Starting a business

Development Bank of Wales | Micro Loans

Development Bank of Wales provide micro loans from £1,000 to £100,000 for start-up growth funding to help you get off the ground or support your early years. If you’re looking for finance to launch your business then a personal cash contribution is usually required. Whatever sector you’re going into, start up loans can help you cover the setup costs.

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Big Ideas Wales | Young Person’s Start Up Grant

The Young Person’s Start Up Grant will enable young people not in education, employment or training to start their own business, create a social enterprise, become self-employed, a freelancer or social entrepreneur in Wales. A grant of up to £2,000 is available to help young people starting a business. To ensure the business has the best possible chance to succeed, the grant will be available alongside a package of support that will include one-to-one advice, webinars to build confidence in business practices and develop plans for starting a business.

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Ambition North Wales Clean Energy Fund

Funding is available in North Wales to help businesses and community organisations invest in clean energy and decarbonisation projects, with the aim of reducing costs, improving efficiency and creating new opportunities. Examples of eligible projects include Renewable energy generation and infrastructure, Smart energy solutions including storage, Energy efficiency, decarbonisation and retrofit, Manufacturing and supply chain opportunities.

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Development Bank of Wales | Large Business Loans

Whether you need finance to improve working capital, accelerate growth, or buy a business, there are loans that can be tailored to fit your requirements. With local account managers providing face-to-face contact and ongoing support, they ensure they understand your business’ specific needs and help you to achieve your potential. They can combine loans and equity finance, and work alongside other finance providers (banks, crowdfunders, grants, investors and other lenders) to provide a bespoke funding package for your business.

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Development Bank of Wales | Green Business Loan Scheme

Whether you’re just starting or continuing your business’s decarbonisation journey, the Green Business Loan Scheme offers an incentivised funding package to support your business. Loans from £1,000 to £1.5m are available, as well as expert advice and funding for energy consultancy.

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Employer Green Skills Initiative

The Employer Green Skills Initiative offers fully funded training to SMEs in Anglesey and Gwynedd. Delivered by Busnes@LlandrilloMenai, it focuses on green technologies, retrofit, and leadership. The project helps businesses grow, join low-carbon supply chains, and build a resilient workforce.

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Wales Union Learning Fund

Under the programme, Trade Unions can bid to deliver three year training projects focussed on improving the learning and skills of their members. Individuals working in any unionised workplace in Wales, who either live or work in Wales, may be eligible for support in training and skills development through the WULF programme. Training projects delivered through the programme are designed to work in partnership with you, so you can support and underpin workplace development, learning and skills.

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CITB Skills and Training Fund

Keep developing your business with help from CITB’s Skills and Training Fund. We’re supporting medium-sized businesses with up to £25,000, and small and micro-sized business with up to £10,000 to upskill your staff to face the future.​ The money can be used for training in leadership and management or construction areas that will meet the needs of your team. Ultimately, adopting new skills will enable you to optimise efficiencies and continue expanding your revenue, through a motivated team that’s prepared to tackle tomorrow.

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ReAct+

ReAct+ offers a package of support to help someone who is aged 20 and over, who has been affected by redundancy in the last 6 months and is disabled to get back into work quickly. When you employ a qualifying recruit, we’ll give you up to £4,000, paid via four instalments for the first 12 months to help cover their wages.

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Personal Learning Account (PLA)

Are you over 19 and living in Wales, earning under *£34,303 a year and looking to develop a career in a priority sector? Personal Learning Accounts provide flexible and fully funded learning, either online or face to face or a combination of both. *There is no earning cap of £34,303 on approved courses or qualifications in digital or green skills.

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Flexible Skills Fund

The Flexible Skills Programme by Business Wales offers funding support to businesses in Wales to help address skills gaps and upskill their workforce targeting Leadership and Management, Advanced Digital Skills, Exporting Skills, Engineering and Manufacturing, Creative Sector, Net Zero Challenges, and Tourism and Hospitality All approved training courses will attract a 50% contribution towards the total eligible costs from the Welsh Government and requires businesses to be based in Wales, solvent, and committed to completing training by March 2026.

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