British Business Bank Growth Guarantee Scheme
Growth Guarantee Scheme
Open continuously
No deadline — apply whenever you are ready.
Facilities of up to £2m per business group for borrowers outside the scope of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and up to £1 million for NI Protocol borrowers. The scheme provides the lender with a 70% government-backed guarantee against the outstanding balance; the borrower remains 100% liable for the debt. Terms and pricing are set by the accredited lender.
British Business Bank
public · national
Deadline: rolling — Open for applications; applications are made through accredited lenders, not to the British Business Bank directly. No end date stated on the page.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Moderate — a form and supporting documents.
Who can apply
- Turnover up to 45,000,000
- Stage: seed, series_a, growth
- Locally registered entity required
Open to smaller businesses with turnover up to £45m on a group basis; the page notes this limit is being increased to £54m as part of enhancements announced in July 2026. Borrower must be carrying out trading activity in the UK and generating more than 50% of its income from trading activity (charities and FE colleges exempt from the income test).
How to apply
- Check eligibility (UK trading activity, turnover threshold, viability).
- Choose an accredited lender from the published list and apply directly to them. — link
- The lender assesses the application under its normal credit process and applies the guarantee if needed.
What you will need
- Lender's standard credit application pack
Source. https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/finance-options/debt-finance/growth-guarantee-scheme — checked 2026-08-14
"The scheme provides the lender with a 70% government-backed guarantee against the outstanding balance of the facility ... The scheme is open to smaller businesses with a turnover of up to £45m (on a group basis, where part of a group)."