Small Business Development Grant: Is There a Chance? How to get a grant from the administration for start-up entrepreneurs.

How to get a grant - where to apply + what you need for this + what documents to provide + and what to do with the money received.

Do you have a crazy idea for starting a business, as well as a great desire to work?

But at the same time you do not have enough money for this?

And you do not want to get into debt to friends or take a loan from a bank?

Then you will be very useful information about how to get a grant.

It is no secret that many business projects were able to materialize thanks to just such financial support.

If you also want to get this opportunity, then get ready for the fact that you will have to put in a lot of effort, but the result will be worth it.

What is a grant?

Before talking about how to get a grant, you need to understand the very concept of what it is.

A grant is an in-kind grant aimed at starting or expanding a business.

An important distinguishing feature of such support is that it does not require a return, that is, it is free of charge.

Grants for opening or developing a business can be issued by:

• state;
• private foundations;
• foreign organizations.

Based on this, you need to understand that these organizations may put forward different requirements for receiving a grant.

So don't waste your energy on applying everywhere you can.

Choose the source that will fit your field of activity and work on fulfilling its conditions.

Where to apply to get a grant?

“Half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones is perseverance.”
Steve Jobs

As mentioned above, there are three main categories of organizations that are willing to provide money or other assets.

But there are nuances here, using which you can understand where you should go first.

You should also understand that those funds that are ready to provide financial support have different goals.

Features of issuing grants by state organizations

1. When issuing grants, state funds give preference to socially unprotected categories:
   • university graduates,
   • those who are in the employment center,
   • who have been made redundant,
   • retired military,
   • single mothers,
   • disabled people
   • young professionals under the age of 30-35 years.

The state does not give the full amount to open your business.

Preference is given to those entrepreneurs who are willing to invest their own funds as well.

2. Preference is given to social spheres, as well as production and agriculture.
3. Most often, the state is ready to finance the purchase of equipment or raw materials, but at the same time refuses to cover the cost of paying wages.
4. When issuing a grant for business development, the state pays attention to the period of operation of the enterprise, and it should not exceed 1-2 years, as well as to whether the entrepreneur is able to hire additional people.

Peculiarities of issuing grants by private and foreign foundations

1. Private and foreign funds are very demanding in terms of reporting, that is, they must see that the money issued will go to cover certain expenses, and not in your "pocket".
2. Such organizations willingly agree to issue a grant for the payment of wages, in contrast to the state.

If funds are needed to finance innovations in the economy and business, then domestic private funds most often specialize in this issue.

But you can safely apply to foreign ones if you need to open or develop a business related to ecology, art, culture, society, IT-sphere.

3. Such funds practice issuing grants in tranches, that is, money comes gradually for the implementation of certain stages.

Required documents to receive a grant

Each business financing and support organization requires its own list of documents, but most often they overlap.

So, the following documents may be required from you:

• correctly executed application for participation in the selection for a grant;
• copies of documents confirming your identity, as well as, if necessary, the participant's questionnaire;
• copies of documents that confirm that you have knowledge in the field of economics (diploma, certificate of completion of specialized courses);
• copies of documents evidencing the registration and registration of the business with the tax service, as well as entry into the register; copies of documents confirming the creation and availability of jobs - this is necessary if you are applying for business development;

This list of documents can be supplemented, so be careful when submitting it.

If something is incorrectly compiled or something is missing, the foundation has every right to refuse your participation.

How to get a grant: what to do?

So, you have already come close to the question: " How to get a grant?”, then you should know the order of your actions:

Choose an organization that suits you, where you can get a grant.

It must be relevant to your area of ​​work.

1. Learn where the organization has already given out money, in what amount and for what projects.
2. Study the requirements that the fund puts forward, as well as the rules for drafting an application for participation in the selection.
3. Prepare all necessary documents.

Write a credible business plan that clearly spells out goals, problems, and solutions.

Focus on the financial side.

4. Prepare a convincing and detailed presentation of your future project.

You just have to wait.

In most cases, after the application deadline has expired, foundations are given 3 months to review applications received.

How are grant applications decided?

The first few days are given to check the correctness of the compilation and availability of all necessary documents.

And only then the fund starts studying business plans.

Most often, funds use their own developed scoring scale, thanks to which they can form a rating of participants.

When considering, special attention is paid not only to the set goals and problems, but also to their solution.

