Funding opportunity: DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4
31/03/2025
UK-registered micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative sector (including design, designer fashion and crafts) located in various regions in England can apply for a share of up to £8 million for innovation projects to grow their business.
The funding is from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and delivered with Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.
The deadline for registrations is 29 May 2025.
The competition aims to provide a package of targeted support to high growth creative businesses to scale, build investor networks and reach their potential. This funding is designed to help creative businesses explore new innovation projects as a stimulus for growth.
This competition is split into two strands:
- Strand 1: DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4: small projects (£20k-£50k, 100% funded) – click here.
- Strand 2: DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4: large projects (this strand – larger, more ambitious scale creative projects with total eligible costs between £50,000 and £200,000, which can be up to 70% funded depending on business size) – click here.
The 12 DCMS Create Growth Programme appointed regions are:
- Greater Manchester
- Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire
- North East of England
- West of England and Cornwall
- South East Coast
- Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Greater Lincolnshire
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
- Hull & East Yorkshire
- West Midlands
- West Yorkshire
- Devon
- Hertfordshire
The successful projects will receive business support targeted at the creative industries, finance and investor capacity building activities.