Ambition to Grow | Supporting Women
Apply now for up to £30,000 funding to support small and medium businesses in Northern Ireland.
Is your business seeking to create new employment and grow into new markets?
Invest Northern Ireland has opened applications for their Ambition to Grow | Supporting Women programme.
In partnership with Women in Business NI, the programme particularly encourages applications from Northern Ireland’s most innovative and ambitious micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises to compete for up to £30,000 in funding. It aims to help businesses grow by creating jobs, innovating processes, and selling outside Northern Ireland.
Eligible participants can receive up to £30,000 in funding, broken down as follows:
- £15,000 for new employment within the business
- £10,000 for business development (market, product, or skills growth)
- £5,000 after completing an Export Health Check, Export Marketing Plan, Innovate NI Self-Assessment, and Leadership Development workshops
Who can apply?
The programme is open to all woman-led, Northern Ireland-based businesses who have:
- a suitable product or service for selling outside Northern Ireland
- the potential to increase new employment within the business
- the ability to demonstrate the need for government support
- annual turnover under £1 million or sales outside Northern Ireland less than £300,000
To find out if your business is eligible for Ambition to Grow | Supporting Women competition, complete Invest NI's online Eligibility Checker.
The deadline for applications is on Friday 31 October 2025 at noon.
Ambition to Grow | Supporting Women is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
First published 9 October 2024