The reliability of the given calculations is also checked.

State funds take note of those entrepreneurs who themselves can contribute a certain amount to the development or opening of a business.

And business plans that require full funding are most often rejected.

As for the financing of an already operating business, attention is also drawn to the dynamics of development.

If an enterprise has performed poorly during the period that it has existed, then it is likely to be refused.

Additional points in the "piggy bank" can be received by those projects that have already received funds from the selected fund.

Notifications are sent to the winners, and information about them appears on the official website of the fund.

How realistic is it to receive a grant from the state for the development of your business,

told in the video:

What to do with the money received?

The received grant is already an agreement between a businessman who needs money and an investor.

Therefore, the first has certain obligations that require fulfillment:

• the funds received must be used exclusively for the purposes for which they are issued;
• all necessary reporting must be submitted within a strictly specified time frame;
• in the event of force majeure or if it is impossible to complete a certain part of the project, you must immediately contact the fund to make adjustments;
• during checks, the commission cannot be hindered and it is necessary to provide all information that relates to the funds received.

In case of misuse of the grant or failure to comply with other conditions of the agreement, the organization may demand to terminate it and apply to the court with a claim for the return of all allocated funds.

Thus, you should not only be interested in how to get a grant, but also how to fulfill all the conditions of the fund that will give you money.

Know that this is a great chance to get additional funding for your business, so take it seriously.

You will get an opportunity not only for your own development, but also contribute to the improvement of the economic situation in your region.

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How to get a grant?

Fundraising. Sponsors. Funds. Donors. Charity organisations. Where to start and how much to ask? How to draw up a project, estimate, application.

This is not an exhaustive guide. These are sketches from nature. But they can be useful for novice grant seekers, because out of five funding applications submitted on behalf of my firm, I ended up with three grants totaling about $50,000. Not a million, but still.

Strictly speaking, fundraising, which means finding and receiving sponsorship money, is a real science. A myriad of offices and individuals live (and how they live!) Only on grants. From a primitive begging for money “for a good cause”, foundation raising has turned into a powerful area of ​​business with its own rules of the game, in which this very “good cause” is in last or penultimate place.
Benefactors

More than once I told the representatives of foreign philanthropic structures I knew that they should thank God for the collapse of the USSR, because in addition to the developing countries they already had, they received fifteen more at once. More countries that need help - more foundations and associations are opened, more money is spent on the maintenance of their numerous employees.

Where does the money come from?

First, from state budgets, that is, from the pockets of American, British, German, French taxpayers.

Secondly, from the bottomless budget of the UN, which then flows like full-flowing rivers and streams over hundreds of UN departments, programs and projects. And this is partly the money of domestic taxpayers, because each country makes contributions to the UN budget.

Thirdly, from individuals and corporations (primarily American ones), who have a choice: pay taxes or send the same money to a “good cause”.

Around these money sources, tens of thousands of already “charitable” competing organizations are fighting for their piece of the charity pie. For example, the huge sums that come from the US budget each year to specialized structures like USAID are then redistributed to public, private or semi-private foundations that have been able to prove that they will make the best use of the funds received.

And now these funds directly help Zimbabwean farmers, Tajik children, environmentalists from Karelia, small businesses in the Sverdlovsk region, etc., having previously provided their people with:
- salaries ($3,000-10,000 per month for foreign employees, from $200 to $1,000 for local employees);
- good houses and apartments (for rent);
- solid offices;
- official cars;
- funds for hospitality expenses (restaurants, paying for a taxi, visiting swimming pools, fitness centers, etc.);
- free flights home at least twice a year;
- and other, other, other.
The remaining money is to be distributed among the natives-grant seekers.

And, characteristically, philanthropist employees work in the former Soviet republics, in backward African and Asian countries for 5-7 years and do not want to return to their capitalist prosperity.

Why?

Because only in foreign offices of charitable foundations, and even consulting companies, you can see such a number of people who in their homeland could not even claim half the salary - because of their complete unsuitability.

Because foreigners live in a closed comfortable world, regardless of the poverty of the country and its location. And since life in such countries is cheap, they can afford not only to live several times better than in a prosperous but expensive homeland, but also to save a fair amount for old age.

Because such work is a guarantee of a quick career in business or government.

