Government grants for small businesses in Ireland

There are numerous government grants available for small businesses in Ireland.

These span across sectors such as research and innovation, sustainability, expansion and employment, and can be a key support to help your business grow.

In this article, we highlight some of the main grants that may be available to your business, as well as advice on how to approach looking for one.

Here’s what we cover:

What is a government grant?

A government grant is a form of funding that doesn’t need to be paid back, with the only requisite being that the funds are used for their stated purpose. It’s a sum of money that is provided by the government.

Grants have a set of requirements that need to be fulfilled or met if you’re to get the funding for your business. You need to be eligible for the grant you’d like to go for and you’ll need to complete an application for it.

There are also other funding options available to you, including loans, equity investments and tax relief.

In terms of tax relief, information can be found on the Revenue website, and Enterprise Ireland is a good starting point for looking into all types of funding, including equity funding.

Government grants for small businesses: Popular choices to consider

Below is a summary of some of the more popular grants and providers.

Local Enterprise Office (LEO)

The LEO has 31 local offices around Ireland and its remit is to support local, small businesses.

Its main grants include:

Priming Grant

A Priming Grant (also known as a business startup grant) is available to companies with up to 10 employees within the first 18 months of starting up and that have potential to grow internationally.

The grant may be used to buy new equipment or help with direct business costs but can’t be used to buy a building, land or any mobile assets.

The maximum grant payable can’t exceed 50% of the investment up to €80,000, but the LEO can approve up to €150,000 in certain situations.

Business Expansion Grant

The Business Expansion Grant is designed to assist companies with up to 10 employees, which is in the growth phase after the initial 18-month startup period.

As with the Priming Grant, the maximum grant can’t exceed 50% of the investment, but can be up to €150,000 in exceptional circumstances.

The funds can be spent on costs such as capital items, salary costs, and consultancy and marketing costs.

Feasibility (Innovation) Grant

This grant is designed to help small businesses in the research of market demand for a product or service and then to further examine how sustainable it is.

It also includes assistance with innovation, consultancy fees and technical development, such as making a prototype.

The maximum grant is from 50% (in the South and East Region) to 60% (in the Borders Midlands, West Region) of investment and up to a maximum of €15,000, whichever is the lesser.

Grow Digital Voucher

As part of the Digital for Business initiative, there’s a Grow Digital Voucher available in two tranches of up to €2,500 each.

However, first, your company needs to complete a digital audit, conducted by an expert provided by the LEO.

The audit assesses all aspects of your business and identifies which areas can be digitalised.

You can then apply for the first Grow Digital Voucher of up to €2,500, with the grant covering 50% of the total cost.

This is to fund the implementation of the proposed plans suggested by the digital expert and is open to any small business with up to 50 employees, providing it’s been trading for at least six months. It can be invested in software and training/IT configuration.

At a later stage, you can then be approved for a second Grow Digital Voucher if you can demonstrate achievement in progression, as outlined in the Digital for Business report.

Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland supports companies to achieve greater scale. In terms of searching through supports on its webpage, you can filter your search in terms of certain parameters.

This includes the size of your company, as well as your needed support, such as addressing sustainability, expanding your business or innovating.

Here’s a few examples of funding and grants that are available:

Strategic Consultancy Assignment Grant

Need help to develop or implement strategic initiatives?

You can get a maximum grant of €35,000 to hire a strategy consultant to provide your business with unbiased insights to help you adapt to change, unearth opportunities and develop a competitive advantage.

GreenPlus Grant

GreenPlus is a sustainability grant that offers up to €50,000 to hire an external environmental consultant and to pay for training to build environmental management capabilities.

Grants and supports for women entrepreneurs

While more and more women are starting businesses, with 31% of the startups invested in by Enterprise Ireland in 2023 being led by women, there’s still considerable room for improvement.

To address this inequity, there are also grants specially targeted at women entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Ireland’s website has a dedicated female entrepreneurship page where you can learn more about supports.

These programmes provide financial aid, as well as facilitating networking and mentorship opportunities.

There are also some private funding options, such as from card payment company Visa.

How to successfully apply for a grant

While there may be grants available, it’s not just a case of sending in an application then the funds land in your bank account.

On the contrary, you must present a solid business case to illustrate your need for the grant.

Here are three things to consider.

1. Focus on the financials

Larissa Feeney is CEO and founder of Kinore Accountants and is experienced in accessing funding—having both helped clients to apply, as well as having applied for grants for her own practice.

She points out that your financials are the key part of the application.

Larissa says, “One of the most important parts of the business plan will be the numbers. While words, as well as diagrams and other visuals, will paint a picture of what you’re going to do, the numbers will need to back that up.

“And, generally speaking, depending on the size of the grant you’re going for, you could be doing projections for one year, three years or maybe five years.

“As such, you’ll need to produce budgeted financial statements, in terms of profit and loss, and also budgeted cash flow projections.”

Larissa also advises that these projections need to be reasonable and not overly optimistic.

She says, “You have to be careful that the figures don’t look too positive. Be very aware of the profits and margins that you should be achieving in your industry, that is what is the norm, and that you’re not going over that.

“That word ‘reasonable’ is really important whenever you’re talking about projections, because it can’t look too out there, but at the same time, it can’t look too conservative.”

2. Share the strengths of your team

As well as financials, there are also other aspects of the business that will need to be outlined.

In particular, Larissa says, you need to demonstrate that your team has the capacity to make the changes.

She adds, “You will be painting a picture of the current skills and abilities of your team to perform any tasks or projects in relation to the grant.

“This is to reassure the funders that it isn’t outside your wheelhouse as such and is something that the leadership is more than capable of carrying out in order to reach a successful outcome.”

3. Be clear on how the funds will be used

In conclusion, she emphasises that you must keep in mind what the grant is for.

Larissa adds, “What you’re trying to demonstrate is that the funding will accelerate growth in some way.

“Whether that be increased efficiencies, increased capacity, increased employment, increased revenue—whatever it might be.

“You’re illustrating that the business will be profitable, that it will be self-sufficient, that it will be generating revenue, and therefore will be contributing to the exchequer.”

Where to access further information on government grants

It’s important to know where to access information about government grants.

There’s a multitude of grants and it could be a full-time job in itself establishing what’s available and what the eligibility criteria are.

In addition to the Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland, there’s the National Enterprise Hub, which was launched in July 2024. It’s been described as Citizens Information for businesses.

Its website provides information on approximately 180 government supports across 19 government departments and directs you to where to find additional information.

More importantly, you can also arrange to talk to an adviser by phone. This can really speed up the process, as they can direct you to the right supports based on the size of your business or your sector.

Talking directly with an adviser also gives you the opportunity to discuss anything unique that relates to your company.

Final thoughts

You need to put work into the process to be successful in your grant application.

“It is taxpayers’ money, and funders don’t give money away lightly, and you have to dedicate ample time to the application process,” says Larissa.

And there’s generally help available, particularly from the LEO and Enterprise Ireland, which can be in the form of mentorship.

Larissa adds, “Anybody who is an LEO or Enterprise Ireland client will have contacts within those organisations and building a relationship with them is useful.

“You have to remember that the LEO and Enterprise Ireland want to grant fund businesses, so understanding where they’re coming from and what it looks like for them can be helpful whenever you’re trying to access a support and trying to put a case forward for supporting your business.”

It makes sense to access money that will help your business grow and prosper. So, go on, take the first step, and see what grants are available for your business.