Enterprise Gateway Fund 2026–2027: Apply for £500,000–£1.5 Million to Support Social Enterprises and Community Organisations

Enterprise Gateway Fund 2026–2027: Apply for £500,000–£1.5 Million to Support Social Enterprises and Community Organisations

Funding Organisation: Henry Smith Foundation
Fund Name: Enterprise Gateway Fund
Total Funding Available: £6 million
Grant Amount: £500,000–£1.5 million per intermediary partner
Funding Duration: Three years
Expression of Interest Opens: 28 October 2026
Expression of Interest Deadline: 25 November 2026, 5:00 pm
Full Application Opens: 11 December 2026, 5:00 pm
Full Application Deadline: 22 January 2027, 5:00 pm
Location: United Kingdom

About the Enterprise Gateway Fund

The Henry Smith Foundation has launched the Enterprise Gateway Fund, a £6 million funding programme designed to strengthen the financial resilience of smaller voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and early-stage social entrepreneurs.

Running for three years, the programme will help organisations develop sustainable sources of earned income, explore new trading opportunities and build the skills and capacity required to grow their social enterprises.

The fund recognises that many smaller charities, community organisations and social entrepreneurs have promising ideas for generating income but lack the financial resources, business expertise or practical guidance needed to turn those ideas into viable activities.

Through Enterprise Gateway, the Foundation aims to close this gap by supporting organisations at the early stages of enterprise development. The programme will help participants assess their ideas, test potential business models, develop practical business plans and establish stronger foundations for long-term financial sustainability.

The initiative is part-funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment through the Dormant Assets Scheme.

Who Can Apply?

This funding opportunity is specifically designed for organisations interested in becoming Intermediary Partners responsible for delivering the Enterprise Gateway programme.

The Henry Smith Foundation intends to appoint at least four intermediary organisations to distribute grants and provide practical enterprise development support to selected participants.

Eligible applicants must:

• Have an established track record of helping organisations or social entrepreneurs develop trading activities and enterprise models.

• Demonstrate experience in managing grants distributed to other organisations, including appropriate assessment, financial management and monitoring procedures.

• Have the capacity to design and deliver practical enterprise development programmes.

• Be able to facilitate peer learning, networking and mutual support among participating organisations.

• Have established networks that provide access to communities and organisations traditionally underserved by enterprise development initiatives.

• Demonstrate the ability to contribute to wider learning about enterprise support for smaller organisations.

• Have an annual organisational income of at least £500,000.

• Provide at least one year's worth of audited or independently examined accounts.

Organisations do not have to operate throughout the entire United Kingdom. The Foundation welcomes applications from intermediaries with strong connections to particular geographical areas or communities where access to enterprise support is limited.

Important: Small VCSE organisations and individual social entrepreneurs cannot apply directly to the Henry Smith Foundation under this funding opportunity. They will access funding and support through the intermediary partners appointed by the Foundation.

Funding Available

The Enterprise Gateway Fund has a total budget of £6 million over three years.

Successful Intermediary Partners can apply for grants ranging from £500,000 to £1.5 million to establish and deliver their programmes.

Funding is intended to cover a combination of onward grants and practical support activities, including:

• Grants to participants: Financial assistance for eligible VCSE organisations and social entrepreneurs to explore, test and develop income-generating ideas.

• Enterprise development: Business advice, practical guidance, training and capacity-building activities.

• Peer learning: Opportunities for participants to exchange experiences, share knowledge and learn from one another.

• Networking: Access to relevant organisations, professional networks and other enterprise development resources.

• Programme delivery: Staffing, administration, programme management and other reasonable delivery costs.

Applicants must explain how their proposed budget will be divided between grants distributed to participants and the intermediary's own programme delivery costs.

Who Will Benefit from the Programme?

Although the funding is awarded to intermediary organisations, the programme is intended to benefit smaller organisations and individuals seeking to develop social enterprise activities.

Eligible beneficiaries include:

1. Constituted VCSE organisations in England

Organisations must have an annual turnover below £500,000 and demonstrate a clear social purpose.

Eligible organisational structures include:

• Registered charities.

• Community Interest Companies (CICs) with an asset lock.

• Community Benefit Societies.

• Companies Limited by Guarantee with charitable objectives and robust asset locks.

• Co-operatives that can reasonably be considered asset-locked organisations.

2. Non-constituted organisations and individual social entrepreneurs

The programme also welcomes support for non-constituted groups and individual social entrepreneurs working across the UK.

The programme will particularly prioritise organisations and individuals operating in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation and areas where existing enterprise development support is limited.

Geographic Focus and Funding Allocation

The Enterprise Gateway Fund will operate across the United Kingdom, with specific funding allocations:

• £4 million: Ring-fenced for asset-locked organisations in England.

