Is there a grant for a business website in Jersey?

“Is there a grant for this?” is one of the first things people ask about a new website. In Jersey the answer for 2026 is mostly no, but the reasons are worth knowing, because the scheme may return and some businesses will qualify when it does. Checked against Jersey Business and gov.je in September 2026.

The short answer

• The main scheme is Jersey Business’s Better Business Grant (opens in a new tab).
• Its Productivity strand, the part that funds equipment, tools and technology, is fully allocated and closed for 2026. Only apprenticeship grants remain open.
• Sole traders are not eligible, even when it is open.
• The scheme was funded for 2025 and 2026. No 2027 round had been announced when we checked.

How the Better Business Grant works

The Government of Jersey put £5.3 million into it for each of 2025 and 2026, run by Jersey Business. The Productivity strand has two sizes:

• Minor grants of £1,000 to £5,000, for businesses trading for at least six months.
• Major grants of £5,001 to £75,000, for businesses trading for at least eighteen months.
• Both are 50% match funded: the grant pays half and you pay half.
• You must not start the project before it is approved, which takes around two months.

To apply, the FAQs (opens in a new tab) say a business must hold a Jersey business licence, have traded for six months or more, employ at least one person besides the owner for three months or more (at a minimum of £128 a week), and be up to date with government contributions.

Would a website count?

The scheme does not name websites as eligible or excluded. Applications are judged on how much they improve productivity and sales, and the terms treat software and digital systems as grant-funded assets you must keep for one to three years. Marketing spend is capped at 20% of a project.

In practice, a website that measurably saves time or wins sales, such as online booking that replaces phone calls or a shop that opens a new market, fits the scheme’s purpose. A new look for an existing brochure site is a harder case. If the scheme reopens, ask Jersey Business before you commit any money, because spending before approval rules the project out.

Does the supplier have to be in Jersey?

We checked, because we are a UK studio. We found no such requirement. The application asks what share of the spend is on-island, but the guidance says that is for data collection only and does not affect the decision. Equipment you buy with a grant has to stay in Jersey, and off-island travel is not funded.

Anything else?

• The Impact Jersey (opens in a new tab) programme is open in 2026, but it funds innovation pilots, not everyday business websites.
• The gov.je page for the old Productivity Support Scheme still appears in searches, but gov.je lists it as closed.
• Jersey Business’s free advice is not a grant, but a one-to-one session before you spend anything is worth more than most small grants.

If there is no grant

A first website does not have to be a big spend that needs part-funding. Ours start from £100, with the price confirmed before you commit, and hosting from £20 a month. Our guide to what a website costs in Jersey compares that with agencies, freelancers and DIY builders, and the starting a business in Jersey guide covers the registrations to do first.