Grants & funding

Here you will find information on grants and funding for individuals, organisations and businesses in Northumberland.

Page Contents:

Grants & funding

Here you will find information on grants, funding and other support for organisations and businesses in Northumberland.

Advance Northumberland is the economic regeneration company for Northumberland and is responsible for the Council’s business development activities. This includes being responsible for inward investment, strategic account management and the commissioning of a range of business support initiatives.

The mission is to:
  • attract private sector investment in business and property
  • promote enterprise and support business growth
  • support the regeneration of disadvantaged places and neighbourhoods
  • help create prosperous, attractive, sustainable communities throughout Northumberland
For further information, please go to the Advance Northumberland website.

Tel: 01670 528400

Email: enquiries@advancenorthumberland.co.uk​
 

 

The Growth Hub provides information and signposts to the latest in regional business support services and finance and funding opportunities, helping businesses access the funding and support they need to grow.

The Growth Hub is delivered by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP). The LEP works to make the North East a place where more businesses invest, grow and prosper, to deliver more and better jobs for everyone.  The North East area covers County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. 

To access the Growth Hub please click this link


 
The UK Government's Business Support finder allows you to explore finance and support options available to your business.
A list of local and other Trusts, Charities and Foundations with a funding or support offer, that have previously been active in Northumberland and regionally can be found here.

Note: the editor’s decision on what is considered appropriate is final.

The information contained in these webpages is meant as a general guide only. It has been prepared from information provided by third parties and NCC accepts no responsibility for any actions taken or not taken in reliance on or in connection with this information.

Where reference or links (which may not be active links) are made to external publications or websites, the views expressed are those of the authors of those publications or websites, which are not necessarily those of NCC. NCC accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of those publications or websites.

Northumberland County Council intends to work closely with energy companies, installers and customers to maximise the impact of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme on fuel poor households.
  The ECO4 scheme will focus on supporting low income and vulnerable households. The scheme will improve the least energy efficient homes helping to meet the Government’s fuel poverty and net zero commitments. The Great British Insulation Scheme will support the ECO4 scheme in the delivery of predominantly single measures targeted at a wider range of households.  

The flexible approach for Local Authorities (LAs) to identifying fuel poor and vulnerable households who may benefit from heating and energy saving measures is referred to as “ECO4 Flex” and “Great British Insulation Scheme Flex”. This allows local authorities and suppliers to identify households that meet certain eligibility requirements. Northumberland County Council will be focusing on the first three routes listed on the published Statement of Intent* to identify eligible households. 

   DISCLAIMER: The council can assess household eligibility against ECO4 Flex criteria, but this does not guarantee that an obligated energy supplier or one of their contracted installers will install any measures at the property. It is up to the energy companies to determine which retrofit projects they choose to fund, the level of funding they provide and the Retrofit Coordinator and installers they choose to work with. Northumberland County Council do not have a list of approved suppliers or installers for ECO4. The council are unable to endorse or recommend any suppliers on this scheme. The council do not support the practice of cold calling. If you receive uninvited traders knocking on your door or unsolicited telephone calls from traders seeking to visit you at home there is advice on Doorstep Selling here: https://northumberland.tradingstandards.uk/cedric.asp?itemID=181582     Homeowners should do their own research into supplier credentials. NCC are not in any way responsible or liable for works agreed to by the household or carried out by suppliers under the ECO4 funding scheme.    From 1 January 2020, central government set out that all installers delivering ECO measures must be TrustMark registered businesses, or equivalent, and this also applies to ECO4 measures. If a company approaches you and claims to be an installer, always ask to see their credentials. You should expect to see the following certification to prove they are registered with a consumer protection body:    Most measures under ECO must installed by, or under the responsibility of a person who is registered with TrustMark, or equivalent. Installers registered with TrustMark will have a registration number.  If they are installing a district heating connection, they must either be registered with Heat Trust or have equivalent consumer protection in place. 
In addition, installers must be certified under a regulatory body to ensure the installation standard of the measure. You should expect an installer to hold the following certification for the relevant measure types: 

