Tools and providers
Growth hub grants: who refers and who pays in two regions
Growth hub grants in West Yorkshire and Liverpool City Region: which body diagnoses and refers, which one holds the money, and what to prepare first.
What to take away
- The hubs do not pay grants. West Yorkshire growth hub and Liverpool City Region growth hub diagnose, signpost and refer; the combined authorities design and approve funding.
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority supports routes the West Yorkshire hub refers firms to, including the Business Productivity Service and Net Zero West Yorkshire.
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority holds the funding for the Future Innovation Fund; the Fair Employment Charter is a separate support route for employers meeting its standards.
- West Yorkshire mixes rolling advice with periodic grant windows; Liverpool City Region publishes funding rounds with fixed deadlines.
The short answer for Leeds and Liverpool firms
For growth hub grants, start with the growth hub covering your combined authority area. It gives a free diagnosis, names the programme that fits, then refers you to the combined authority that holds the money. Cross-border applications rarely succeed.
Match the route to the project. Productivity and decarbonisation work suits West Yorkshire; innovation, creative, social enterprise and employment standards work suits Liverpool City Region. If neither fits, test national routes first, including Innovate UK Smart Grants for wider innovation work.
Understanding how small business grants in England are organised shows which layer owns a scheme and which layer only signposts it.
Ask one question at the diagnosis call: what is the award range and match funding percentage in the live prospectus?
West Yorkshire: hub advice, combined authority money
West Yorkshire growth hub covers the whole combined authority area, serving Bradford and Wakefield as well as Leeds, through one enquiry line and a network of delivery partners.
The diagnosis call is the gate. An adviser reviews turnover, sector, headcount and the project, then names a scheme or rules one out. It is free and usually takes under an hour.
The combined authority funds what the hub refers into. Named support has included the Business Productivity Service, for productivity advice, and Net Zero West Yorkshire, for energy and carbon reduction. In the first phase of the Business Productivity Service, businesses with between five and 100 employees will receive advice and support on how to boost productivity.
Liverpool City Region: same split, different priorities
Liverpool City Region growth hub covers Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral and Halton. Advisers run the same free diagnosis and referral, with more emphasis on social enterprise and creative businesses.
The combined authority holds the funding. It has run the Future Innovation Fund for small and medium firms with an innovation project. It also backs the Fair Employment Charter for employers meeting its standards.
Port and logistics work shapes what gets funded, so supply chain, digital and low-carbon projects fit published priorities better than general expansion.
Run the geography, applicant, cost and timing rules over the project before you ring, since those four filters settle most outcomes before an application is written.
Side by side: programmes, evidence and timing
West Yorkshire (Leeds)
- Advisory body
- West Yorkshire growth hub
- Funding body
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority
- Named programmes
- Business Productivity Service; Net Zero West Yorkshire
- Typical applicant
- Growth, productivity or decarbonisation plans
- How rounds run
- Rolling advice, periodic grant windows
Liverpool City Region (Liverpool)
- Advisory body
- Liverpool City Region growth hub
- Funding body
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- Named programmes
- Future Innovation Fund; Fair Employment Charter support
- Typical applicant
- Innovation, social enterprise, creative or employment standards
- How rounds run
- Published rounds with fixed deadlines
Timing is the sharpest difference. A West Yorkshire window can open quietly and close once the allocation is spent. Liverpool City Region publishes a round with a fixed deadline, so missing one costs months.
The aligning the UK tax year, VAT quarters and grant claim windows guide shows how those calendars interact with your reporting cycle before you commit match funding.
Preparing evidence before the first call
Both regions follow the same referral sequence:
- Contact your area's growth hub and book the free diagnosis call.
- Agree which named programme fits your project and stage.
- Complete the hub's eligibility check, including trading address and size.
- Assemble management accounts, a project plan and supplier quotes.
- Submit by the route the hub confirms and answer queries quickly.
Five Referral Steps to a Grant
- Book free diagnosis call with your hub
- Agree which named programme fits
- Complete the hub's eligibility check
- Prepare accounts, plan and quotes
- Submit via hub route and answer queries
Work through this checklist before you call:
- A Leeds or Liverpool trading address you can evidence.
- A project matching a named programme in your region.
- Management accounts, a project plan and supplier quotes ready.
- A match funding figure you can commit in writing.
- A written answer to what happens if the application fails.
- The current round's closing date in your diary.
- A check of national schemes before you favour a local one.
Before You Contact Either Hub
- Leeds or Liverpool trading address evidenced
- Project matches a named regional programme
- Accounts, project plan and quotes ready
- Match funding amount known
- Plan if the application fails
- Checked whether national scheme fits
- Read current round deadline and rules
A good diagnosis call ends with four things in your notes: the programme, the eligibility test, the evidence list, and the next date that matters.
National routes are worth a parallel check. The Business finance support finder filters central schemes by size, sector and region, and the Grow your business pages cover broader growth support.
Common questions
Who pays the grant, the hub or the combined authority?
The combined authority holds and approves the money. The hub diagnoses, signposts and refers, so an adviser cannot promise an award.
Can a Leeds firm apply to a Liverpool City Region scheme?
Rarely. Local schemes normally require a trading address inside the relevant combined authority area, so check the boundary first.
How much can I get, and when are the deadlines?
That is set by the combined authority, not the hub. Award ranges, match funding percentages and closing dates sit in each programme's live prospectus, and they change with every funding settlement. Ask the hub for the current document at the diagnosis call.
