Welcome to the Lancashire Funding Hub. Our aim is to help growing businesses access the funding they need to achieve their goals, while providing insightful information and guidance.
Access to Finance Lancashire helps Lancashire SMEs become investment ready and assists them in sourcing finance to enable growth.
Type
Funding enabler
Range
Variable
Sectors
Businesses in Lancashire with growth potential.
Growing Places Fund provides development funding for stalled schemes and to support inward investment propositions.
Type
Loan
Range
£1m - £4m
Sectors
Advanced manufacturing, food and agriculture, low carbon, digital, health, tourism, culture, place, space, cyber, clean energy and medtech.
Innovate UK EDGE provides access to funding and finance, empowering innovative businesses to grow and achieve.
Type
Funding enabler
Range
N/A
Sectors
All high potential small to medium sized innovation-driven companies, including Innovate UK grant winners.
The NPIF Microfinance Fund provides loans for growing businesses across Lancashire.
Type
Loan
Range
£25k - £100k
Sectors
New to established businesses across most sectors except property.
NPIF Debt Finance provide loans to help businesses grow. Funding is used for recruitment, purchasing machinery, moving premises or as working capital.
Type
Loan
Range
£100k - £750k
Sectors
SME businesses across Lancashire.
NPIF Equity Finance is a £107m equity fund focused on providing flexible equity funding to high-potential SMEs primarily based in the North West.
Type
Equity
Range
£50k - £2m
Sectors
All sectors across Lancashire.
Praetura Ventures is an early-stage investor in businesses with exceptional founders and highly scalable models.
Type
Equity
Range
£500k - £2m
Sectors
SaaS, healthcare and service.
RedCAT works with low carbon technology innovators to take their technologies through commercialisation and investment.
Type
Equity and debt
Range
£50k - £5m
Sectors
Manufacturing, aerospace, nuclear, space, construction, waste industry, public sector, renewables, utilities and transport.
Rosebud provides loans across 12 administrative areas of Lancashire to help them grow, develop, create jobs and achieve their goals.
Type
Loan
Range
£10k - £300k
Sectors
SMEs of all sizes that are specifically seeking funding for growth.
Delyth Edwards is a senior manager at British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, working with more than 200 delivery partners such as banks and venture capital funds. She shares her top tips relating to business funding.
Metal fabricator, Pharma Sheet Metal (PSM), has secured a £200k loan from Rosebud Finance, Lancashire County Council’s business loans vehicle delivered by GC Business Finance, to support its continued growth.
Steve Molyneux is an investment executive at FW Capital, an investment service providing flexible finance to dynamic businesses in the North and South West of England. Steve shares his top tips relating to business funding.
A new investment community in Lancashire is already helping business owners in the technology and digital sector connect directly with debt and equity funding providers from across the UK after just two events.
Claire Alvarez is a partner of Foresight Group, a sustainability-led alternative assets and SME investment manager. Here, she shares some insights on business funding.
After accessing external funding for the first time earlier this year, Secret Garden Glamping has almost doubled in size. The company is now agreeing a significantly larger loan from a commercial provider.
A Darwen vehicle storage facility based has recruited two additional members of staff after installing new infrastructure at its site using funds secured with the help Access to Finance Lancashire.
James Cole is founder of Panache Cruises, an online luxury cruise retailer based in Chorley which has received two separate loans from Rosebud. He shares insights on how the funding has supported the business and tips for other businesses looking at external finance.
Lancashire companies seeking funding are being advised to visit a new funding hub which has been launched by Lancashire County Council and the LEP.
Mark Gibbons is senior access to finance specialist at Access to Finance Lancashire. He shares some insights on business funding.
Alan Reid is an innovation growth specialist at RTC North and part of the Innovate UK EDGE programme. He shares his top tips for businesses seeking funding.
Jonathan Nelson is fund manager for Rosebud, a Lancashire business loans provider and a proven alternative lender to high street banks and traditional finance providers. Jonathan shares his top tips relating to business funding.
Alison Powell is a senior loan manager at GC Business Finance. Here, she shares some insights into how to secure funding and what mistakes to avoid.
An award-winning glamping site in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, is set to continue its rapid expansion after receiving a £250,000 loan from Lancashire County Council’s Rosebud Finance.
Ian Moore is managing director of Blackburn-based TymeOnline, which offers marketplace solutions via online sales channels such as eBay, Amazon, OnBuy and B&Q amongst others. Here, Ian shares some valuable tips from his own funding journey.