Once, back in the early 90s, an American 22 years old showed me his “dossier” about his work at the Price Waterhouse representative office, I think, in Kyrgyzstan. Taking advantage of the Americans' ignorance about everything that does not concern their great country and a similar ending - "stan" - with Afghanistan, he prepared a report telling about his participation in 16 (!) Projects in six months, and in conditions close to the front.

He explained to me then that now such a heroic and hardworking guy will be hired by any prestigious company.

Therefore, one of the forms of corruption in foreign government agencies that distribute money between philanthropic organizations is the placement of their acquaintances and relatives to work in underdeveloped countries.

Local employees are again recruited mainly from the children of high-ranking officials, which is an unspoken condition for permission to engage in charity work in the territory under their control.

I made this long introduction for the sole purpose of showing that before you are not kind foreign uncles and aunts, but cunning guys who earn huge money on the fact of our existence. With the exception of a small number of sincere enthusiasts, employees of foreign foundations - both local and foreign - are deeply indifferent to your projects. Knowing this, you will not be surprised by some features of communication with philanthropists and will not waste time on unnecessary body movements.

Where to begin?

First. You find a fund in your city (region) that finances topics that are close to your profile.

Second. Carefully study the information about the nature of the grants provided, their size and to whom they are allocated - only to commercial organizations, only to public, only to individuals, etc.

In principle, you can specifically come up with a project for the appropriate fund or direction, but this does not always work. Funds are interested in your "track record", and if an environmental organization suddenly asks for money to create a business incubator, then the answer is likely to be negative.

But on the other hand, under the "grant theme" you can create a new public organization. This is normal and even welcome, especially if you are targeting an American fund that funds "democrats" and "human rights activists." Such organizations are registered in 10 days, so if they fail, there is little loss of time.

Having clarified the main question, namely, whether your topic falls within the declared interests of a particular fund, prepare an application in strict accordance with the requirements of the fund.

How much to ask?

In fact, grant-giving organizations themselves are interested in the uninterrupted issuance of the maximum possible number of grants. The traditional Soviet approach of the late stagnation: it is required to fully "master" the funds allocated for the year, otherwise, less will be allocated for the next year. And this will directly affect the level of salaries and bonuses of functionaries of charitable organizations.

But the first time you won't get much money. Therefore, make an estimate based on actual needs, bearing in mind that this estimate will still be reduced by a third, or even more.

Do not treat a potential grant as some kind of personal capital. Let's say you ask for (and receive) $25,000 to monitor human rights in your city. So, do not tune in to the fact that you can put these 25 thousand in your pocket.

After all, the grants are allocated not entirely, but in parts, tranches. First, you will receive 5-7 thousand for the first stage of the project, and only after reporting for their use, you can count on the next portion.

Popular question: In principle, is there a chance to spend part of the funds received personally on yourself? It depends on how you budgeted the project.

Let's assume the total grant is $15,000 for one year. If you plan to buy computers and office equipment for $5,000, then you will have to forget about this money right away, because most of the funds prefer to pay these expenses directly from their account.

At best, you can hope for a percentage from the seller, but this will not be much money, because donors usually focus on local prices and it is difficult to explain to them why you decided to pay five hundred dollars for a $200 monitor.

The same applies to the purchase of stationery and consumables.

Real money, that is, cash, is the salary of project employees. If you are a project manager (director of a firm, head of a non-profit organization), and this project needs attracted employees, then the usual practice is to do the work with two people, and ask for money for ten.

Of course, eight dead (and trusted) souls must properly sign their payrolls.

Another option is to pay employees salaries in smaller amounts than indicated in the estimate.

I believe that for a commercial organization it is most reasonable to consider a grant as funds that fell from the sky, with which you can purchase equipment necessary for business, pay salaries to employees, compensate for communication costs, consumables, stationery, etc.

To clarify: you spend 70-90 percent of the grant on the development of your own organization, and you carry out the project for which you were given money along with your main work.

For example, you have a marketing firm and need three account managers. And these are jobs (computers, printer, Internet), wages and other expenses.

You come up with a project on a popular topic related to the promotion of start-up entrepreneurs, for which you certainly need technical equipment and attracted people.

After receiving a grant, you imitate a stormy job. But do not be too zealous, otherwise aspiring entrepreneurs, having heard about your project, will really turn to you for help. Do you need it?

In the standard budget of any project there are mandatory columns:

A good tone is when in the “Available” column you indicate that you have at least some, but your own money, which means that you are not some kind of ragamuffin (or a poor structure that does not inspire confidence), but are ready to participate in financing your own project .

