Having approved over £1million in interest-free loans and grants for the first time in 2025, The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity has started 2026 by approving an allocation of £212,500 in interest-free loans for 14 businesses across Leicestershire & Rutland.

With loans ranging from £5,000 to the maximum allocation of £20,000, the businesses supported include a recruitment agency, audio production company, fishing tackle retailer and a creative hub/studio.

We host quarterly application windows each year in which people aged over 18 and under 45 can apply for unique interest-free loans of up to £20,000 to aid local businesses, or £10,000 to support students wishing to return to postgraduate education. Our loans are interest-free for nine years, and become repayable by equal instalments after three years.

In 2025, we approved a huge £949,032 in interest-free loans, in addition to £103,500 in grants funding. This meant that the Charity approved £1,052,532 in total for the year – by far the most in our entire 483-year history.

Application packs are available to download upon completion of a contact form on our website – simply follow the Business Loan or Education Loan links for further information.

The next deadline for applications is 3:30pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026.