Dreaming Big for Local Business
The investment fund exclusively for entrepreneurs in Barking & Dagenham is back!
BD Giving’s one-of-a-kind investment fund is searching for 10 ambitious local entrepreneurs who are ready to take their businesses to the next level. GROW Fund 2025 includes access to fair loans, a £10,000 grant, expert training and mentoring. No prior experience with loans or social investment is needed – we’re here to guide entrepreneurs with big dreams step by step.
The successful entrepreneurs will join a network of inspiring local entrepreneurs who are driving change in Barking & Dagenham. Applicants must be:
- Over 18
- Trading in Barking & Dagenham
- Having a positive impact in the borough
Unlike traditional investments, every loan repayment is reinvested back into the community, helping to power the next generation of Barking & Dagenham entrepreneurs.
We’re putting the finishing touches on the Fund with a group of local entrepreneurs and will unveil all the details at a special launch event on 24 April.
"The GROW Fund required hard work but it allowed us breathing room and time to think.
Our journey with BD Giving has been transformational. Usually these things are quite transactional but this investment is not just about financial support; there's something deeply community about it."
Big Dreams? Join Us for the Big Launch!
GROW Fund 2025 will launch at 19.00 on 24 April, at The Boathouse Studios in Barking.
The Boathouse was part of the first round of GROW Fund in 2023 and has since taken on a £75,000 investment, which they’re using to upgrade facilities and increase brand recognition to accelerate their growth.
If you’re dreaming big for your local business, register your interest in attending the launch event. Places are limited so we can’t guarantee you a place at the event.
Register your interest in attending
The GROW Story
Created by local people, for local entrepreneurs. The GROW Fund is all about reinvesting in Barking and Dagenham’s success.
The idea for the Fund came from a group of residents who chose to develop GROW so local entrepreneurs can create both a commercial and a social impact in the borough.
Everyone that applied in 2023 was based in Barking & Dagenham, 60% of applications were from Black-led ventures, and 70% from women-led enterprises.
Ten local business owners were selected to join the first GROW Fund in May 2023. They each received a grant and took part in a seven-month accelerator programme, covering everything a business needs to GROW sustainably.
Since then, two of those businesses have taken on social investment. Listen to Carole from The Boathouse Barking CIC’s journey on the 9 Miles East podcast.
Thanks to funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, BD Giving will run GROW Fund for three years, 2025-27.
Could you be next? Dream big, sign up to stay in touch, and let’s GROW together!