  • Most installations will need to be carried out by a PAS (Publicly Available Specification) certified installer. The installer will have a registration number. 
  • If they are installing low carbon microgeneration measures (eg renewable measures that produce heat), they need to be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited and will be registered on the MCS website. 
  • ​If they are repairing or replacing a gas boiler, the company must be registered with Gas Safe. You can check this on Gas Safe's website. 
  • For oil boiler repairs, installers must be registered with the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC). You can check this on the OFTEC website. 

To be redirected to the full statement of intent, eligibility criteria and how to apply for funding please click here
This replaces the previous Statement of Intent (SoI) for ECO4 which was published on 15/07/2022 click here

Grants and Support for Rural Business and Communities

Information about grants and support for rural growth.

Rural Communities

Rural Northumberland is home to some of the country’s most distinctive and valuable natural and cultural assets, including our pristine coastline; one of the UK’s largest 

farming sectors; our leading forestry industry; plentiful renewable energy resources and  carbon capture capability; productive woodlands and waterways; precious nature habitats  and biodiversity; and our unique Borderlands culture and heritage.  

These assets offer huge potential to enhance the environment in Northumberland and to contribute to climate change goals, at the same time as boosting growth and prosperity in the local economy and communities by capitalising on these natural assets. 

We aim to support development and growth in rural communities by supporting them to explore new ways to develop, grow, and address issues around sustainability and resilience. 

We will do this through support of  

  • Stewardship: looking after and enhancing our precious natural assets in a way that provides environmental, social, and economic benefits. Our natural assets include land; natural landscapes; nature habitats and wildlife; trees and woodland; peatland, soils and bogs; inland and coastal waterways; inshore coastal waters and estuaries; and clean air 
  • Rural growth: developing the rural economy, and growing businesses, jobs and wealth in a way that simultaneously delivers environmental and social benefits. This means strengthening and growing rural businesses through the sustainable use of natural assets and low carbon approaches, creating new and better jobs, and providing skills opportunities that are accessible to people from all backgrounds and communities, and enhancing quality of life and wellbeing through engagement with the natural environment 

Rural Business Support

Rural businesses and rural communities play a very important role in our local economy, accounting for a significant share of total employment and contributing significantly to Northumberland’s visitor infrastructure and economy.  

We want to ensure that businesses are developed and retained in rural areas, rural communities are strengthened, and inclusive rural services and opportunities are supported. 

Our objectives are

  1. To support rural businesses with growth potential and ambition to develop and implement business growth plans.  
  2. Develop a more diverse business base by supporting rural businesses to grow, creating new employment opportunities and increasing productivity.  
  3. Stimulate investment in the growth of existing private sector rural businesses.   
  To discuss your business needs or find out more about the support available, please contact us at ruralbusinessgrowthservice@northumberland.gov.uk

Funding for sport & play

Information on funding for outdoor sport and play using section 106 housing developer contributions.

Section 106 agreements are sometimes entered into with housing developers to fund sport and play in some areas of Northumberland. The money collection method is based on current planning documentation from the former districts.

This documentation remains in place until the new local development framework is introduced. This means the amounts collected and the items/projects on which the money can be spent can vary.
The council is keen to see the development and improvement of children's play and outdoor sports and recreation facilities. In most of Northumberland, S106 money is collected based on individual agreements for precise amounts for a specifically agreed purpose.

However, in certain areas of Northumberland (south east, former Tynedale and parts of the north), funds are collected and may be spent in specific geographical areas on a variety of sports, play and recreation projects.

What can be funded?
The funding is for items only for children's play areas or outdoor sports facilities, plus some indoor sports and recreation facilities in areas of the north. The funding is for new facilities or improvements to existing ones, for example:
  • new children's play areas
  • new sports pitches/areas
  • new equipment in an existing play area
  • upgrading of facilities for outdoor sports such as changing rooms
  • Specialised sports equipment, eg cricket roller
Projects must be within specified locations and be open to the general public.

