The Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) provides loans from £500 to £250,000 to businesses, helping them begin, expand, and flourish. We actively support new and established businesses who are unable to access mainstream finance. Many of these businesses are led by women, young people, and minorities who are affected by the funding gap. As a Business Support Partner for the Government’s Start Up Loans Programme, we provide finance and support to early-stage businesses with a primary focus on Yorkshire, The Humber, and the North East. As a Fund Manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), we deliver microfinance loans up to £100,000 unsecured to businesses in Yorkshire, The Humber, and the Tees Valley. As a social enterprise and a Responsible Finance Provider, BEF’s profits are reinvested into the loan fund and granted to organisations that encourage and build enterprise. Over the last 10 years BEF’s has invested £92m in lending, added £328 million of value to the region’s economy, and helped create or safeguard 11,255 jobs.