There’s no summer break for grant funding being announced. Here’s a round up of grants that have come through my inbox this month. It’s fast moving so check back here every month for updates on what programmes have been released.
Good Luck and let me know how you get on!
Renée
Open Horizons #Opencall1
Open Horizons is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative. It has launched its first Open Call to provide funding for women-led startups in sectors such as AI, Green Tech, Blockchain and Advanced Materials. Successful applicants can receive up to €55,000 in equity-free funding, tailored mentoring and strategic matchmaking, and opportunities to co-design and test paid pilot projects with major European corporates.
Applications are open to startups led by at least one woman holding a key executive role (CEO, CTO or Founder) with a minimum 25% ownership, and in inception or early-growth stage. Eligible startups must operate in deeptech or digital innovation and be based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe-associated country (including the UK).
Closing date: 21 August 17:00 CEST
Apply here: Open Horizons website.
Epic MegaGrants
Epic Games is offering financial support through its Epic MegaGrants programme, designed to advance innovation in real-time 3D creation. The scheme supports individuals and teams across gaming, media, enterprise and education.
Typical awards range from $5,000 to $150,000. Funding may be used for development costs or team-related expenses, such as staffing and continued production.
Creators and projects in the following areas are eligible:
- Game Developers - using Unreal Engine (or transitioning to UE5).
- Film and Media Creators - real-time content using Unreal Engine.
- Enterprise and Industry - Unreal Engine projects in other industries
- Education and Research - university-level initiatives
- Tool and Open-Source Developers – tools that integrate with Unreal or contribute to the 3D open-source ecosystem
- UEFN (Fortnite Creative) Developers - creators using Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
Closing Date: 22 September (23:59 ET)
Apply here: Epic MegaGrants | Apply for Funding for Your UE5 and UEFN Projects – Unreal Engine
UNltd – Awards for Social Entrepreneurs
The funding is intended to support social entrepreneurs by helping them nurture their social ventures and grow their impact.
The following levels of funding are available:
- Starting Up - funding of up to £8,000
- Scaling Up - funding of up to £18,000 for a social enterprise that has been operating for between one and four years.
Together with funding, award recipients will be assigned to one of UnLtd’s dedicated programmes to provide support aligned with the needs of their social venture for up to one year.
Closing date: 30 September and 31 December
Apply here: Awards | UnLtd
Future Leaders Fellowships
Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) support talented people in universities, businesses, and other research and innovation environments.
They also allow universities, research institutes, independent research organisations and businesses to develop their most talented early career researchers and innovators or to attract new people to their organisations.
The aim of this competition is to:
- Support ambitious research and innovation to tackle difficult and novel challenges.
- Support excellence in innovation, across interdisciplinary boundaries and sectors.
- Develop, retain, and attract the next wave of research and innovation leaders.
Working with a host organisation a Future Leaders Fellow will receive at least four years of funding to pursue an ambitious programme of innovation.
Closing date: 5 November 2025 at 11am.
More information can be accessed at the IUK website.
RTO Catapult Grant Scheme – Innovate UK
Launched in April this is an easy to access, easy to administer grant from Innovate UK for £15,000. Apply quickly as the pot ran out by September last year when launched at a similar time. Could be used for product testing, development work or if you need technical expertise to facilitate feasibility.
Closing date: when the £ is all allocated
Apply here: Exploit innovation – Innovate UK Business Growth
The UK Games Fund Content Fund
The fund offers financial support to UK-based independent studios developing commercial games-for-entertainment. Backed by the UK Government, the initiative aims to help companies scale up, attract investment and generate employment in the creative industries.
Grants will range from £50,000 to £150,000. The funding can be used to cover staff and contractor costs directly involved in hands-on development activity.
The scheme targets established games studios operating in the UK. Applicants must be able to demonstrate how the funding would provide clear additionality to their business growth plans and facilitate further investment.
Closing date: expressions of interest can be made at any time
Apply here: Home – Content Fund
Greener Homes Alliance Development Loans
Homes England and Octopus Real Estate have launched the second phase of the Greener Homes Alliance, providing discounted development finance to small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders. The initiative supports the construction of energy-efficient homes across England.
A total of £150 million is available. Loans range from £2 million to £20 million. Interest rate reductions of up to 2% are available for developers meeting environmental and social criteria. Eligible applicants include SME housebuilders and developers operating in England.
Closing date: Applications can be made at any time
Apply here: Greener Homes Alliance | Octopus Capital
Co-operative Enterprise Loans
Co-operative and Community Finance is offering loans of between £10,000 and £85,000 for new or existing co-operatives across the UK to assist with the expansion, setup, or development of a co-operative enterprise.
Loans will only be made to economically viable enterprises that are democratically owned and controlled organisations registered in the UK.
Closing date: Applications can be made at any time
Apply here: Co-op Loan Fund – Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops
Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) Grants
The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme provides grants to farmers and land managers in the Surrey Hills for one-off projects to make improvements to the natural environment, climate change mitigation, cultural heritage and public access on their land.
Closing date: March 2026
Apply here: Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes FiPL
The Workplace Charging Scheme
The Workplace Charging Scheme provides support for organisations towards the cost of installing up to 40 electric vehicle chargepoint sockets at their sites.
The scheme covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (including VAT), capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – for instance, if you want to install them at 40 sites, you will have 1 socket available per site
All chargepoints must be installed by an OZEV authorised installer.
Closing Date: 31st March 2026
Apply here: Before you start –
Further business support in Surrey
If there isn’t anything in this month’s roundup that suits your business’s specific needs, check out our Support Directory, or contact our team of experts via our Business Support Form.
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