Such generosity, by the way, will not cost you a penny, because the same “permanent assistant” is your own employee, to whom you pay a salary anyway, and the Pentium-troika was bought two years ago.

Terms of consideration of the application

If you read in a charity brochure that it takes two or three months to process an application, don't believe it. You can be fooled for half a year, and a year.

The reasons for the delays are very different: staff reductions, management changes, the holiday season, a large number of applications.

Reasons for refusals: the topic does not correspond to the main activities of the fund, duplicate applications have been submitted, your application is incorrectly formatted, you asked for too much money, you asked for too little money (donors do not want to get involved in too small projects).

And once, my already approved project was the victim of a global budget crisis in the United States, when congressmen suddenly decided to cut aid to developing countries.

The most unpleasant thing about working with funds is just mediocre waste of time.

You spend a month looking for a suitable grantor, then a month you study their requirements and draw up an application, estimate, justification.
Then you wait - it is not known how long and without a guarantee of a positive answer.

I stopped working with donors for this very reason. When a year later you receive a letter with a joyful message that the project has been approved, it is sometimes difficult to understand what it is all about, because for half a year you have been doing completely different things. And the question arises: to take or not to take?

It seems like a sin to refuse money, but, on the other hand, interest in the project has long disappeared, sometimes, together with the people who were supposed to carry it out, one has to remember why he asked for it at all, how he was going to use it, in a word, the spoon is expensive for dinner.

"Our people"

My first application was rejected not because it was bad or didn't fit the theme of the donor, but because of the interference of competitors.
If you received a grant once and successfully reported on it, it is much easier to do it the second time. You are already known, you have demonstrated financial integrity and the ability to prepare reports, why not give more? That is, you get a good grant history - the exact analogue of a credit history.

At the second stage, it is better to ask for money not for a new project, but for the expansion or continuation of the old one, this is approved both faster and with a low probability of refusal. In addition, such an application is prepared much easier - you just change the numbers in the previous estimate and slightly edit the project.

And gradually you become a professional petitioner. And that means the recipient.

There are organizations that extend the project every year (for example, some kind of training for craftsmen in the wisdom of market relations). They become not only the favorite beneficiaries of the same sponsor, but also are part of the expert council that considers applications. (Such councils are created in order to make the choice of grants appear objective and open. I emphasize - visibility).

So, as an employee of the foundation said under the greatest secrecy, although my project was rashly accepted, a long-term favorite intervened in the matter - an NGO (non-governmental organization), living comfortably on the monitoring of something democratic (Americans love the word "monitoring", so I advise you to use it as often as possible).

This NGO published the results of the monitoring once every two months in a 16-page bulletin with a circulation of 200 copies, printed on a regular laser printer, and then the bulletin was sent to friendly NGOs, but mainly to foreign and donor offices - “look how great we are doing ".

And for this useful activity for six years, $35,000 has been allocated annually.

My project - the release of a large-circulation newspaper - made the publication of this bulletin meaningless, and, consequently, the further financing of their project. Therefore, the guys who came to their senses quickly explained at the “expert advice” why they should not give money to an unknown company, and my project was safely ruined.

Reporting

But generally speaking, donors are absolutely indifferent to whom they give money. If only the recipient spent them for their intended purpose, or rather, compiled the required reporting.

I strongly recommend doing reports as written in the instructions. Do not try to deviate from it, even if some requirement is contrary to common sense. The instructions were probably drawn up by the Americans, and, as you know, their worldview is significantly different from ours.

Remember: no one expects real results from you. All you are expected to do is properly prepared and timely submitted reports. Your reports will lie next to the reports of other grantees and become part of the overall report on the fruitful activities of the philanthropic foundation.

I remember how, out of naivety, at first I wondered why the employees of the grant structure never showed up at the seminars held within the framework of my project.

But then I realized that there are many grant recipients, and few employees of the funds, and they, with all their desire (if it suddenly arose), are not able to check how the money received is actually worked out.

Having learned the rules of the game, I regularly sent reports about regular classes and a huge coverage of listeners. The Foundation also behaved decently and did not try to find out if these classes were held and how many people actually attended them.

There is another reason why foundations do not overburden their staff with checks and digging into the affairs of grantees.

