Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scottish business support funding summary - July 2023 update

The Scottish Government provided over £4.7 billion of business support funding in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This publication shows Scotland, and where available local authority level, information on COVID-19 business support funding announced in 2020-21 and 2021-22. For the most part, the final position of closed COVID-19 business support funds is shown.

Award level data has been collected from delivery partners (local authority and non-local authority administrators of COVID-19 business support) by the Scottish Government or accessed at published sources for the majority of funds. Information was also sourced directly from the Scottish Government.

The award data was aggregated to compile local authority information on value of awards paid. Published local authority level information has been used where award level data was not available. For some funds, only a high level aggregate total is currently available.

This publication covers 134 business support funds, totalling £4.73 billion of support from or on behalf of the Scottish Government to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Different types of funding are included: direct grants paid to businesses, a small number of loans and non-domestic rates (NDR) relief granted to businesses.

Local authority information is shown for 103 business support funds (or £3.10 billion of the £4.73 billion COVID-19 business support funding). Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) relief (£1.46 billion) and the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Fund (£80 million) have not been included in the local authority breakdown. Funds where only a high level total or the information available does not allow for a local authority breakdown have also not been included (£90 million).

This publication includes more complete data than in previous releases, in particular newly submitted data for business support funds and revisions to previous published figures. The value of awards paid for each business support fund, therefore, may vary from previously published information.

Although no further data collection is planned and the final position of closed funds is shown, these statistics are subject to change. Future changes could occur due to revisions and other updates (for example awards being subsequently repaid).

Additional information on the COVID-19 business support funds and the statistics methodology is included in the spreadsheet file linked on this page.

Spreadsheet contents 

Please see the spreadsheet file linked on this page for the publication data.

Table 1: Overview of coronavirus (COVID-19) business support funding in 2020-21 and 2021-22

Table 2: Coronavirus (COVID-19) business support funding by fund and local authority in 2020-21 and 2021-22

Table 3: Coronavirus (COVID-19) business support funding by type of delivery partner in 2020-21 and 2021-22

Table 4: Coronavirus (COVID-19) business support funding by local authority in 2020-21 and 2021-22

An experimental statistics publication for Scotland

Experimental statistics are defined by the Code of Practice for Statistics as 'a subset of newly developed or innovative official statistics undergoing evaluation, that are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in the assessment of their suitability and quality at an early stage'.

More detail on statistical designations is available.

Correspondence and enquiries

For enquiries about the publication please contact:

Samuel Dickinson

Business Support Statistics

Email: samuel.dickinson@gov.scot

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scottish business support funding summary

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