I run a creative business, such as film, games, music or design
Tax reliefs, grants, crowdfunding and investors for creative work, cheapest first.
Creative projects often cost money long before they earn any, and lenders can find them hard to value. That makes the free and cheap help at the bottom of the ladder especially worth checking.
The UK has eight creative industry tax reliefs (film, animation, high-end TV, children's TV, video games, theatre, orchestras, and museum and gallery exhibitions) and two expenditure credits, for audio-visual work and video games. They are for companies that pay Corporation Tax and are directly involved in making the production. Grants, prizes and reward crowdfunding can also pay for a project without giving up ownership.
20 routes to look at, cheapest first
Compare the first 4 side by side- L0
Free or nearly free
Little or no cash cost, though most take time and admin. Some bring money in, and a few have small fees.- Own cash and no-cost
Customer prepayments, deposits and pre-sales
Ask customers to pay some or all of the price before you deliver. The cash arrives before your costs, so you borrow less, but you owe customers the goods or a refund until you deliver.
Days - Grants, tax reliefs and prizes
Capital allowances, Patent Box and creative-industry reliefs
Tax reliefs that cut your tax bill when you buy equipment, earn profits from patents, or make films, TV, games or shows. They do not bring in new money, but they leave more of your own cash in the business.
Months - Grants, tax reliefs and prizes
Equity-free accelerators, fellowships and prizes
Programmes and competitions that give founders money, training or both without taking shares. Places are limited and competitive, and the money is usually modest.
MonthsUp to £75k - Grants, tax reliefs and prizes
Innovate UK grants
Competitive grants from the UK's innovation agency that pay part of the cost of innovation projects. You do not pay them back, but you must fund the rest of the project yourself.
Months - Grants, tax reliefs and prizes
Local, regional and sector grants
Grants from councils, combined authorities, the devolved governments and sector bodies, often for equipment, jobs, energy saving or exporting. You do not repay them, but they are usually small and come and go.
MonthsUp to £315k - Crowdfunding and community finance
Reward-based crowdfunding
People pay in advance for a reward, often the product you plan to make, through an online platform. You give up no shares and repay nothing, but you must deliver what you promised.
Months
- Own cash and no-cost
- L1
Very cheap or subsidised
Borrowing on better terms than the market, usually because a public body, community lender or large buyer is involved.- Government-backed and community lending
Community development finance (CDFI) loans
Loans from Community Development Finance Institutions, lenders that exist to support small businesses, start-ups and sole traders that mainstream banks often overlook.
DaysPersonal guarantee likely - Government-backed and community lending
Start Up Loans
A government-backed personal loan of up to £25,000 at a fixed rate, for people starting a business or in their first five years of trading, with 12 months of free mentoring.
Weeks£500 to £25k
- Government-backed and community lending
- L2
Mainstream secured debt
Standard borrowing from banks and mainstream lenders, often secured on assets or backed by a personal guarantee.- Government-backed and community lending
British Business Bank regional investment funds
Government-backed funds for smaller businesses in each nation and region, offering loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity up to £5 million through local fund managers. Terms are commercial, not subsidised.
Weeks£25k to £5mLoans, or shares if you choosePersonal guarantee likely - Government-backed and community lending
Development Bank of Wales
The Welsh Government's own development bank, offering loans from £1,000 to £10 million and equity investment to businesses based in Wales or moving there. Loans are priced on risk.
Weeks£1k to £10mLoans, or shares if you choosePersonal guarantee likely - Government-backed and community lending
Invest NI loan and equity funds
Loan and equity funds backed by Invest NI, Northern Ireland's economic development agency, from small business loans of £10,000 to equity rounds of up to £2.5 million. Each fund is run by a private fund manager.
Weeks£10k to £2.5mLoans, or shares if you choosePersonal guarantee likely
- Government-backed and community lending
- L4
Expensive or fast
Quick to arrange, often unsecured, and usually the most expensive way to borrow.- Alternative and fast debt
E-commerce and payment platform finance
Online shop and payment platforms offer funding based on your sales through them, repaid automatically as a share of those sales. It is quick and simple to get, but only open to their own sellers and the fixed fee can be costly.
DaysFrom £1k - Alternative and fast debt
Revenue-based finance
An advance repaid as a fixed share of your future sales, plus a flat fee agreed up front. Repayments fall when sales are slow, but the fee can make it expensive, especially if you repay quickly.
Days
- Alternative and fast debt
- Equity rungs. These routes cost no interest, but you give up part of the ownership and control of your business. They are ranked by how much you give up, not by a made-up interest rate. Over time, equity can be the most expensive money of all.E1
Light dilution
You sell a small share of the company, usually to many small investors or people you know, and keep control of how it is run.- Crowdfunding and community finance
Equity crowdfunding
Selling shares in your company to many investors, often including your customers, through an online platform authorised by the FCA.
MonthsGives up shares - Private equity investment
Friends and family
Money from people you know, as a loan, as shares, or both. Often the first money into a new business and on flexible terms, but it puts relationships at risk if things go wrong.
WeeksLoans, or shares if you choose - Hybrid instruments
Advance subscription agreement (ASA)
An investor pays now for shares that the company will issue later, usually at the next funding round. If set up correctly, it can qualify for SEIS or EIS tax relief, unlike most convertible loan notes.
WeeksGives up shares - Hybrid instruments
Convertible loan notes (CLNs)
An investor lends money to your company on the understanding that the loan will usually turn into shares later, often at a discount, when a set event such as the next funding round happens.
WeeksMay give up shares
- Crowdfunding and community finance
- E2
Significant dilution and investor rights
Investors take a meaningful stake and usually get rights such as a board seat, a veto over big decisions, or a preferred return.- Private equity investment
Angel investment
Experienced individuals, often investing together as a syndicate, buy a minority stake in an early-stage company and give advice and contacts as well as money.
Months£5k to £500kGives up shares - Private equity investment
Corporate venture capital
A large company invests in a smaller one that could help its own business, in return for shares. You get money plus the corporate's contacts and know-how, but you share your ideas with a possible competitor.
6 months or moreFrom £1mGives up shares - Private equity investment
Venture capital
Professional investment funds buy minority stakes in young, high-growth companies, usually in several rounds, and expect a large return when the company is sold or listed.
6 months or moreGives up shares
- Private equity investment
Worth knowing
- Check whether your project qualifies for a creative industry relief before you budget it. It can change how much money you need.
- Reward crowdfunding also tests whether people want what you are making.
- Keep the rights in your work clear. Investors and lenders will ask who owns them.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Corporation Tax: creative industry tax reliefs (updated 19 February 2026) · checked 10 October 2026
Facts about each route are sourced on its own page.