growing places fund

In 2016, Dorset LEP successfully secured £9.7m from central government's Growing Places Fund, a rolling loan scheme, to support innovation, productivity, housing and job creation in Dorset. 

We are pleased to announce up to £2m of Growing Places Fund investment for Dorset businesses to unlock capital projects that will have significant economic impact. 

Our Growing Places Fund provides short-term repayable loans to kick-start economic development projects in Dorset that might otherwise have stalled or not got off the ground in the first place. To date, the fund has been invested in business parks, green hydrogen production, broadband infrastructure, manufacturing and agri-tech innovation. 

View projects in Dorset benefiting from the Growing Places Fund


Funding becomes available on an ad-hoc basis as projects repay their loans, which enables us to reinvest funds back into the economy. The loan fund is now available for applications. Early application is encouraged.

Proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

  • The investment is capital, not revenue-based
  • 100% of the loan will be repaid within a maximum of five years from the award date
  • The minimum loan amount is £250,000
  • The investment is Subsidy Control compliant
  • The project delivers benefits within the Dorset County area
  • The scheme supports the strategic priorities of Dorset LEP.

Read the Growing Places Fund prospectus for more information, including details of the application form and selection process. 

For more information, please contact us at: dorsetlep@bournemouth.ac.uk