To thrive in today’s commercial market, your business needs to embrace and invest in digital changes. Investing in digital often requires upfront investment before you see it generating results. Grants could be a way to help with that.
The State has given financial help to thousands of Irish businesses throughout the past 2 years, in the form of grants. The aim is to give Irish businesses a helping hand with their business planning, website development and new booking systems. Whatever your business needs assistance with, there’s sure to be a grant.
We’ve broken down four digital grants so you don’t have to. Find out below whether you’re eligible, how much you can claim and how to apply.
1. Online Retail Scheme – €10,000 – €40,000
This grant helps Irish-based retailers with funding to support 80% of a project to boost their online presence and create E-Commerce jobs in Ireland and abroad.
Applications for this grant are now closed but due to the high level of interest, we assume it will be reopening later in the year.
Who’s eligible for this grant? Any Irish retailer with more than 10 staff who primarily sells directly to individual customers (B2C or DTC) and already have an online presence.
The online retail scheme was a massive support to Irish businesses during the two years of disruption to normal shopping habits. A grant pot of over €15 million has been shared between over 400 Irish companies, helping them fund digital transformation projects. The project fund helps remove the risk of investing in digital with limited in-house resources or funds. The funding gives you the ability to partner with an agency with expertise in attracting, engaging and delivering to your target audience.
Applying is a two-stage process. It consists of an application form submitted via the online portal on the Enterprise Ireland website and your company’s statutory accounts which are no more than 2 years old.
2. Digital Marketing Capability support – Up to €35,000
This grant is for any SME or large company that’s already an Enterprise Ireland Client – an established company with an ambition to develop its digital marketing strategy. It funds 50% of a suitable project that costs up to €70,000.
There are no opening and closing dates for this grant as each proposal is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The Digital Marketing Capability grant is the perfect opportunity to turn your website into your business’s ultimate marketing tool and lead generator. The grant is suitable for projects including:
- Strategic review of your eCommerce strategy, development of your content strategy and communication to align with your marketing goals.
- The upskilling of staff through collaboration with external consultants.
- Developing and marketing your own products for export.
To apply for this grant you’ll first need to discuss and get approval from your development adviser. Once agreed, you must fill out the digital marketing maturity questionnaire and submit it to the digital marketing unit. A member from the digital marketing unit will contact you to advise you on the scope and outline of the programme. Once finalising your draft application, you can submit your full application via the designated online application system.
3. Local Enterprise Office Grant – Trading Online Voucher Scheme – Up to €2,500
This grant is for small businesses with a limited e-commerce presence employing up to 10 employees and trading for a minimum of 6 months. It aims to assist new Irish businesses to get their business online and existing Irish SMEs to update or get a new, more effective website and help with digital marketing.
Application dates differ depending on the location of your local enterprise office. You can find your local office here. Where upgrades are required, you can apply for a second voucher.
The Trading Online Voucher Grant is a great way to get your business set up online and trading successfully. It can be used for any or a combination of the following:
- Develop a new e-commerce website or upgrade an existing one
- IT and digitalisation consultancy
- Implementation of online payments or booking systems
- Developing new apps for customers
- Purchasing internet-related software
- Digital Marketing & Advertising Strategy
- Implementation of digital marketing strategy
- Purchase of online advertising
- Training and skills development specifically to establish and manage online trading activity
To apply for this grant, you must attend an information workshop and submit an application which will be evaluated against the following criteria: eligibility for the scheme, value-added potential, export potential, job creation potential and financial sustainability.
4. Fáilte Ireland – Digital That Delivers – Differs Depending On Project
This grant is for Irish visitor experiences, attractions and day tours to develop and grow their digital presence, enhance their websites and digital marketing content and integrate online booking systems.
Applications for the Digital That Delivers grant opened on June 9th via the Fáilte Ireland Trade Portal
You can use the grant for the following work:
- Website design, development and optimisation
- Creating digital applications/guides to form a new bookable experience
- Booking System Implementation
- Integrate an online booking system and/or website with other systems
- SEO
- Technical Diagnostic Expertise
- Digital Strategy Design
- Content Strategy Design
- Content Creation Hardware
To apply, you are to complete the expression of interest form and provide details such as your pre-covid visitor numbers, staff count and the current technology in place. Your application will go through a digital maturity review, where a consultant from Fáilte Ireland will create a unique digital roadmap for your business and a digital solution and associated costs will be identified. A funding application form will need to be submitted and evaluated by Fáilte Ireland. Offers of funding are made in a formal letter of offer.
Check out some of the websites we have created as part of the Fáilte Ireland Digital That Delivers Programme here.
Want to better utilise digital tools to grow your business? Get in touch today to find out what our marketing and web design services can do for you.
