Funding
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Grant funding for web design and digital marketing in the North East
North East businesses can often claim grant funding worth 40 to 50 per cent of the cost of a website, rebrand or digital marketing project. Typical grants sit between £1,200 and £4,000 against projects costing £3,000 to £8,000, paid retrospectively once the work is complete and invoiced.
Halogen tracks these programmes, registers as an approved supplier where required and prepares the quotes and documentation funders ask for. There is no charge for this. You either pay less for the project you wanted or you get a bigger project for the same money.
Eligibility depends on where your business is based, how many people you employ and whether the programme is open at the time you apply. Funds open, close and refill through the year, so the honest answer to “is there money available right now” is that it changes month to month. Ask us and we will tell you what is live today.
How much funding can a North East business get?
Most regional programmes fund 40 to 50 per cent of eligible project costs, up to a set ceiling. Two worked examples:
| Project | Total cost | Typical grant | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website redesign | £5,000 | £2,500 at 50 per cent | £2,500 |
| Brand identity and collateral | £4,000 | £1,600 at 40 per cent | £2,400 |
| Upscaled brand and website programme | £8,000 | £4,000 at 50 per cent | £4,000 |
The third row is the one worth reading twice. Funding is not a discount on the project you already planned. It is the difference between a website that does the job and a website that also has the content, search visibility and conversion work behind it.
Who is eligible for business grant funding in the North East?
Criteria vary by programme, but most regional funds ask for the same core things:
- A registered business trading in the eligible local authority area, usually Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland or County Durham
- Fewer than 250 employees, with many funds prioritising businesses under 50
- A project that has not started and has not been paid for
- Two or three written quotes from suppliers, one of which can be Halogen Design
- Evidence of growth outcomes, usually jobs created, turnover increased or productivity improved
Sole traders, partnerships and limited companies are all commonly eligible. Charities and social enterprises qualify for some programmes but not all. Businesses in retail, hospitality and agriculture are sometimes excluded, and de minimis or subsidy control limits apply if you have had other public funding in the last three years.
Which funding programmes support digital and creative projects?
These are the organisations and schemes that most often fund the work we do. Availability and terms change, so treat this as a map rather than a live price list.
NBSL
NBSL is one of the longest established business support organisations in the North East, having supported more than 4,000 businesses and distributed over £5.2 million in grants. It administers regional grant programmes on behalf of local authorities and central government. Historically these have funded marketing, web design, brand development, digital campaigns and business strategy.
North of Tyne Business Support Fund
Delivered by NBSL and part funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via the North East Combined Authority. It has provided businesses in Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle with up to 50 per cent towards improvement projects costing £3,000 to £8,000. Eligible work has included web design, SEO, branding, ecommerce and digital campaigns.
Sunderland Business Support Fund
Funded through Sunderland City Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It has provided Sunderland SMEs with up to 40 per cent towards projects costing £3,000 to £6,000, covering marketing, web design, brand development and digital growth activity.
Business Durham and the Durham Business Growth Programme
Business Durham is the business support service for Durham County Council, working with partners including RTC North and We Are UMi. The Durham Business Growth Programme offers fully funded guidance, workshops and tailored advice for County Durham businesses, plus signposting to capital and revenue grants.
TEDCO Business Support
TEDCO delivers business support and funding access across the North East, including the Pathways to Funding North of Tyne programme backed by £900,000 from the North of Tyne Combined Authority’s Investment Fund. Useful if you need help with the business plan or financial forecast that sits behind a grant application.
BIPC North East
The Business and IP Centre North East at Newcastle City Library is part of the British Library network. It offers free access to market research databases, intellectual property guidance, workshops and mentoring. Not a grant, but genuinely useful if you are validating a product or protecting a brand before you spend on marketing it.
North East Growth Hub
The regional signposting service for business support, funding and networking across the North East. A good first stop if you want to check what is currently open in your area.
Innovate UK Business Connect and the Create Growth Programme
The Create Growth Programme supports creative businesses pursuing innovation projects. Relevant if your project involves developing a new product, service or digital platform rather than promoting an existing one.
What kinds of digital projects get funded?
Funders back projects that bring in external expertise to help a business grow, improve productivity or become more resilient. In practice, that has included:
| Project type | What it means | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Website redesign | Rebuilding a site to improve enquiries, search visibility and conversion | £3,000 to £15,000 |
| Brand strategy and identity | Creating or refreshing a brand to improve recognition and positioning | £2,500 to £8,000 |
| Ecommerce development | Building or improving a WooCommerce or Shopify store | £5,000 to £20,000 |
| SEO and AI search visibility | Improving Google rankings and visibility in AI answer engines | £500 to £2,000 per month |
| Digital marketing campaigns | Planning and launching Google Ads, Meta Ads, email or social | £750 to £2,500 per month |
| Marketing audit and strategy | Reviewing current activity and building a practical growth plan | £1,500 to £5,000 |
| AI and automation | Identifying and implementing practical AI tools to cut manual work | £2,000 to £10,000 |
| Print and brand collateral | Brochures, sales literature and branded materials | £1,000 to £5,000 |
Most funds cover external supplier costs only. They will not fund your own staff time, ongoing subscriptions, hardware or advertising spend paid to Google or Meta. The management fee for running a campaign is usually eligible. The media budget usually is not.
How the process works
- Free 30 minute call. We work out what you are trying to achieve and whether a funded route makes sense.
- Eligibility check. We tell you which programmes are open, what they cover and what they will expect from you.
- Quote and scope. We prepare a quote in the format the funder needs, with the outcomes and deliverables written out properly.
- You apply. The application is between you and the funding body. We supply everything you need for the supplier side of it, and we will talk you through the growth outcomes section, which is where most applications lose marks.
- Approval, then work starts. Critically, you must not start or pay for the project before approval. Starting early is the single most common reason applications fail.
- Delivery and claim. We deliver the work and invoice. You submit the invoice and proof of payment, and the funder pays the grant back to you.
Grants are almost always paid retrospectively. Plan your cash flow on the basis that you fund the full cost first and receive the grant afterwards.
Common questions
Is grant funding available right now in the North East?
It depends on your local authority area and the date you ask. Most regional funds run in rounds and close when allocated. We check live availability before recommending a route, so ask rather than assume the answer is no.
Do I have to pay Halogen to help with a funding application?
No. We do not charge for eligibility checks, quotes or documentation. We are a supplier on the project, not a grant consultant taking a percentage.
Can I use funding for an ongoing retainer?
Sometimes. Some programmes fund a defined block of consultancy or campaign management with a clear start and end. Very few fund open ended monthly retainers. We usually structure this as a fixed term project with defined deliverables.
What if my project costs more than the funding cap?
That is normal and it is fine. The grant applies to eligible costs up to the cap. A £15,000 website with a £4,000 cap still gets £4,000, assuming the programme allows it.
Does the grant come to Halogen or to me?
To you. You pay our invoice in full and the funder reimburses your business directly.
We are outside the North East. Can you still help?
We can still do the work, but these specific programmes are regional. Local growth hubs elsewhere in England run comparable schemes and we are happy to point you at yours.
Find out what your project could be worth
Book a free 30 minute call. We will tell you what is open in your area, what it would cover and whether the funded route is worth the paperwork for your project. If it is not, we will say so.