Business grants in Wales in 2026

If your business is based in Wales, you can currently apply for grant funding through a small number of live national schemes, plus a growing number of local grants that councils across Wales are now delivering through the UK Government's Local Growth Fund. Exactly what's on offer depends on your sector, your location within Wales, and the size of your project.

This guide covers the national and regional grants currently open to businesses in Wales, what's recently closed, and where to check for funding specific to your own area. For a broader look at what a business grant actually is and how they're taxed, read our guide to business grants, and for the full round up of UK wide government schemes, see our guide to government grants for small businesses.

Which business grants are open in Wales right now?

Funding for Welsh businesses is spread across a handful of national schemes, one large fund just starting to roll out through local councils, and UK wide schemes that Welsh businesses can apply for:

• SMART Flexible Innovation Support. Run by the Welsh Government through Business Wales, this scheme funds grants of £50,000 to £250,000 towards the purchase and installation of machinery and equipment that improves performance and competitiveness, with a preference for projects that support resource efficiency or a circular economy approach. It's open to businesses, universities, research organisations, further education colleges, third sector organisations and NHS health boards operating in Wales. Since 2023 it has awarded more than £20.1 million to 171 Welsh organisations across several rounds, and the current round closes on 25 September 2026, so a new window is expected to open again once this one is assessed. Check the Business Wales page above before applying to confirm the next round's dates.

• Wales Tourism Investment Fund (WTIF). Delivered by the Development Bank of Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government, this fund is open to any private or third sector tourism business operating in Wales. It provides £100,000 to £5,000,000 per project as a blend of finance, typically 80% loan and 20% grant, with the exact mix assessed case by case depending on what makes the project commercially viable. Repayment terms run 10 to 15 years and can include a seasonal payment break. Applications start with an expression of interest to the Welsh Government's tourism investment team.

• Council grants funded through the Local Growth Fund. The Local Growth Fund is a UK Government fund worth more than half a billion pounds for Wales, launched from April 2026 to replace the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Local councils decide how their share is spent, and several are already running their own business capital grants with it. Ceredigion's Cynnal y Cardi Business Capital Grant, for example, offered £2,500 to £50,000 towards capital equipment and related training for new and growing businesses in the county, though its 2026 to 2027 window has now closed. Cardiff runs a similar scheme through FOR Cardiff, with grants of £2,500 to £10,000 for local businesses. Since every council decides its own amounts, eligibility and timing, check your own council's website directly for what's currently open.

• UK wide schemes Welsh businesses can also apply for. A few national schemes cover the whole of the UK, including Wales, such as the apprenticeship hiring incentive and Innovate UK's funding competitions. 

Which Welsh grant schemes have recently closed?

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund ended across the whole of the UK, including Wales, in March 2026. Many of the local business grants it used to fund in Wales, including Ceredigion's Cynnal y Cardi scheme, have simply been renamed and continued under the Local Growth Fund instead, so it's worth checking whether a scheme you've read about has reopened under a new name rather than assuming it's gone for good.

The Farm Business Grant, an older Welsh Government scheme for capital investment in farm equipment, is also closed. It ran under the 2014 to 2020 Rural Development Plan and hasn't reopened. Farm diversification projects in Wales are now supported through the Wales Rural Network's On Farm Efficiency and Diversification scheme.

Are you eligible for a business grant in Wales?

Eligibility depends on the individual scheme, but Welsh grants generally check for a few things in addition to the usual criteria for any UK grant.

• Where you're registered and trading. Most Welsh schemes require your business to be trading in Wales, and local council grants usually go further, requiring premises or trading activity within that specific council area.

• Your sector. Some Welsh schemes, like the Wales Tourism Investment Fund, are restricted to one sector. Others, like SFIS, are open across most sectors but favour certain types of projects, such as equipment upgrades that improve resource efficiency.

• The type of spending. Most Welsh capital grants only fund one off equipment, machinery or infrastructure costs, and specifically exclude ongoing running costs and staff salaries.

• Whether you can contribute towards the cost. Blended schemes like WTIF, and match funded local grants, expect you to fund part of the project yourself.

How do you find more business grants in Wales?

You can start with the Welsh Government's own Finance Locator, run through Business Wales, which searches live grants, loans and other funding by business type and location across Wales. From there:

• Check your own council's website directly. Local capital grants, like Ceredigion's and Cardiff's, are usually only advertised on that council's own pages, not through national directories.

• Look at the Development Bank of Wales, which is worth knowing about even though it mainly provides loans and equity investment rather than grants. It's the delivery partner behind blended schemes like WTIF, so it's a useful first call if your project could work as part loan, part grant.

• If your project involves research, development or innovation, check Innovate UK's live competitions directly, since Welsh businesses can apply for these alongside the Wales specific schemes above.

• If you're in farming or rural diversification, use the Wales Rural Network rather than the general business grant routes, since rural funding runs on its own separate schemes and timetable.

How can you improve your chances of winning a Welsh business grant?

Welsh grants, especially local council schemes, tend to run on tight windows and limited pots of money, so a strong application matters more than it might for a UK wide scheme with a bigger budget.

• Apply as early in the window as you can. Several Welsh council grants, including Cynnal y Cardi, are assessed on a first come, first served basis, so an early application is judged before the pot runs low.

• Get your expression of interest in even if you're not fully ready. Schemes like WTIF and the local capital grants use an initial expression of interest stage before the full application, so register your interest as soon as a round opens rather than waiting until your figures are finalised.

• Be specific about what the money will fund and why. A vague request for "equipment" or "growth" is far weaker than naming the exact machinery, the supplier, the cost and what it lets you do that you can't do now.

• Check whether your project needs matched funding, and have that money ready. Grants that only cover part of a project, like WTIF's loan and grant blend, are turned down quickly if you can't show the rest of the funding is already in place.

• Talk to your council's business support team before you apply. Many Welsh councils offer a quick eligibility conversation before you commit time to a full application, which can save you applying for something you were never going to qualify for.

What if there isn't a suitable business grant in Wales?

Welsh business grants can be valuable when your project meets the criteria, but many have limited funding pots, require matched funding or only open for a set period. If there isn't a suitable grant available in your area, or you need funding before a grant application can be assessed, business finance could provide another way to fund your plans. Capitalise lets you compare options from 130+ UK lenders through one application, with support from a dedicated funding specialist throughout the process.