NI Small Business Loan Fund

Small businesses in Northern Ireland can apply for loans from £10,000 to £100,000

The NI Small Business Fund is part of Invest NI’s Access to Finance Strategy and provides loans for Northern Ireland based individuals, private companies and social enterprises. Local businesses can use the loan for:

• business start-up costs
• expansion or growth finance
• working capital
• new product or market development
• match funding
• new asset purchases

Eligibility criteria

To access a loan from the NI Small Business Fund, businesses should:

• be substantially based in Northern Ireland.
• be a micro business or an SME.
• have identified a funding gap in a proposed investment whereby applicants have tried and been unable to raise all required funding from banks/financial institutions.

Applicants will also need to demonstrate their ability to service the loan repayments.

Further information

There is a maximum loan amount of £15,000 to start-up enterprises (businesses trading less than two years).

Loans are provided on commercial terms with pricing reflective of the risk involved.  Loans are typically unsecured, although personal guarantees may be sought.

Find out more about the NI Small Business Loan Fund.

First published 4 July 2023.