After all, if abuses are detected, the fund will be forced to somehow respond. But how? Well, okay, will not list the next tranche. And how then to explain to higher organizations why the project was not completed, why the money was given to the wrong person? It turns out that the selection of applications is carried out by incompetent people, it turns out that more competent people should be sent in their place.

So it appears that it is better for foundations to close their eyes to some inconsistencies between reporting and actual project work and not to be too vigilant.

Do fund employees take bribes?

Since bribes are a universal phenomenon, I do not think that only crystal-clear people work in funds. But I myself have not come across this, although I was assured that in some funds for a positive decision it is necessary to pay up to 30% of the requested amount.

It is unlikely. The estimates are quite transparent and it is impossible to divert as much as a third of the grant into the shadows. Then the very meaning of receiving charitable money is lost.

And one more circumstance. Salaries of local employees in comparison with the usual salaries are very significant. Therefore, because of the fear of losing their bread position, they behave extremely carefully and will not set themselves up, especially with strangers.

Conclusion

Whatever I say about charitable offices, it's still good that they exist. They are good and we are good.

Both the President of Russia and the Prime Minister have repeatedly expressed their opinion in recent statements that small business in the country should actively develop. This is also dictated by the imposition of sanctions, because now business representatives can produce products that were previously imported from other countries. It is worth saying that the system of grants is a real salvation for many firms. Indeed, more than once you can hear from young and ambitious people that they would be happy to promote their product, but they do not have money for this.

Lending is not a profitable option. It has a lot of disadvantages that can lead to the collapse of the chosen business. Due to this, the gap between the profitability of small and medium-sized businesses is extremely large. Grants can bridge this gap and help many entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Conditions for obtaining

It is clear that when it comes to very impressive amounts, no one will simply entrust them to any entrepreneur. The question arises: how to get a grant for small business development? The candidate must fully comply with very strict conditions, but the process of obtaining is not difficult.

In addition, if you still receive the desired material assistance, then you will be responsible for it and very tough. Spending should be only targeted, directed only to the scope of your business. If you still wish to receive a grant, then you must comply with the following conditions and requirements:

1. Proper execution of the application, with a detailed statement of the goals and objectives of the activity. It should be understood that the money will be issued specifically for the organization and for certain needs, but not to the account of an individual entrepreneur.
2. The presence of a business plan in which expenses are clearly indicated, approximate profits are justified, and ways to obtain it are justified. The required amount of the grant is also indicated there. While such a document is being considered, it will no longer be possible to edit it, so it must be compiled very carefully.
3. Project originality. Experts say that this is half the success. No one will want to give funds to a project if there are already several analogues on the market.
4. Adoption of a gradual trench system. You will not receive money immediately into your account. Specific amounts are issued for each stage indicated in the business plan. And it's not even about money, in some cases sponsors provide the necessary equipment or goods.
5. Timely reporting, sent on schedule.
6. Target direction - all funds go only to implement the plan.

When applying for a grant for the first time, you can not exaggerate, you need to submit only real numbers. Let them be imperfect, the main thing is to be truthful. Specialists of the centers, accountants of organizations, will immediately find a match, and then you can forget about additional help. In addition, if the transaction is successful, the entrepreneur must pay income tax in the amount indicated in the grant.

Necessary documentation and subtleties of obtaining

To receive a grant, you need to collect an impressive package of documents. In addition, it is important to choose in advance which program you want to join, because there are international, federal and regional grants. Therefore, if you want to receive funds in the region, it is better to find out the list of additional papers in the administration. For example, Samara and Perm are cities where financial assistance for small businesses is actively supported. In general, the following documents must be submitted:

• business plan;
• certificates that the individual entrepreneur is registered;
• an extract from the register of small business that the organization is listed in it;
• founding papers;
• IP passport.

The application form must be filled out. Otherwise, you will receive a rejection. It indicates the problem that the product will solve, and the target market, and analogues, the methodology for solving problems, and the risks and ways to avoid them, the amount of the budget. In part, an analogy can be drawn here with patenting. Therefore, it is better to check the correctness of writing the application with a lawyer.

Who can apply

The list of applicants for each program is very wide. It can be completely different representatives of small businesses, with their own ideas and projects. If the support is provided by a foreign fund, then citizenship does not play such an important role, but the full targeted allocation of funds is mandatory. Foreign funds are much more willing to allocate money to those entrepreneurs who have already received grants, even in domestic programs.

