Funding Opportunities

Scottish EDGE is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth potential entrepreneurial talent.

Applicants should have an ambitious growth strategy and a commitment to deliver upon it.

Start It is a funding programme that helps budding social entrepreneurs in Scotland to get their businesses up and running. Funding comes from the Scottish Government’s Social Entrepreneurs Fund.

Step Up offers 0% interest loans of £5,000 to £30,000 to help Scottish social enterprises scale or repeat successful trading activities.

• Social enterprises of any age can apply for microloans of up to £10,000
• New enterprises and those starting to trade can apply for loans up to £30,000

The Community Enterprise Fund is a funding programme that helps community organisations to start trading or set up social enterprises in Scotland. It offers grants of up to £5,000, to be spent over 6 months. Funding comes from the Scottish Government’s Social Entrepreneurs Fund (SEF).

The Esmee Fairburn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK. They also offer social investment.

As well as making direct investments into organisations seeking to create impact towards their aims, the foundation also invests into impact funds, which are managed by other social investors. They offer loans (secured and unsecured), equity, fund investments and everything else.

Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time.

The Social Investment Scotland (SIS) Community Finance Fund provides flexible, affordable finance to charities and social enterprises across Scotland.

Loan sizes range from £25,001 to £375,000, with the flexibility to consider smaller amounts. The fund includes both term loans and bridging loans, tailored to meet the diverse needs of organisations working to create positive social impact.