Small business loans for women: UK funding, schemes and support

Small business loans for women are, in the UK, the same business loans available to everyone: unsecured and secured loans, asset finance, invoice finance, revolving credit and government-backed loans. This guide explains what is genuinely available, which schemes and networks are aimed at women in business, and how to choose the right funding. Smart Funding Solutions is a broker, not a lender: we search the market and arrange finance from lenders on our panel for businesses of every kind.

01Are there business loans just for women in the UK?

Not from mainstream UK lenders. Banks and specialist lenders assess the business: its trading, profits, cash flow, credit history and any security. Be wary of any offer that is marketed as a loan only for women but costs more than the market, and compare it as you would any other loan. The real help for women-led businesses comes from government-backed lending, mentoring and networks, and from investors that have committed to back more female founders.

02Government-backed loans women-led businesses use

Start Up Loans

A Start Up Loan is an unsecured personal loan for business use of £500 to £25,000, at a fixed interest rate of 7.5% a year over one to five years, with up to 12 months of free mentoring and no application fee. It is for UK residents aged 18 or over whose business is planned or has been trading for less than five years (GOV.UK, Start Up Loans). Start Up Loans says nearly 40% of the loans it has approved, almost 32,000, have gone to female founders (Start Up Loans, Invest in Women Hub). The loan terms are the same for every applicant.

The Growth Guarantee Scheme

For established businesses, the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme gives accredited lenders a 70% government-backed guarantee on term loans, overdrafts, asset finance, invoice finance and asset-based lending, generally up to £2 million per business group. Personal guarantees can be taken at the lender's discretion, and a main home cannot be taken as security under the scheme (British Business Bank, Growth Guarantee Scheme). See our Growth Guarantee Scheme loans page.

03Initiatives aimed at female founders

• The Invest in Women Hub is run by the Council for Investing in Female Entrepreneurs, set up after the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, and supported by Start Up Loans. It offers guidance on starting up, finance and networking (Invest in Women Hub).
• The Investing in Women Code is a commitment by finance providers to support female entrepreneurs. The government reported in July 2026 that signatories have grown from 12 in 2019 to over 330 organisations (GOV.UK, 8 July 2026).
• The Invest in Women Taskforce deployed over £70 million from its £635 million pool in its first year, according to the same announcement. This is investment in exchange for a share of the business, not a loan.

Grants are usually local, sector-specific or tied to innovation, and they change often. The GOV.UK finance and support for your business search lets you filter government-backed schemes by type, stage, industry and region. Our guide to business grants and business loans explains how the two compare.

04Which finance suits which need?

05What lenders look at

• How long the business has traded, and its turnover and profits
• Recent business bank statements and management accounts
• Your personal and business credit history
• What the money is for and how it will be repaid
• Security or a personal guarantee, for larger or riskier loans

A thin credit file, a career break or a business run part-time alongside caring responsibilities does not rule you out. It does mean choosing lenders that look at the whole picture, which is where a broker helps. If you have had credit problems, see our page on bad credit business loans.

06How we can help