invest Northern Ireland and delivered in partnership with Enterprise NI. It was set up to provide access to finance for small businesses, sole traders and partnerships keen to develop their business, but finding it difficult to access funding through traditional sources.
Other Funding Bodies
Programmes that may be of interest to certain sectors of industry include:
There are also numerous funding opportunities for constituted voluntary and community sector groups.