• £2 million: Allocated to support non-constituted organisations and individual social entrepreneurs across the UK.

The Foundation is particularly interested in reaching communities experiencing high deprivation, including areas ranked within the most deprived categories (IMD 1–3), and locations where access to enterprise development programmes is currently limited.

Henry Smith Foundation's Strategic Priorities

Organisations and social entrepreneurs supported through the programme must work within at least one of the Henry Smith Foundation's three strategic priority areas:

• Getting Started: Supporting people and communities to access opportunities and overcome barriers that prevent them from progressing.

• Building Independence: Helping people develop greater independence, resilience and the ability to improve their circumstances.

• Safer Futures: Supporting people and communities to build safer and more secure futures.

Prospective intermediary applicants should demonstrate how their proposed programme will reach and benefit organisations working within these priorities.

What the Foundation Wants to Achieve

The Enterprise Gateway Fund aims to expand opportunities for smaller social purpose organisations to develop sustainable enterprise models and strengthen their financial position.

Its key objectives include:

1. Helping social entrepreneurs and organisations transform promising trading ideas into realistic business plans.

2. Supporting the development and testing of new earned-income opportunities.

3. Improving enterprise skills, organisational capacity and long-term financial resilience.

4. Expanding access to business development support in deprived and underserved communities.

5. Identifying effective approaches to supporting organisations at the earliest stages of enterprise development.

The programme is also intended to generate practical learning that can help improve enterprise support for smaller organisations beyond the funding period.

What Will the Henry Smith Foundation Consider?

Applications will be assessed against several important areas.

Enterprise Development Experience

Applicants should demonstrate their experience in helping organisations and individuals develop enterprise skills, assess business opportunities and turn early-stage ideas into viable trading activities.

Community Reach

The Foundation wants to work with intermediaries that can reach organisations and individuals that conventional enterprise support programmes often overlook. Strong local networks and established relationships in underserved communities will be important.

Quality of the Proposed Support

Applicants must explain how they will combine financial assistance with practical advice, training, capacity building, networking and peer support. The Foundation is particularly interested in flexible approaches that respond to participants' different needs.

Grant Management Experience

Applicants must demonstrate their ability to distribute grants responsibly and transparently. This includes having suitable application and assessment procedures, payment systems, monitoring arrangements, financial controls and data management processes.

Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Successful partners will be expected to capture and share lessons from the programme, including what works, what does not and how enterprise support can be improved for smaller VCSE organisations.

Long-Term Impact and Legacy

The Foundation will also consider whether an intermediary's approach can create lasting benefits, such as stronger community relationships, improved enterprise knowledge, sustainable networks and greater local support capacity beyond the three-year funding period.

Key Application Dates

Applicants must complete a short eligibility quiz before proceeding with the application.

Application Support and Information Sessions

The Henry Smith Foundation is offering 20-minute, one-to-one application support sessions for organisations considering submitting an Expression of Interest.

These sessions provide an opportunity to ask questions about the fund, understand the intermediary partner requirements and assess whether an organisation is suitably positioned to apply.

The sessions are not part of the formal assessment process, and attending or choosing not to attend will not affect an organisation's application.

The scheduled support dates were 19, 20, 22, 26 and 29 October 2026, between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. These dates have now passed.

Organisations that require clarification can contact the Foundation at:

Email: opportunityfund@henrysmith.foundation

Applicants were asked to submit questions at least 24 hours before their scheduled support session.

How to Apply

Organisations interested in becoming Intermediary Partners should follow the official application process established by the Henry Smith Foundation.

The application process involves:

1. Reviewing the Enterprise Gateway Fund's eligibility and funding requirements.

2. Completing the Foundation's eligibility quiz.

3. Submitting an Expression of Interest by 25 November 2026 at 5:00 pm.

4. Preparing a full application when applications open on 11 December 2026.

5. Submitting the completed application by 22 January 2027 at 5:00 pm.

Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their enterprise development experience, grant management capacity, financial controls, community reach and proposed approach to supporting participants.

Official application and funding information: Visit the Henry Smith Foundation website to access the Enterprise Gateway Fund information, full funding guidelines and application resources.

Important Information for Prospective Applicants

The Enterprise Gateway Fund is not a direct grant programme for small charities, community groups or individual social entrepreneurs.

The £500,000–£1.5 million grants are intended for intermediary organisations that will administer funding and deliver enterprise development support to selected participants.

Smaller organisations and social entrepreneurs interested in receiving support should follow announcements from the appointed Intermediary Partners once the programme moves into its delivery stage.

Application deadline: 25 November 2026 at 5:00 pm for Expressions of Interest.