Finance For Enterprise: products, terms and eligibility

Finance For Enterprise is a UK provider of unsecured business loans. The legal entity named on its site is Finance For Enterprise Limited, company number 01925556. It is based in Doncaster. It gives its founding year as 1985.

Finance For Enterprise says it was established in 1985 as one of the UK’s first Enterprise agencies, originally trading as Donbac in Doncaster with backing from British Rail Engineering. It rebranded to Finance For Enterprise in 2014 to reflect a wider geographical reach. It describes itself as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, headquartered at Oak House, Heavens Walk, Doncaster.

In its own words on scale:

• Says it distributed £37 million in loans over a five-year period (figure on its site in October 2026).
• Says its lending helped create more than 1,400 new jobs and safeguard 1,800 existing roles (figure on its site in October 2026).

Everything on this page comes from what Finance For Enterprise publishes itself. We show the date we last checked it, and we do not rate or rank lenders.

Finance For Enterprise publishes 3 products for UK businesses. The table above gives the amounts and terms as it states them.

• Enterprise Loan: Interest calculated on a reducing balance; early repayment at any time without penalty.

Enterprise Loan

Enterprise Loans run from £25,001 to £250,000 with a five-year repayment period, for any legitimate and legal business purpose such as working capital, equipment or machinery, or expansion. Business assets are considered as security where available, and personal guarantees from directors (unsupported) are usually required for limited companies. Its FAQ says interest is calculated on a reducing balance and that early repayment carries no penalty. Applicants complete an application form and client declaration and supply a business plan or extended executive summary, forecasts and accounts.

Growth Guarantee Scheme loan

Term loans of £25,001 to £250,000 for terms from three months to six years, backed by a 70% government guarantee to the lender under the British Business Bank scheme. The borrower remains fully liable, and personal guarantees can be taken at the lender’s discretion; a principal private residence cannot be used as security. Applicants must have a viable proposition, annual turnover up to £45 million on a group basis, be UK trading, not be in difficulty or insolvency, and have been rejected by traditional high street lenders.

Community ENABLE Funding (CEF)

The Enterprise Loans page links to Community ENABLE Funding separately; no details on how it works were read for this profile.

Finance For Enterprise says its finance is used for:

• Working capital
• Equipment or machinery purchase
• Property acquisition
• Business expansion
• Finance for viable businesses that find it hard to borrow from banks

What it says it does not fund:

• Growth Guarantee Scheme ineligible entities include banks, building societies, insurers, reinsurers, public sector bodies and state-funded schools

Finance For Enterprise publishes these criteria. Meeting them does not mean an application will be accepted: every lender makes its own decision.

• Established businesses, typically with a minimum of 3 employees.
• Sole traders, partnerships, limited companies and LLPs can apply.
• Applicants with an adverse credit history will also be considered.
• Business based in Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East or North West (Growth Guarantee Scheme).
• Business plan, financial forecasts, annual accounts and current year management accounts needed.

Finance For Enterprise describes its process like this:

1. Make an initial enquiry with a Business Lending Manager to check viability.
2. Complete the Enterprise Loan application form and client declaration.
3. Submit a business plan or extended executive summary, financial forecasts and accounts.
4. For Growth Guarantee Scheme loans, email the team and be assigned an Investment Manager.
5. The lender carries out standard credit and fraud checks.

Information it says it asks for:

• Enterprise Loan application form
• Client declaration form
• Business plan or extended executive summary
• Financial forecasts
• Annual accounts
• Current-year management accounts

Every application is subject to status and the lender’s own criteria at the time.

An unsecured business loan is a fixed sum repaid in instalments over an agreed term, without a charge over a specific asset. Most lenders still ask the directors for a personal guarantee, which makes them personally liable if the company cannot repay.

Lenders price each loan on the business’s trading history, turnover and credit profile, so the offer you receive can differ from the published range. Compare the total cost in pounds and the repayment pattern, not only the headline rate: our guide on how to compare business loan lenders shows how.

Points Finance For Enterprise publishes that are worth knowing:

• Business assets are considered as security if available; if no security is available, loans are usually made under the Growth Guarantee Scheme.
• Personal guarantees from the directors (unsupported) are usually required for limited company lending.
• Outside its area, the site points applicants to findingfinance.org.uk to find another CDFI.
• Says it is a Responsible Finance member and a British Business Bank regulated Growth Guarantee Scheme lender.
• Growth Guarantee Scheme loans are at the lender’s discretion and need a prior rejection from a high street lender.

Security and guarantees

Business assets are considered as security if available; if there is no security, loans are usually made under the Growth Guarantee Scheme. Personal guarantees from directors (unsupported) are usually required for limited company lending. Early repayment is allowed at any time without penalty, per its FAQ.

Finance For Enterprise’s site states: “A company limited by Guarantee. Registered in England 1925556 Finance For Enterprise Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 718612.”

Protections differ by borrower type and loan size. Most lending to limited companies is not regulated consumer credit, so read the agreement and ask the lender what applies to you.

Other providers of unsecured business loans with profiles here include Fleximize, Funding Alternative and Funding Circle. Each profile uses that lender’s own published terms.

The full list, grouped by product type, is in our directory of UK business lenders.

Capzy is a credit broker, not a lender, and gets paid by the lender. One application lets your business compare options across lenders, so you can weigh this kind of facility against the alternatives. You can check your funding options with a soft search that does not affect your credit score. A full application to a lender may involve a hard search, and any offer is subject to status and lender criteria.