As of 13 August 2026, AI can find funding options for your UK small business.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a chatbot with web access and paste the full prompt, replacing each bracketed slot with your business details.
   2. Gather your Companies House or business registration details, latest accounts or management figures, headcount, business address and a clear description of how you would use the money.
   3. Paste the completed prompt and ask the chatbot to search official GOV.UK, devolved government, local authority and funder pages rather than relying on directory summaries.
   4. Copy each shortlisted scheme's official page into a separate browser tab and compare its location, business-stage, sector, funding-use and deadline rules with the drafted table.
   5. Remove any option where the official page does not confirm that the scheme is open, relevant to your location and suitable for your proposed use of funds.
   6. Put the remaining options into a comparison sheet with funding type, amount, repayment or match-funding requirements, deadline and application link, then choose which funders to contact.
   7. Ask the chatbot to turn the verified facts into a document checklist and a list of questions for each funder, and send those questions to the funder before preparing an application.

   Prompt

   Find current funding options for my UK small business using official UK sources and the funders' own pages where possible. Treat the current date as 2026-08-13.
   
   Business details:
   - Location in the UK: [England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, plus local authority if known]
   - Legal structure: [sole trader, partnership, limited company or other]
   - Sector and main activity: [describe clearly]
   - Trading stage and start date: [pre-start, new or established, with date]
   - Number of employees: [number]
   - Annual turnover: [amount and financial year, if relevant]
   - Funding amount sought: [amount in pounds]
   - Intended use of funds: [equipment, premises, working capital, research, hiring, export, energy or other]
   - Relevant characteristics: [such as founder background, rural location, innovation, deprivation area or environmental aim, only where applicable]
   - Funding preference: [grant, loan, equity, asset finance or open to any]
   
   Return a table with these columns: scheme or funder, funding type, amount or range if officially stated, eligible locations, apparent eligibility, permitted use, closing date or whether applications are ongoing, match funding or repayment terms, official application link, and confidence. Separate confirmed facts from points that need checking. Do not invent schemes, amounts, deadlines or eligibility criteria. Exclude any option whose official page is unavailable or whose closing date has passed. For every option, quote or closely paraphrase the relevant official eligibility wording and explain exactly what I must verify myself. Do not tell me that I am eligible, do not recommend borrowing or giving up equity, and do not submit an application.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.