Tools and providers
Part of Choosing grant research tools, application systems and advisers for small businesses
The official tools for finding, applying for and checking small business grants
Compare five official tools for finding, applying for and checking small business grants and subsidy records relevant to businesses based in England.
The most useful grant tool depends on the job. This list covers five official public services for discovery, application or transparency. All five are free public services, and none charges for access or for an account. It does not rank commercial grant software, and none of the services proves that a business is eligible or will receive an award.
What to take away
- The best grant tool depends on the job, so pick the service that matches your task.
- Find a grant is the broad starting point for government grant searches and notifications.
- The finance and support finder suits searches where region and business stage matter most.
- Innovation Funding Service is required for Innovate UK competitions, and applications elsewhere are not accepted.
- Search for UK subsidies and Companies House support for due diligence.
How the tools were selected and checked
Services had to be operated for a UK public body, publicly accessible on 4 September 2026 and relevant to an England-based business researching grants or subsidies. No authenticated application was submitted, so account-only usability and end-to-end reliability were not scored.
Tool selection criteria
- Operated for a UK public body
- Publicly accessible on 4 September 2026
- Relevant to England-based business
- Public search pages and guidance reviewed
- No authenticated application submitted
"Best" here means best fit for the stated official task, not a universal winner. There were no affiliate links, payments or provider contributions.
1. Find a grant for broad government-grant searches
Find a grant allows users to search and filter government grants, browse listings, review published eligibility information and find application routes. The service is at find-government-grants.service.gov.uk. Its public page also offers notifications and a sign-in route for applications supported by the service.
Build a research list
- Search and filter government grants
- Browse listings and review eligibility
- Open each grant record
- Check the funder's documents
- Save the access date
Use it to build a research list. Open each grant record, check the funder's documents and save the access date. The service says more grants will be added as it develops, so do not treat it as a complete record of all possible support. Coverage depends on what funders publish, so local-authority and sector schemes may be missing.
2. Finance and support for your business for regional filtering
The Department for Business and Trade finance and support finder includes filters for support type, business stage, industry, employees and region. It covers grants as well as finance, expertise and other support. It does not accept applications and does not cover every local or sector scheme.
Summary result vs scheme page
Summary result
- Role
- Discovery record
- Geography
- Filter only
- Closing date
- Not authoritative
- Eligibility
- Overview
Individual scheme page
- Role
- Controls details
- Geography
- Current geography
- Closing date
- Current date
- Eligibility
- Current eligibility
Use it when location and business stage are central to the search. The summary result is a discovery record. The individual scheme page controls current geography, closing date and eligibility.
3. Innovation Funding Service for Innovate UK competitions
The Innovation Funding Service competition search lists relevant competitions and provides the application environment for Innovate UK opportunities. UKRI's current applicant guidance states that applications outside the service will not be accepted for those competitions. It does not cover grants from other funders or competitions run outside Innovate UK.
Use it only with the guidance for the specific competition. The public review did not test account creation, collaboration or submission. UKRI assigns the lead applicant responsibility for inviting partners, reviewing answers and submitting on time.
4. Search for UK subsidies for award and scheme transparency
Search for UK subsidies provides public records of subsidy schemes and awards uploaded by UK public authorities under transparency obligations. The service is at www.gov.uk/search-uk-subsidies. Users can search schemes and awards and export results from relevant result pages. It does not cover subsidies that public authorities are not required to publish.
Use it for due diligence, prior-support research and scheme context. It is not an application service. A database result does not decide whether another award is available or whether funding can be combined.
5. Companies House search for applicant and supplier checks
The Companies House search service provides public company information and filings. Use it to confirm a company's registered identity, status, officers and filed record when relevant to an application or supplier check. The search is at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. It covers registered companies only, so unregistered businesses will not appear.
Companies House information is not a credit score, quality mark or proof of grant eligibility. Review the filing date and distinguish the registered record from operational claims made by the business.
Limits of this comparison
Search coverage, interfaces, records and guidance can change. Recheck each service on publication day. A business may also need a local-authority, sector or funder-specific service that falls outside these national tools.
All five are government services. Commercial grant-matching tools and paid advisers sit outside this list.
Before you act
- Check the funder's documents and save the access date.
- Confirm current geography, closing date and eligibility on the scheme page.
- Read the guidance for the specific competition before applying.
- Use subsidy records for due diligence and prior-support research.
- Confirm registered identity, status and officers before an application.
- Recheck each service on publication day for changes.
Common questions
Can any of these tools confirm that my business is eligible for a grant?
No. They support discovery, application or transparency. Eligibility is controlled by the individual scheme page, the funder's documents and the guidance for the specific competition.
Which tool should I use if location and business stage are central to my search?
The Department for Business and Trade finance and support finder. It includes filters for support type, business stage, industry, employees and region, and covers grants as well as finance, expertise and other support. Treat the summary result as a discovery record and check the scheme page.
Can I use the Innovation Funding Service to apply for any Innovate UK competition?
It lists relevant competitions and provides the application environment for Innovate UK opportunities. UKRI guidance states that applications outside the service will not be accepted for those competitions. Use it only alongside the guidance for the specific competition, as account creation and submission were not tested. Answering the three Innovate UK criteria is dealt with in its own post.
