Funds available now to help Dorset businesses grow

A new round of funding to help Dorset businesses grow has been launched.

The UK Shared Prosperity fund (UKSPF), which is managed by Dorset Council, is designed for projects that boost productivity, economic growth and upskilling. 

Businesses can apply for grants from today (1 September) for a share of £810,283 to help projects or initiatives that can be completed by 31 January 2026.

There will also be a chance for new companies and budding businesses to apply for start-up grants from 29 September.

These new grants bring the total funding made available to local businesses since UKSPF was launched 3 years ago to £6.4million.

One local success story saw Weymouth-based South Coast Precision successfully use a £20,000 UKSPF grant towards buying new machinery and employing two new members of staff.

With that extra resource the company successfully bid for a new contract that doubled its turnover.

Director, Paul Russell, said: “Without this funding we couldn’t buy the machine or hire our new staff. It’s made a huge difference, and we are very hopeful we will get more orders as a result.” 

For the 2025-2026 UKSPF round, businesses can apply for grants ranging from £10,000 to £40,000 and will need to able to provide 100% match funding.

Eligible activity could include investing in new production methods, buying machinery, providing staff training and net zero innovation.

The start-up grants range from £500 to £4,000 and require 30% match funding.

Dorset Council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, Cllr Richard Biggs, said: “This is a great opportunity for businesses to boost their productivity and who need that extra helping hand to get things off the ground.

“We have distributed millions of pounds of funding to more than 100 Dorset businesses, all of whom are doing amazing work to help our economy grow, creating more high skilled jobs for local people.

“I really hope to see more success stories emerge from this latest round of UKSPF funding.”

For more information on both business and start up grants and how to apply go to UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2025 to 2026 - Dorset Council