BUSINESS

Support

We launched the Sunderland Gift Card, the first of its kind in the North East, in 2020 as part of our ongoing commitment to boosting the local economy.

Since then, over a quarter of a million pounds has been locked into our city.

Street Rangers provide an enhanced cleaning service within the city centre and offer a rapid response service to businesses.

A welcoming face on the city’s streets, pivotal to knowledge sharing and communication, acting as the eyes and ears for the business community and more…

We offer plenty of free opportunities for businesses based in Sunderland city centre to shout out about their brilliant products and services.

It’s very simple! You just need to tell us which opportunities you would like to take up.

You could be eligible if you:

Are a Sunderland-based business or charity or community organisation, with existing operations in the city or planning to locate new operations in the city.

You could get:

Up to 50% towards energy saving measures.

Entries close:

31 August 2026.

You could be eligible if you:

Want to start a social enterprise or are an existing social enterprise looking to grow.

You could get:

Up to £10,000 towards start-up and development costs.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Are an eligible trading company that is physically based in commercial premises in Sunderland.

You could get:

40% contribution towards innovative projects valued between £5k and £25k.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Are based in the Sunderland City Council catchment area.

Employ fewer than 250 people with either an annual turnover of less than £54 Million or a Balance Sheet Value of less than 27 Million.

Are planning to grow (particular focus will be given to applications demonstrating job creation and/or the safeguarding of existing jobs).

You could get:

Up to 40% of eligible business spend on  projects costing between £3,000 and £6,000.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Are based within Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead or Sunderland

Employ fewer than 250 people with either an annual turnover of less than £54 Million or a Balance Sheet Value of less than 27 Million.

Are planning to adapt to new challenges, increase business resilience, create and safeguard jobs.

You could get:

BIPC North East’s Citylife Experts are available to provide twelve hours of free advice tailored to individual needs. This could be one-to-one advice and support, delivered online or in person, or it could be a project or piece of work that they would carry-out on your behalf.

Tailored workshops.

Events and webinars.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Are a charitable organisation, community interest company or social enterprise, partnership, or constituted community group.

Have a bank account in the name of the organisation.

Are planning a festival or event to take place between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027.

You could get:

Temporary staff costs, equipment hire, marketing costs, performers’ fees and travel costs, venue hire, licensing and road closure costs, picnic boxes and other forms of event catering if offered at subsidised or no cost to the public – and the wholesale costs of these purchases from local businesses is reduced, consultancy support around public health & safety, and risk management, website costs and customer relationship management costs if they are related to event promotion, public health advice and updates, sustainable travel options, and regional tourism and shop local campaigns.

Entries close:

September 2026.

You could be eligible if you:

Have a project which couldn’t proceed without grant support.

Are planning capital investment of at least £67,000.

Are expanding or establishing in the areas of Gateshead Metropolitan Brough Council, North East Combined Authority, Sunderland City Council.

You could get:

Up to 30% expenditure.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Own the property you’re applying for.

Be replacing fossil fuel heating systems – such as oil, gas, electric or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

You could get:

£7,500 towards an air source heat pump, £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops) or £5,000 towards a biomass boiler

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Own or manage the property you’re applying for.

You could get:

£350 or 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, whichever amount is lower

Up to £30,000 or 75% off the cost of things like wiring and posts. The amount depends on how many parking spaces the work covers

Entries close:

Ongoing.

You could be eligible if you:

Are a community group, educational facility or small business.

Are planning a project benefiting the environment which is of a green, ecological or sustainabile nature.

You could get:

Grant to deliver a community-led sustainability project or initiative lead by non-profit organisations, community groups and educational facilities, such as schools and colleges, to help transform the local community through projects that tackle climate change, reduce carbon emissions or that protect and enhance the environment.

Entries close:

Ongoing.

Sunderland is committed to playing its part in tackling the global climate change emergency.Our goal is to grow the city’s green economy and work with businesses to help Sunderland become carbon neutral by 2040 and achieve net‑zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The Green Business Toolkit makes becoming greener simple. It helps you cut costs, future‑proof your operations and reduce your environmental impact. The toolkit is suitable for any business, regardless of size or sector, whether you’re just getting started, reviewing progress, or aiming for long‑term change.

Free support for Sunderland-based businesses
Sunderland businesses get free access to the Green Business Toolkit with no commitments or pledges.

Sign up for free green business support here 

Click on the above to access:

An easy-to-use checklist to support your journey
Tailored support from the team
Opportunities to join the Green Business Network and connect with others