The state focuses on employment and social protection. Even newcomers can be prioritized, as sponsors are willing to give the green light to start-ups. Graduates of state universities, the disabled and retired military, single mothers can get a confident start.

Support goals in 2018-2019

Many entrepreneurs fear that their business does not fall under the promising area. Statistics show that 30% of the state fund of such assistance goes to the service sector, 20% is needed for production, 12% goes to trade. The easiest way is to get funds for specific purposes, for example, to rent an office, purchase equipment, purchase raw materials. You can also apply for a grant to pay salaries - domestic funds willingly finance such purposes.

There is also a trend between foreign and state funds for purposes. Domestic organizations sponsor production, agriculture, discoveries in the field of science, because it is in these areas that there is currently a lack of developments and goods. Private domestic funds also provide assistance in trade. Foreign funds prefer innovative projects, IT, services in various areas.

Where to go

If you are aiming to ask for help from the state, then you should contact the committee for the development of small and medium-sized businesses. You can also apply to trade committees, industrial development committees, municipalities. Regional governments are interested in business development in the region, for example, in Moscow you can get half a million for a young enterprise. There is also a separate fund for small forms of organizations that are involved in the scientific and technical field. Here they give a million for just beginners, and 200 thousand for various researchers.

Small business grants are non-refundable amounts provided by the government to start and expand a business. Of course, every entrepreneur wants to receive such gratuitous assistance. However, for this, a number of conditions must be met. In the article we will talk about how to get a grant for starting a business and its development.

Who receives financial support

It should be said right away that only two categories of persons can apply for subsidies. The opportunity to receive a grant for business is provided to unemployed citizens registered with the CZN, and already functioning entrepreneurs who want to expand their activities. Consider the conditions for obtaining a subsidy in each of these cases.

How to get a grant to start a business for the unemployed

Participants of the program can be citizens of Russia who have reached the age of 18 and wish to organize entrepreneurship, who have been recognized as unemployed in the prescribed manner. As part of the CZN program, it also provides such people with all the necessary information about the opportunity to start their own business, expert advice, and training in the basics of entrepreneurship.

Those who wish can take a test aimed at identifying the ability to competently conduct business. Among other things, program participants may be told how to write a business plan for a grant. After the preparatory activities, you can submit documents to the EPC for the provision of a subsidy. These include an application and a ready-made business plan.

Grant amount for the unemployed

The amount of the subsidy is 12 times the maximum unemployment benefit. Its amount today is 4,900 rubles, respectively, the amount of the grant is 58,800 rubles. Not so much! But even this money can be very useful in organizing your own business. Although this is not yet the final figure. For each unemployed person you employ, you will receive the same amount, so the final amount of financial support is determined by the number of your employees. If you want to conduct all activities on your own, then you will not receive more than 58,800 rubles.

What can I use the grant amount received by the unemployed

It should be noted that subsidies are primarily provided to those citizens who are going to engage in priority activities for the state. These include transport, household services, folk crafts and trades, collection and processing of wild plants, small forms of agriculture, public catering.

Receiving a grant to open their own business gives the unemployed the opportunity to employ themselves and create additional jobs for other persons registered with the employment center. At the same time, the received funds can be spent only for strictly defined purposes, namely:

• cosmetic repairs of the premises or building where the activity will be organized;
• purchase of equipment and furniture, including electronic computers, peripheral devices, software, copiers, office furniture, tools;
• purchase of consumables, raw materials;
• transportation costs associated with the delivery of raw materials, fixed assets, consumables.

The probability of granting a subsidy will be higher if a citizen has a higher education.

Business plan for receiving a grant for the unemployed

Writing a competent and clear business plan is the main problem for those who are counting on a subsidy. Despite the fact that the grant amount is only 58,800 rubles, the validity of intentions should be as if you are claiming a whole million. The business plan should reflect all the financial and economic indicators of your project: the amount of investment, the net present value of the venture, the payback period of investments, and so on.

At the same time, keep in mind that the numbers must not only be beautifully “drawn” on paper, but also, if necessary, prove and substantiate their objectivity before the competition commission. Yes, getting a grant is a competition, and money is given only to the best applicants.

Also, in the business plan, you need to make a clear list of what exactly you will spend the amount of the subsidy provided on. For example, if you are going to purchase furniture, describe in detail what and how many chairs, cabinets, tables are required, at what price and where you intend to buy them, how much money you plan to spend on the delivery and assembly of furniture.

