Construction Industry Grants & Funding
A practical guide for the UK
Explore a diverse range of funding and grant options tailored for the construction sector across the UK and Northern Ireland. From workforce training and innovation to heritage restoration and community development, these financial supports are designed to bolster construction businesses and projects. Whether you’re a contractor, developer, or SME, discover how these opportunities can help you enhance skills, drive innovation, and contribute to community growth.
What Are Grants and Funding?
If your business meets the eligibility criteria, you can apply to get funding for various activities, which are detailed below.
Grants and Funding in UK
CITB NI Training Grants
The Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland (CITB NI) offers various grants to CITB- registered employers to encourage them to invest in workforce development and skills enhancement. CITB NI offers grants for support in a wide range of training and qualifications for employees working in Northern Ireland. The funding also covers short training courses including first aid, business courses and site safety courses. CITB has a useful training directory to help identify training courses and providers. You can apply for grants online. Find out more here.
Invest NI Business Innovation Grant (BIG)
Invest Northern Ireland provides the Business Innovation Grant (BIG), offering from £5,000 up to £20,000 to support micro and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Ireland. This grant assists businesses in developing and bringing new products, services, or processes to market. The funding can be put towards various activities including trade fairs and exhibitions, product development, market research and entry, and much more. Successful businesses will also be added to the Innovate NI programme for further guidance and support. Note that the grant rate is 70% Find out more here.
Invest NI also offers Innovation Vouchers worth up to £5,000, enabling businesses to access expertise from public sector knowledge providers to develop innovative solutions. Additionally, R&D support is available to help businesses develop ideas into successful products, processes, or services ready for commercialisation. The funding is not payable directly to the applicant. Find out more here.
Community Foundation Northern Ireland Grants
The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland has awarded over £100m over the past 40 years to groups making a positive contribution to society. They offer various grant programmes to support community groups and projects, for example building sustainable communities. These grants can be used for a range of purposes, including construction-related initiatives that benefit local communities. Grants range from £250 to £1m. Find out more here.
National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund provides grants ranging from £300 to £20,000 for community projects, including those related to construction and infrastructure. These grants aim to support activities that create resilient communities and improve lives across the UK. There are four community-led missions, which are all potentially relevant to construction projects. Find out more here.
Government Grant Finder Tools
The UK government provides a very useful resource, the ‘Find a Grant’ service, which allows businesses to search for grants across different sectors and regions. Find a grant here
Northern Ireland: The Government Funding Database provides information on grants available from Northern Ireland government departments to voluntary and community organisations. Find out more here
Additional Resources
nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Offers guidance on the types of grants available and how to apply for them. Find out more here. Business support resources are available here.
Invest NI Construction Sector Support: Provides a very useful resource for accessing tailored support for businesses in the construction sector, including advice, mentoring, and financial assistance. Find out more here
Conclusion
For construction businesses in the UK and Northern Ireland, a variety of funding and development opportunities are available to support training, innovation, sustainability, community projects, and much more. It is worth checking to see if your project could benefit from the funding, access to expertise, training and business support on offer. Utilising these resources can enhance your business’s capabilities and make a positive contribution to such sectors as community development, health and safety, innovation and much more.
If you need assistance with applications or further information on these programmes, feel free to contact us.