Grants and funding Havering businesses can apply for now
There’s no big pot of council money any more, but there is more support available than most owners realise. Here’s a round-up of grants, matched funding and cheap finance open to Havering firms, with deadlines.
A recent survey for EDF and Enterprise Nation found three-quarters of small businesses were unaware of energy-efficiency grants or reliefs available to them. The same is true of hiring incentives and growth programmes. Free money tends to go to the businesses that ask for it.
With Havering Council relying on government support to balance its own budget (see Article 8), almost all help now comes from national government, the Mayor of London or private-sector programmes. Here is what’s open as of November 2026.
| Scheme | What you get | Who it’s for | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Jobs Grant | £3,000 per eligible hire, paid in two instalments | Employers hiring 18–24s on Universal Credit for 6+ months, 25+ hours a week, 4+ months | Open until October 2028 |
| Apprenticeship hiring payment | £2,000 per apprentice, plus 100% of training costs for under-25s | Non-levy employers taking on 16–24-year-old apprentices starting from 1 October 2026 | Open; first payments from January 2027 |
| Powering Local Businesses cash grant (EDF and Enterprise Nation) | 25 grants of £1,000 for energy-saving improvements | Small businesses | Closes 29 November 2026 |
| Made Smarter London | Matched funding up to £20,000 for digital tools and equipment, plus advice | London manufacturers; business pays at least 50% | Open |
| Mayor’s SME AI programme | AI readiness assessment, mentoring, workshops, guidance | London SMEs | Delivery model being finalised; register interest via Grow London Local |
| Start Up Loans | £500–£25,000 per founder, fixed 7.5%, 1–5 years, 12 months’ free mentoring | Businesses trading up to five years | Open |
How to give yourself the best chance
- Read the eligibility first. Most rejections are for basic reasons: wrong location, wrong size, trading too short a time, or spending money before approval.
- Never buy first. Matched-funding schemes almost never pay for things you bought before your grant was confirmed.
- Keep the paperwork. Payroll records for hiring grants, invoices and before-and-after evidence for equipment grants.
- Be specific. “New LED lighting and controls will cut our electricity use by about a third” beats “we want to be greener”.
- Beware of grant-finding firms that charge large upfront fees. Grow London Local, the Chamber and your accountant can point you to genuine schemes free of charge.
Also worth knowing
- Rates relief is the biggest “grant” most firms miss. See Article 3 and check every relief on your bill.
- Energy. Small businesses that already qualify for the reduced VAT rate on electricity also benefit from the 0% domestic electricity VAT rate that applied from 1 October 2026.
- Prizes. Havering Council’s Small Business Awards have opened for nominations in the spring in recent years. They are free to enter, and the publicity can be worth more than many grants.
What to do now
- If you run a small shop, café or studio, apply for the £1,000 energy grant before 29 November.
- If you’re hiring a young person in the next six months, check both youth schemes before you advertise.
- Register with Grow London Local, the Mayor’s free business support service, so you hear about new schemes as they open.
- Tell the Chamber about any scheme we’ve missed. We’ll keep this list updated.
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