Another important nuance. In no case do not show in the business plan that the success of your venture depends entirely on those 58,800 rubles that you wish to receive.

The purpose of the grant is to help you organize your business, to provide support. That is, it is understood that you will invest in the business and your own money, and not build it on the coveted 58,800.

The commission pays great attention to how many jobs you will create in the future company. Accountability is important to them - the work of officials is considered the more productive, the more people will be employed under the program. Therefore, indicate in the business plan the maximum possible number of full-time employees, while not forgetting, of course, profitability indicators.

So, you already understood that a good business plan plays a major role in the question of how to get a grant. Remember that brevity is the soul of talent. Spatial reasoning that someday, maybe you will succeed, is of no interest to anyone.

A specific action plan reflecting the ratio of expenses and income is what is required. But at the same time, the idea should be simple and understandable, there is no need to show on paper the full power of the Russian language and operate with abstruse scientific terms. After all, commissions are people too!

Don't forget to include your loved one in your business plan. It would be useful to describe your own achievements, skills, experience. You must prove that you can cope with the task, convince the commission that the chosen business area is ideal for you. But this should be done not with laudatory, unsupported odes, but with concrete facts, statistical data, and a store of knowledge.

Submission of documents

The written business plan should be printed out and also saved on a digital medium. The printed version must be taken along with the application for a subsidy to the TsZN and given to the inspector who works at your site. Further, the employees of the Employment Center will check the documents for compliance with the requirements. You may be called for an interview with an official of the Center for Health Care (director, head of department).

If you successfully pass it, the business plan will be sent to a higher organization: the Small Business Support Center or the regional EPC. There he will also be tested, which, on average, takes 5-20 days. After that, a decision will be made to grant or refuse to grant a grant.

Actions of the unemployed after receiving a subsidy

Suppose you studied in detail how to get a grant to start a business, drew up a competent business plan, submitted all the necessary documents to the Central Public Health Center, earned the approval of the competition commission, and you were finally granted a subsidy.

What to do next? In the CZN, you will conclude an agreement for a grant, you will have to register your activities and provide an extract from the EGRIP or the Unified State Register of Legal Entities to the CZN. After that, within thirty calendar days, the amount of the subsidy will be transferred to your personal account. Remember, you can only receive a grant once.

Subsidies for start-up entrepreneurs

The small business development grant is issued to existing entrepreneurs. Individual entrepreneurs registered at least two years ago and not working in the wholesale or retail trade can apply for a subsidy. The amount of assistance can be up to half a million rubles. Agree, this is already a much more significant amount than the one that the unemployed can count on. But getting such financial support is not as easy as getting a grant to start a business. A prerequisite for granting a subsidy is that the entrepreneur must invest his own money in the business in an amount not less than the amount of the grant.

Spending funds received for business development

An entrepreneur can spend the money provided by the state on:

• organizing and equipping new jobs;
• purchase of fixed assets (except for cars);
• purchase of licensed software;
• purchase of materials and raw materials - no more than 20 percent of the total grant;
• rent of premises and buildings - no more than 20 percent of the total amount of the grant.

Where to apply for a business development grant

Don't know where and how to get a grant? Contact the district center for the development of small entrepreneurs at the place of registration of the IP. There you will be told what to do, and it is there that you will then submit documents. The chances of receiving state support will increase significantly if you decide to support priority sectors such as healthcare, construction, education, innovation, and agriculture.

In this case, the size of the grant may also increase. So, for example, entrepreneurs who decide to engage in medical production, that is, the development and production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, can count on a subsidy of up to 5 million rubles. But of course, in order to receive such money, it will be necessary to prove to the state the expediency of innovations. And do not forget that it will be necessary to invest in the business as much of your own funds.

Start-up capital is a financial instrument for translating an idea into a working business. Every novice entrepreneur would like to receive a certain amount for free use. Recently, certain categories of entrepreneurs can count on such assistance from the state.

The grant is issued for the opening or development of entrepreneurial activity. Many aspiring entrepreneurs are wondering how to get a grant to start a business, but not everyone knows that the state is ready to help only officially unemployed citizens - those who are registered with the Employment Center. And businessmen who have been running their business for less than a year, but are already ready to hire up to 3 employees, can count on receiving a grant for business development.