Who can apply?
Projects must be located in specific geographical areas and applications can be made by not-for-profit organisations, such as:
  • community groups
  • residents' associations
  • sports clubs
  • schools
Individuals or businesses are not eligible for funding. Where a local sports club or school is looking to develop or improve facilities, it needs to include appropriate arrangements for wider community use.

How much funding is available?
The level of funding available will depend upon the amounts collected at the time and requests from other projects in the same area. This means funding can be limited and sometimes there will be no funding available.

How can I apply for funding?
  • Applications for funding can be made by completing the S106 Housing Developer Fund Application Form. The application form and accompanying guidance notes and application completion supporting notes can be downloaded from the useful links section.
Applications will be considered by a cross officer panel, which will meet according to the timetable below, and which will make recommendations for approval (applications of more than £100k will be subject to a longer approval process).

Upcoming Housing Developer Fund Panels (Sport & Play) 2025-26

Panel date meeting

Deadline for receipt of applications

Result of application by:

Tuesday 4 March 2025

Friday 14 February 2025

Friday, 28 March 2025

Tuesday 3 June 2025

Friday 16 May 2025

Friday, 27 June 2025

Tuesday 2 September 2025

Friday 15 August 2025

Friday, 26 September 2025

Tuesday 2 December 2025

Friday 14 November 2025

Friday, 26 December 2025

Tuesday 3 March 2026

Friday 13 February 2026

Friday, 25 March 2026

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Fund

In 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, commemorating 70 years of service.

To help communities celebrate the occasion, Northumberland County Council allocated £70,000 to create a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Fund. The purpose of this special fund was to enable non-profit making community and voluntary groups, schools, local charities, parish councils and churches within Northumberland to apply for grant funding to help them to take part in celebratory events, and community and legacy projects, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Full list of grant recipients

Northumberland grants portal

This page talks about funding searches. The service is free to individuals, community groups and businesses in Northumberland, but you need to register to view them.

GrantFinder and Northumberland County 4 Community is a user-friendly, accurate UK wide professional funding tool which has helped users to secure millions of pounds worth of support. It is an online, step-by step process which enables you to identify and select funding schemes and awards that are appropriate for your project.
  • A convenient one-stop-shop of funding information.
  • Information source provided on over 8,000 funding schemes including grants, loans and awards from local, regional and national UK government, European funding, charitable trusts and corporate sponsors.
  • Content ranging from modest community funds at one end of the spectrum to major, multi-level European initiatives at the other.
  • Authoritative reference library of articles on topical funding issues (full subscription only).
  • Newsflash service sending approaching deadlines, news of launched funds and policy decisions direct to your inbox (full subscription only).
  • Information is presented jargon-free and in plain English.
  • Interactive Update Bulletin sent weekly and categorised by subject, keeping you up-to-date on areas of interest to you (full subscription only).
The site also contains access to useful self-help guides, including:
  • 10 steps to writing a constitution
  • a beginner’s guide to regeneration terminology
  • writing a fundraising strategy
  • writing a successful business plan
  • how to write a winning financial plan
You can access GrantFinder by registering some basic details; Northumberland County Council hosts this service and pays a licence fee, but partners and community users can access the funding search service free of charge using the Council licence.

To register click here: GrantFinder webpage - Northumberland County 4 Community

Other free funding search websites and portals:
Grants Online Local Funding for Northumberland

For further information on Northumberland grants and funding searches, or if you wish to receive our funding bulletin by email, please contact: regenerationinvestmentteam@northumberland.gov.uk
If you are involved in writing funding applications, the Northumberland Knowledge website can provide informative research and statistics to support your bid.





 

Let us know what you think

Click here to let us know if you found the content of the page helpful