Business Catalyst (Small) Grants
Do you want to grow your business? We are looking to support you and up to 10 businesses per year with a Business Catalyst (Small) Grant of £2,000 (including VAT), if you can demonstrate creativity, and present how these funds could accelerate you to the next phase of your growth. Whether you sell direct to consumers or work within the trade, our grants can help you to get your plans off the ground, providing you with essential equipment, marketing tools or specialist knowledge.
£2,000 grants for sole traders and small businesses
Grant amount: £2,000 (including VAT)
Applications close: Scroll down and register your interest to be notified once applications open.
Number of grants available: 10 per year
Like to know more? Just to talk to our team! Call 020 7566 7650 or email applications@goldsmiths-centre.org
What are Business Catalyst (Small) Grants?
We believe in inclusivity and social mobility in the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries. Our £2,000 (including VAT) Business Catalyst (Small) Grants, funded by the Goldsmiths' Foundation are open to applicants who are resident in the UK and have recently completed, or have undertaken a formal mentoring programme, business consultancy or business diagnostic programme, such as (but not exclusive to) the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s * in the past 12-months.
*Our Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions for Jewellers and Silversmiths at the Goldsmiths’ Centre are free to attend, if you are experiencing financial difficulty. To prove your eligibility, you will need to apply for one of our Access Grants. Completing the application form for our Access Grants only takes 5 minutes and we are able to guide you through the process if you have any questions.
The Business Catalyst (Small) Grant meant I could get moulds made for my cast rings, making the process much quicker. I no longer have to carve each one in wax - I can just ask my caster for a few of a design. I couldn’t have afforded that upfront without the grant.
Emma Wilson, Business Catalyst (Small) Grant recipient
Discover her storyHow are recipients using the funding?
Grant recipients show the range of impact this support can have. For many, the grant enables a step up in studio capability and making practice. Monica Findlay is using her grant to shift from smaller, income-sustaining pieces into more ambitious silversmithing work by investing in core studio tools. Freya Douglas Ferguson has purchased a rolling mill to expand the technical and sculptural possibilities of her jewellery practice, while Heather Blake is investing in an engraver spindle to deepen her lapidary work. Kristina Merchant has equipped her Perth studio with essential tools, streamlining production of her sculptural, story-led jewellery.
Others are using the funding to develop new collections and improve production processes. Makila Nsika Nkaya has developed a ready-to-wear capsule collection, investing in mould making, mount-making training, and stones to create market-ready work. Katie Watson has developed casting moulds for a new product line, enabling scalable production and more accessible price points. Estelle Melissa Burton is enhancing her Luminaire collection by introducing new studio equipment and specialist mentoring, supporting her plans to expand internationally and strengthen commercial reach of her brand.
FAQs
You can apply for a grant if you have completed a formal mentoring programme, business consultancy or business diagnostic programme, such as (but not exclusive to) the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Business Diagnostic and Advice for Jewellers and Silversmiths session within the last 12 months.
Please apply if you:
- are on the pathway to being self-employed/sole trader or running a micro-business in the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries.
- have recently completed, or have undertaken a formal mentoring programme, business consultancy or business diagnostic programme, such as (but not exclusive to) the Goldsmiths’ Centre* in the past 12-months.
- are located and have/will have a trading address in the UK. They must have a UK bank account in the exact name they are applying in.
- typically, we would expect the business to have a turnover up to £75,000.
- dedicated funding will be awarded to applicants experiencing financial difficulty (evidenced through eligibility for government benefits, listed below).
We reserve 40% of our funding for applicants who can demonstrate that they are in receipt of any of the following government benefits and financial support:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) / Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Universal Credit in place of ESA / Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
A Business Catalyst (Small) Grant will help you to grow your business and move your plans forward to the next stage. Funds must be used within 12 months of being received. You can use your grant to:
- Purchase new equipment, such as new IT equipment or machinery and tools to produce a new product.
- Develop new products or services, by, for example, realising a digital marketing strategy, such as new brand identity, website development or object photography.
- Adopt new processes and new ways of working, such as adaptations to your workshop or access to mentoring to realise a new production process or operation.
Your proposal must demonstrate a commitment to successful business growth – whether that is an increase in sales, productivity or profitability, or the potential to create new employment opportunities or an improvement in business processes.
If your application is successful, you will be asked to provide a short report to explain how the grant has been used and what impact it has had on your business.
If you’re considering applying for a Business Catalyst (Small) Grant, it’s worth thinking of it as a step-change opportunity for your business rather than just funding. These grants are designed to help you move beyond running your business and into meaningful growth — whether that means developing more ambitious work, improving technical capability, or building a more sustainable studio setup. With a grant you can enable the kind of investment that is often difficult to justify at an early stage, but which becomes transformative in practice.
Got more questions?
To find out more about the application process and the grant itself, read our Application Guidelines and FAQs below, or book yourself into to a 1-2-1 session with our team: