The Step Up loan from Firstport offers social enterprises access to 0% interest finance, designed to help organisations grow successful trading activity without additional borrowing costs. Enterprises can apply for loans of £5,000 – £30,000, with the opportunity to reapply once previous borrowing has been fully repaid (up to a lifetime total of £50,000).

Repayment terms are designed to be flexible and are agreed as part of the application process. Loans of £10,000 or less must be repaid within two years, while loans over £10,000 must be repaid within five years. Repayments may be made through fixed monthly amounts, lump sums, or a staggered schedule linked to cash flow.

Applicants are required to provide information about their organisation, outline the trading activity they wish to expand, and demonstrate previous commercial success. A repayment plan and cash flow forecast must also be submitted, alongside recent annual and management accounts. A business plan can be included to strengthen an application.

Please note, if an organisation is seeking to borrow over £10,000, the enterprise must either have been incorporated as an asset-locked body less than six years ago, or be an organisation of any age which has earned less than £25,000 in trading revenue (excluding grants and donations) in each of the last three full financial years.

For further information, including full guidance, eligibility details, and how to apply, please visit the Firstport Step Up page.