- What
- Loans; amounts not published, vary by programme.
- Who
- Businesses 100% owned by UAE nationals, operating in Abu Dhabi, owner aged 18–65.
- Cost
- No equity — loan, repayable
- From abroad
- Nationals or residents of the UAE — 100% owned by UAE nationals; legally established and operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi All programmes open to founders from abroad →
- Status
- Active
Checked · September 2026 · khalifafund.ae · How we check ↗
In detail
Khalifa Fund is a government loan programmes in the UAE. Abu Dhabi government fund for Emirati entrepreneurs. Seven financing programmes incl. a First-time Founders Loan; loan amounts not published. National cybersecurity accelerator with the UAE Cyber Security Council. No equity taken.
- Amount
- Programme-dependent; loan amounts not published
- Terms
- No equity
- Eligibility
- Businesses 100% owned by UAE nationals, legally established and operating in Abu Dhabi; owner/partner aged 18–65 (site)
- Sectors
- Healthcare, Education, Agriculture, ICT, Tourism, Manufacturing
- Benefits
- Up to 80% project cost covered
- Mentoring
- SME Champions programme
- Status
- Active
What the source says
“Be 100% owned by UAE nationals.”
khalifafund.ae/services/funding-scheme · seen September 2026
“Future Entrepreneur Programme 2026”
khalifafund.ae · seen September 2026
“Have an owner/partner aged between 18 and 65 years, with no open court cases.”
khalifafund.ae/services/funding-scheme · seen September 2026
“Be legally established and operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”
khalifafund.ae/services/funding-scheme · seen September 2026
Closing soon on the map
Cultural Development Fund (CDF)
Grant · Saudi Arabia
Up to SAR 500,000 non-repayable per project, capped at 20 projects total.
No equity — grant
29 Sep 2026closes
Finspire
Accelerator · Saudi Arabia
SAR 100,000 development funding, earmarked rather than paid as cash.
Equity via SAFE, capped at 5%
4 Oct 2026closes
QSTP Incubation
Accelerator · Qatar
In-kind support: Doha workspace and housing for a four-week Sprint, talent and investor access.
Equity — 1.5% deferred SAFE-style stake
1 Nov 2026closes
More loans & guarantees in the UAE
Emirates Development Bank (EDB)
Loan · UAE
Up to AED 2M per startup with no assets required, tenors up to 72 months.
No equity — repayable finance
—
MBRIF
Loan · UAE
Government-backed bank-loan guarantees; terms set case by case.
No equity — loan guarantee
—
Partners for Growth (PFG)
Loan · UAE
Growth debt; ticket size not published.
Loan — repayable
—
Ruya Partners
Loan · UAE
Private credit deals of $15M to $25M.
Loan — private credit, repayable
—
More programmes that take no equity →
Sources
Primary source · khalifafund.ae · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/khalifa-fund · Checked September 2026