How the grant amount is calculated

The final amount paid by the state to entrepreneurs is calculated based on the number of employed unemployed. That is, the minimum amount of the subsidy is provided to a businessman working independently - the amount of such assistance is 58,000 rubles. If the entrepreneur plans to hire employees, then the final amount of the grant becomes a multiple of the number of employees.

Where to apply

Grant issues are dealt with by 2 executive authorities of the Russian Federation - the Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Ministry of Economic Development. In order to become the owner of a state grant, you must fill out an application of the established form and attend classes aimed at learning the basics of entrepreneurial activity. However, such courses are shown only to those who do not have an economic education. By the way, its presence gives a big plus and advantage in obtaining a grant.

Drawing up a business plan

The Commission, which analyzes applicants for state aid, takes the business plan submitted for consideration very seriously and imposes strict requirements on it. In fact, a well-written and well-written business plan guarantees half the success in approving an application for a subsidy to support small and medium-sized businesses.

It is very important to reflect all financial and economic indicators in the business plan and evaluate them in order to demonstrate the financial effectiveness of the project. The absence of such calculations may serve as a denial of state assistance. Meanwhile, it is necessary to clearly spell out all the items of expenditure that affect the use of the grant, so that the commission understands what exactly the money is allocated for. But at the same time, you should not focus on the fact that a potential subsidy is the amount that is fully responsible for the success of a business project. As a rule, members of the commission immediately reject such applications, since a grant is financial assistance to a start-up entrepreneur, but not an opportunity to create a business for the specified amount. It is desirable that the funds raised by the entrepreneur should be at least twice the amount of the subsidy. Read more in this article.

For greater importance, the business plan should reflect as many potential jobs as possible, of course, not to the detriment of the profitability of the enterprise. This is done to convince officials that the project they are considering, and in the future a working business, will help them implement a program for the employment of the unemployed. It would also be useful to pay attention to the artistic design of the business plan, it is important that it evokes a sense of respect for its owner. To do this, it is worth taking it to the printing house for flashing and placing the business plan in a book cover.

Additional package of documents

To apply for a grant, the business plan must be accompanied by:

• a certificate stating that the candidate is officially unemployed, such a document is issued by the employment center;
• a photocopy of the passport;
• a diploma of economic or financial education or a certificate of completion of entrepreneurship courses;

Further development of the situation depends on the region of residence, or rather, on the demand for subsidies in support of start-up entrepreneurs. In regions with a high number of candidates, after reviewing all documents and analyzing the business plan, as a rule, an additional competition is held among the best applicants. And in those regions where grants are not in demand, everything is much simpler - the state will provide its support to anyone who wishes, if he fully meets all the requirements. After the application is approved, an agreement is concluded with the entrepreneur to transfer funds to. You need to think about opening an account even before submitting documents for consideration by the commission, because the details are indicated immediately upon conclusion of the contract.

Possible problems

Businessmen who have gone through the process of obtaining a grant claim that there are often situations in which a budding entrepreneur is offered to use the services of specialists who will help eliminate existing problems in the business plan. Officials argue that it will not be possible to eliminate all the shortcomings on their own and that it is necessary to resort to the help of competent organizations whose services cost 2-3 thousand rubles. The amount, of course, is small, but it is worth bearing this in mind.

After receiving a subsidy, the entrepreneur is obliged to submit reports to the administration not only on the intended use of the transferred funds, but also on the financial situation of the company. The state makes such demands on a businessman within the period specified in the contract, as a rule, it varies from six months to a year.

Another frequently occurring problem is the liquidation of the enterprise, in case of its economic inefficiency. It is impossible to simply abandon the idea, since the contract clearly spells out the minimum terms for the operation of the enterprise, during which the company is obliged to pay wages to employees and transfer contributions for its employees to the pension fund.

It should be noted that there are such areas in business, for the opening or development of which the state does not provide the right to receive a grant. First of all, this is the production of tobacco and alcoholic products, their leasing, as well as the leasing of industrial equipment, the rental of household and personal items, as well as the creation of public organizations.

All the nuances of providing a subsidy to support small businesses are decided at the local level, so before drawing up a business plan, you just need to contact the administration and find out all the details of applying. In addition, the requirements for a business plan vary depending on the region providing the grant. This approach will save time, avoid simple mistakes and understand what you need to increase your chances of receiving public assistance.