Criteria

Before you start your application, make sure your business meets the criteria of our funds.

Fund criteria

Location

We can lend to businesses in the NPIF II region, with a focus on:

  • Cheshire
  • Cumbria
  • Greater Manchester
  • Lancashire
  • Merseyside

Business type

For the purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are classed as any entity that qualifies as small, micro or medium sized in accordance with sections 382, 384A and 465 of the Companies Act 2006:

To qualify as an SME, the company must meet at least two of the below criteria:

  1. Turnover not more than £36million
  2. Balance sheet total not more than £18million
  3. Number of employees not more than 250

Finance is available for established businesses, but we may be able to support start-ups in certain circumstances.

 

Sectors

Generally we can invest across most sectors. However, certain sectors are excluded; please contact us for more details.

 

Use of finance     

Finance cannot be used to refinance existing lenders.

Location

We can lend to businesses in the SWIF region, with a focus on:

  • Bristol
  • Gloucestershire
  • North and North East Somerset
  • Wiltshire

Business type

For the purpose of the South West Investment Fund, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are classed as any entity that qualifies as small, micro or medium sized in accordance with sections 382, 384A and 465 of the Companies Act 2006:

To qualify as an SME, the company must meet at least two of the below criteria:

  1. Turnover not more than £36million
  2. Balance sheet total not more than £18million
  3. Number of employees not more than 250

Finance is available for established businesses, but we may be able to support start-ups in certain circumstances.

Sectors

Generally we can invest across most sectors. However, certain sectors are excluded; please contact us for more details.

Use of finance     

Finance cannot be used to refinance existing lenders.

Location 

We can lend to businesses in Wales. 

Business type 

For the purpose of the Investment Fund for Wales, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are classed as any entity that qualifies as small, micro or medium sized in accordance with sections 382, 384A and 465 of the Companies Act 2006: 

To qualify as an SME, the company must meet at least two of the below criteria: 

  • Turnover not more than £36million 

  • Balance sheet total not more than £18million 

  • Number of employees not more than 250 

Finance is available for established businesses, but we may be able to support start-ups in certain circumstances. 

Sectors 

Generally we can invest across most sectors. However, certain sectors are excluded; please contact us for more details. 

Use of finance      

Finance cannot be used to refinance existing lenders. 

Business location

The fund is available to construction companies and property developers looking to build projects in the seven local authority areas of the North East:

  • Northumberland
  • County Durham
  • Gateshead
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • North Tyneside
  • South Tyneside
  • Sunderland

Business type

To qualify you must be a construction and property development company who typically works with small-scale, non-speculative commercial and residential property, such as new housing schemes, refurbishment schemes, mixed-use schemes, new office, industrial and warehouse developments and phased developments.

Sectors

This is a niche fund aimed at the property sector.

Use of finance     

The fund provides short-term loans between £250,000 and £1 million for development costs with terms up to 2 years.

The fund is a response to strong demand from smaller construction and property development companies who have struggled to access development finance from traditional lenders.

The fund is available to construction companies and property developers looking to build projects in the seven local authority areas of the North East:

 

  • Northumberland
  • County Durham
  • Gateshead
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • North Tyneside
  • South Tyneside
  • Sunderland

Business type

To qualify you must be a construction and property development company who typically works with speculative or non-speculative commercial property including mixed-use schemes, new office, industrial and warehouse developments and phased developments.

Sectors

This is a niche fund aimed at the property sector.

Use of finance     

The fund provides loans from £1million to £7 million for speculative and non-speculative commercial developments. The North East Commercial Property Investment Fund can provide up to 100 percent of build costs for suitable schemes with repayment terms available up to five years.

The Fund was launched to address a gap in the market and facilitate the delivery of new commercial property development projects that support employment creation and economic growth in the North East LEP area.

Buying a business

  • For management buy ins, management buy outs and BIMBOs - the enterprise acquired by management must have a material presence in Teesside
  • For corporate acquisitions - the acquirer and/or the target must have a material presence in Teesside
  • Companies must be profitable, cash generative businesses

Bidding for contracts

  • Recipients of funding must have a material presence in Teesside, or the contract is providing economic benefit in Teesside
  • Bonds must have a defined expiry date
  • Capability and resource to deliver the contract

Developing property

  • Developers or sites must be based in Teesside
  • Available to support residential and non-speculative commercial developments
  • Unencumbered land and planning permission required

Please note

If your business isn’t based in the right area, but is either willing to relocate or will have a material presence in the region as a result of the investment, then this should be sufficient – our local Investment Executives can provide further guidance on this.

A business plan and some financial information will also need to be provided before you are able to receive any funding.

 

Ready to apply?

If you are ready to apply click here.