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UnLtd Awards: is it worth exploring for your CIC?
This is a full example of how GrantNest researches a single funding opportunity. UnLtd is a well-known funder — we use it here to show the depth of research, not because it's a rare find.
Research verified 15 October 2026GrantNest is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by UnLtd
Funding overview
- Funder
- UnLtd
- Opportunity
- Starting Up and Scaling Up Awards
- Geography
- United Kingdom, subject to programme requirements
- Application status
- Check the current round directly with UnLtd.
Starting Up Award
Up to £8,000
For eligible social venture costs. Not for paying the founder for their own time.
Scaling Up Award
Up to £18,000
Eligible venture costs and, where permitted, the social entrepreneur's living costs or salary.
These are two different awards with different criteria — not one unrestricted grant. Both include non-financial support such as a support manager, workshops, business mentoring and legal adviser consultancy.
When we checked, UnLtd advertised a round running 1 October to 30 November 2026, closing at 10:00 — or earlier if the round reaches its limit of 650 submitted applications.
Official page: unltd.org.uk/awards (opens in a new tab)
Can a CIC apply?
UnLtd supports social entrepreneurs developing ventures with a clear social purpose. A CIC structure does not automatically prevent someone from applying, but being registered as a CIC does not automatically make the founder eligible either.
The Award is made to support a person — the founder or leader — and their venture. Eligibility is assessed against the founder, the venture's age and trading history, its social impact and the specific Award criteria. It's best understood as support for a social entrepreneur, not general organisational grant funding.
Applies across the main programmes
- You are the founder or leader of the venture
- You live in the UK and have the right to work here
- The venture mainly benefits people or places in the UK
- It has a clear social purpose and the potential to be financially sustainable
- No political or religious campaigning
Programmes with different rules
Millennium Awards Trust — open to social entrepreneurs aged 16+ working on any area of focus.
Funding Futures — for social entrepreneurs aged 16 to 30 whose venture focuses on financial inclusion.
UnLtd's eligibility checker matches you to the relevant programme.
The eligibility restrictions worth checking
These are the points most likely to rule a CIC out, so check them first.
| Criterion | Starting Up | Scaling Up |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporation | Not incorporated, or under 4 years | Not incorporated, or under 4 years |
| Trading history | Not trading, or under 1 year | Trading 1 to 4 years |
| Traded income, last 12 months | Not required | £18,000 or more |
| Turnover, last financial year | Under £250,000 | Under £250,000 |
| Founder living costs | Not covered | Can be considered |
Age of the venture. UnLtd doesn't fund activities that have already been running for more than four years. It looks beyond your current legal structure: converting a sole trader or community group into a CIC is treated as a continuation, so it doesn't reset the clock.
Traded income. For Scaling Up, the £18,000 means income from selling goods or services. Grants and donations don't count.
The applicant. The founder must want UnLtd's non-financial support as well as the money, and the venture needs a credible route towards financial sustainability.
What can the money be spent on?
Potentially eligible, subject to Award rules
- Relevant operating costs
- Insurance
- Materials and equipment
- Marketing and publicity
- Venue and equipment hire
- Volunteer expenses
- Appropriate professional or freelance support
- Some training and project development
- Founder living costs — Scaling Up only
Restricted or not funded
- Major capital works on land or buildings
- Vehicles such as a car or van
- Loans, interest or tax liabilities
- Unspecified contingency costs
- Spending before the Award is approved
- Paying others to do the bulk of the activity
£500
must be allocated to taking part in UnLtd events and workshops
25
budget lines maximum on the application
12 months
to spend the Award after approval
The budget guidance is detailed — read UnLtd's Award budget guidelines (opens in a new tab) before you draft one.
Deadlines and application status
UnLtd assesses applications in rounds. Each round closes on its advertised date or earlier if the application limit is reached, so don't assume a round will stay open until the closing date.
When we checked, UnLtd advertised a round running 1 October to 30 November 2026, closing at 10:00 — or earlier if the round reaches its limit of 650 submitted applications.
Application status: check the current round directly with UnLtd at unltd.org.uk/awards (opens in a new tab).
Our assessment: is UnLtd worth exploring?
For the right founder, yes — it combines a meaningful sum with real support. But the age and income rules are strict, and plenty of established CICs fall outside them.
Could be a good fit if:
- You're the founder of an early-stage social venture
- You're addressing a clear social need
- You can explain who benefits and what difference your work makes
- Your venture has a realistic route to financial sustainability
- You meet the criteria for the relevant Starting Up or Scaling Up Award
- You'd value mentoring and business support as well as funding
May be unsuitable if:
- Your venture or its activities are beyond the four-year limits
- You don't meet the trading history or traded-income threshold
- You want a general unrestricted grant for an established organisation
- Your project doesn't show a clear social purpose
- You mainly want to pay another organisation to deliver the work
- You don't need or want the business support element
Before applying: practical checklist
- 1Confirm your CIC's incorporation date and how long the activity has been running.
- 2Check whether Starting Up or Scaling Up is the relevant Award.
- 3Calculate traded income separately from grants and donations.
- 4Identify the social problem you address and who benefits.
- 5Explain how the venture could become financially sustainable.
- 6Check your proposed spending is permitted.
- 7Prepare a clear budget using UnLtd's guidance, including the £500 for events.
- 8Complete UnLtd's official eligibility checker before starting an application.
This is the sort of research we include in GrantNest Premium.
Finding a grant is only the starting point. We look at the eligibility conditions, restrictions, deadlines and practical considerations so CIC founders can focus on opportunities worth exploring.
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This example summarises UnLtd's published information as checked on 15 October 2026. It is general information, not an eligibility decision or advice. UnLtd's own criteria and decisions always apply.