Open UK council grants for a website or e-commerce: October 2026

Last checked: October 2026. We looked for UK local schemes that can help pay for a website or e-commerce project and whose official page states that applications are open now. Three passed that test, all in Scotland: the North Lanarkshire Business Growth Fund, the Argyll and Bute Small Business Grant and the Fife SME Development Grant. Several schemes we checked elsewhere were closed, or their official pages could not be opened, so we left them out rather than guess.

We found no national UK grant for this. The national Help to Grow: Digital scheme closed after the government announced its closure in December 2022, with final applications on 2 February 2023. It offered discounts on approved software rather than funding for website builds.

All three schemes below run through the local Business Gateway service. North Lanarkshire and Fife state that they pay only after you have spent the money, and Argyll and Bute does not fund costs committed before its written offer. If your business is outside these council areas, use the checks further down to test any scheme you find locally.

The council’s Business Growth Fund page says the fund “is now open to applications”. It is a competitive, discretionary grant for SMEs with fewer than 250 employees, and it prioritises projects that boost turnover, create jobs, raise productivity, support environmental sustainability and advance digital capabilities.

• Amount: eligible projects are 50% grant-funded, up to £20,000 per application, with a maximum of £40,000 over 24 months.
• Website relevance: the 2026-27 guidelines list e-commerce platforms and bespoke software among examples of eligible capital expenditure, for grants between £1,000 and £20,000. ICT and digital capital projects must be discussed with a Business Gateway adviser first, and you must be able to show the project has been properly researched.
• Sectors: construction, manufacturing, life sciences, transport and logistics, tourism, food and drink (manufacturing and processing), creative industries, digital, renewable energy, health and social care, and social enterprises.
• Restrictions: home-based businesses are not eligible for capital expenditure grants. Funding is not available for projects already started or for orders or deposits placed before the decision; supplier invoices must be dated after the award.
• Process: you must be working with a Business Gateway adviser, and a council officer visits your premises before you apply. Panels meet monthly. The next submission deadlines on the page are 5pm on 13 November 2026 and 5pm on 4 December 2026, and the final grant claim deadline is 5pm on 29 January 2027.

The grant is paid retrospectively and covers up to 50% of net costs; VAT and delivery costs are ineligible. A maximum of two applications can be made within 24 months.

Quotes: the guidelines require formal quotes from two different suppliers for every proposed item of expenditure. They must be on the supplier’s headed paper (or from its business email address), dated within the last 3 months, cite your business name and address, and give a clear breakdown of the goods or services. Handwritten quotes are not accepted. If you need help researching a digital project, the guidelines say your Business Gateway adviser may be able to introduce you to consultancy support through the council’s Expert Help programme, and the council may ask for a copy of the audit report that justifies the investment.

Argyll and Bute Council’s information for applicants gives a deadline of 5pm on 27 November 2026, and says the fund will close sooner if it is fully committed. Two grants are available through the council’s Business Gateway service, paid at 50% of approved costs, according to the Small Business Grant page:

• Small Business Development Grant: £1,000 to £3,000 for capital or revenue costs, for businesses actively trading for at least 6 months. Eligible revenue costs include marketing costs, “including digital or website development”, with a maximum grant of £3,000 for revenue costs.
• Small Business Capital Grant: £3,000 to £10,000 for capital expenditure only, for businesses trading for at least 12 months. Revenue costs are not eligible for this grant.

The eligibility criteria are strict. The business must be based in Argyll and Bute, operate full-time (35 or more hours a week), have fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees, show actual annual turnover above £25,000, and provide full-time employment for the owner or at least one member of staff at the Real Living Wage or above. Excluded items include single costs below £200, and phones, tablets, printers and laptops unless specialised. Costs incurred or committed before a written offer is issued and accepted are ineligible. You start with the council’s Business Funding Enquiry Form; application forms are issued after an initial discussion.

The Scottish Government’s Find Business Support service lists the Fife SME Development Grant as open for applications, with a deadline of 31 January 2027. That listing was last updated on 15 April 2026, so confirm the status with Business Gateway Fife before you plan around it.

• Website relevance: one of the grant’s seven areas is digital development, described as help with the costs of implementing digital measures to improve efficiency. Whether a website or online shop counts is for your adviser to confirm; the listing does not name websites.
• Who can apply: SMEs based in Fife that are working with Business Gateway Fife. The grant is delivered by Business Gateway Fife on behalf of Fife Council’s Economic Development Team and is partly funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
• Process: a Business Gateway adviser completes the application, which you check, sign and submit. The listing says you will receive a decision within 5 working days, and after the offer you have 45 days to submit a claim with proof of spending.
• Payment: you pay the full project cost upfront and cannot claim for money spent before approval.

The listing gives no grant amount for the digital strand, so ask your adviser what is realistic for your project.

1. Open the official council or Business Gateway page, not a directory or a supplier’s blog. Look for an explicit closing date or the words “open for applications”.
2. Check the “last updated” date. A page updated months ago may describe a fund that has since been committed.
3. Read the exclusions. The schemes above exclude spending before approval, and Argyll and Bute excludes standard laptops and tablets.
4. Check sector and premises rules. North Lanarkshire limits the fund to key sectors and excludes home-based businesses from capital grants.
5. Plan your cash flow. North Lanarkshire and Fife pay the grant only after you have paid your suppliers.
6. Speak to the named adviser before you order anything, and write down the date and the answer you received.

If one of these schemes fits, ask your developer for a dated, itemised written quote with a clear scope before your adviser meeting (North Lanarkshire wants two from different suppliers), because both the application and the later claim depend on identifiable costs. Do not sign an order or pay a deposit until you have a written offer. If no scheme fits, plan the project without a grant. A simple presentation website starts from €300; larger projects are scoped individually. You can request a quote, read about our services and references, or contact us. We do not write grant applications and cannot promise that a project is eligible.

Deadlines here run from 13 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. We will re-check these schemes after the first of those dates.

• North Lanarkshire Council: Business Growth Fund
• North Lanarkshire Council: Business Growth Fund Guidelines 2026-27 (PDF)
• Argyll and Bute Council: Small Business Grant
• Argyll and Bute Council: Small Business Grant - Information for Applicants
• Argyll and Bute Council: Small Business Grant Eligibility Criteria
• Find Business Support (Scottish Government service): Grants for Fife businesses
• GOV.UK: Final opportunity for businesses to access Help to Grow: Digital scheme