Creative business support and funding

Several organisations offer targeted advice for creative businesses.

Invest Northern Ireland

Invest NI offers a range of advisory support to businesses in the creative sector, including:

• research and development support
• intellectual property advice
• collaboration guidance
• skills development support

Northern Ireland Screen

NI Screen offers mainly funding and skills support for the film, television and digital content industry. However, they also:

• offer free information service - helping you with all aspects of filming in Northern Ireland, including budgeting, studios, crew, locations, permissions and services
• occasionally organise trade missions - giving individuals and businesses an opportunity to visit target markets and festivals at home and abroad

They also offer a range of education and work experience programmes for young people considering a career in the industry. Explore Northern Ireland Screen support.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI)

ACNI provides specialist advice from Arts Development Officers on funding, project development and arts/creative programmes, and supports creative industries partnerships and community arts. Find out what ACNI support.

Arts & Business Northern Ireland

Arts & Business NI supports collaboration between business and the arts through advice, fundraising, learning and consultancy support. Find out more about Arts & Business NI membership.

Craft NI

Craft NI delivers programmes to support the craft sector and the makers of quality contemporary craft, including training opportunities, webinars and workshops aimed to help you establish a successful craft practice. Find out more about Craft NI's programmes.

If you're starting or growing a creative business, there may be funding options available to help you achieve your goals.

Northern Ireland business support finder

You can use our business support finder database to search online for available sources of funding and support.

Invest Northern Ireland support

You can also explore funding options from Invest NI, including:

• innovation, research and development funding, such as Innovation Vouchers
• capability development - including support with mentoring, consultancy and access to specialist knowledge
• intellectual property support, including financial assistance to carry out intellectual asset management audit and protect patents, trade marks and design
• a range of loans and equity funds

Northern Ireland Screen support

NI Screen offers various funding programmes across its economic, cultural and educational activities:

• development funding- includes script, project and slate development for feature films, television and digital content
• production funding - comes in the form of a recoupable loan and assists in completing budgets on productions which are almost fully financed
• short films schemes - aim to help emerging film makers
• skills fund - is a grant offered to individuals working in the Northern Ireland screen sector to support their training or development needs
• games funding - including project development and project production funding

Northern Ireland Screen also runs two cultural funds: the Irish Language Broadcast Fund and the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund. Explore Northern Ireland Screen support.

Arts Council NI

The Arts Council NI offers a broad range of funding opportunities for creative and arts organisations and individuals in Northern Ireland:

• find funding for organisations, including small grants programme, lottery project funding, music touring support and creative apprenticeships/internships programme
• find funding for individuals, including support for individual artist programme, travel awards, etc

Find Arts Council NI support schemes.

Developing up-to-date knowledge and skills is important to all businesses, since it can improve their competitiveness, boost business performance and profitability.

Invest Northern Ireland skills support

Invest NI offers skills and training support to local businesses to help them develop:

• collaborative working
• export skills
• leadership abilities

You can also get HR advice from Invest NI as well as training support through workshops, mentoring and various skills development programmes.

Northern Ireland Screen

Northern Ireland Screen actively supports both businesses and individuals through training, skills development and funding programmes, including:

• skills fund
• company placements
• training and workshops
• the Pixel Mill

These demonstrate Northern Ireland Screen's ongoing commitment via their 2025-2029 strategy: Stories, Skills and Sustainability. Find out more about Northern Ireland Screen skills support programme.

Sector skills support

ScreenSkills (previously known as Creative Skillset) is the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries - animation, film, games, television, VFX and immersive technology. It helps develop skills and talent in organisations and individuals across the creative industries.

Networking helps Northern Ireland creative businesses find collaborators, clients and new markets. It gives you an opportunity to join established groups or attend targeted events to build relationships and share expertise.

There is a wealth of organisations in Northern Ireland actively supporting creative connections:

• the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce
• Invest Northern Ireland
• the Federation of Small Businesses
• the Institute of Directors
• Women in Business
• Young Enterprise Northern Ireland
• Arts & Business Northern Ireland

Find out how to get involved in Northern Ireland business networks.

Collaborative networking can be particularly helpful to creative businesses to help improve business performance, products and staff skills and win new business. Read about business growth through collaboration.

Networking beyond Northern Ireland

Digital Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) is a UK-wide network that provides a place for creative innovators to meet, share ideas and shape the future. It promotes funding and collaboration opportunities and delivers insights into technology trends and developments.

European Creative Business Network assists creative entrepreneurs to do business together across Europe and find new markets. Trade shows, conferences, seminars and networking events organised by trade associations, professional bodies and business support organisations also offer a good opportunity to meet new contacts and network.

Trade shows, conferences, seminars and networking events organised by trade associations, professional bodies and business support organisations also offer a good opportunity to meet new contacts and network.

Finally, new technologies are increasingly enabling new ways of networking for businesses, so consider online platforms like LinkedIn creative groups, Discord servers for games developers, and Behance for design portfolios to tap into networking opportunities right across the globe.