Grants for small businesses are irrevocable amounts provided by the state to open and expand their business. Of course, every entrepreneur wants to receive such free help. However, for this it is necessary to meet a number of conditions. In the article we will talk about how to get a grant for starting a business and its development.
Who is provided with 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 employment center, and already functioning entrepreneurs who wish to expand their activities. Consider the conditions for obtaining subsidies in each of these cases.
How to get a grant to open a business for the unemployed
Participants in the program can be over 18 years of age and those wishing to organize entrepreneurship citizens of Russia, who were recognized as unemployed in the prescribed manner. As part of the program, the work center 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 undergo testing aimed at identifying the ability to competently conduct business. Among other things, program participants can be told how to draw up a business plan for a grant. After preparatory activities, you can submit documents to the employment center to provide a subsidy. These include a statement and a ready-made business plan.
Grant amount to unemployed
The subsidy is 12 times the maximum amount unemployment benefits. Its amount today is 4900 rubles, respectively, the grant amount is 58 800 rubles. Not so much! But this money can be very useful in organizing your own business. Although this is not the final figure. For each unemployed person whom you employ, you will receive the same amount, so the total amount of financial support is determined by the number of your employees. If you want to conduct all the activities yourself, then you will not receive more than 58 800 rubles.
What can I spend 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, domestic services, handicrafts and crafts, gathering and processing of wild plants, small forms of agriculture, catering.
Getting a grant to start a business gives the unemployed the opportunity to find a job for themselves and create additional jobs for other people registered in the employment center. At the same time, it is possible to spend the received funds only for strictly defined purposes, namely:
- redecorating the room or building where the activity will be organized;
- purchase of equipment and furniture, including electronic computers, peripherals, software, copying equipment, office furniture, tools;
- purchase of consumables, raw materials;
- transportation costs associated with the delivery of raw materials, fixed assets, consumables.
The probability of subsidies will be higher if the citizen has a higher education.
Business plan for a grant to 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 amount of the grant is only 58,800 rubles, the validity of the intentions should be as if you are applying for a 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 undertaking, the payback period of investments, and so on.
At the same time, keep in mind that the figures need not only to be beautifully “drawn” on paper, but also, if necessary, to prove and justify their objectivity to the competition committee. Yes, receiving a grant is a competition, and money is given out 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. For example, if you intend to purchase furniture, write down 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 furniture delivery and assembly.
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 want to receive.
The meaning of the grant is to help you organize your business and provide support. That is, it is understood that you will invest in your business and your own money, and not build it on the treasured 58,800.
The commission attaches great importance to how many jobs you will create in a future firm. Reporting 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, about profitability indicators.
Recommendations to the unemployed on drawing up a business plan
So, you already understood that a good business plan plays the main role in the matter of how to get a grant. Remember that brevity is the sister of talent. Spatial reasoning that someday maybe something will work out for you is of no interest to anyone.
A concrete plan of action reflecting the ratio of expenses to income is what is required. But at the same time, the plan should be simple and clear, you do not need to show on paper the full power of the Russian language and operate with abstruse scientific terms. After all, the commission is also people!
Do not forget to give your loved one a place in the business plan. It will be useful to describe your own achievements, skills, experience. You must prove that you will cope with the task, convince the commission that the chosen business is ideal for you. But this should be done not with laudatory, unsubstantiated 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 kept on a digital medium. The printed version must be taken with the employment center along with the application for the subsidy and given to the inspector who works at your site. Further, the employees of the Employment Center documents will be checked for compliance with the requirements. You can be called for an interview with an officer of the employment center (director, department head).
If you successfully pass it, the business plan will be sent to a parent organization: the Center for Small Business Support or the regional employment center. There he will also undergo a check, which, on average, takes 5-20 days. After that, a decision will be made on granting or refusing to grant.
Actions of the unemployed after receiving a subsidy
Suppose you studied in detail how to get a grant for starting a business, drew up a competent business plan, submitted all the necessary documents to the employment center, earned the approval of the tender committee, and finally you were given a subsidy.
What to do next? A contract for a grant will be concluded with you in the employment center, you will need to register your activity and provide to the employment center an extract from the USRIP or the USRLE.After that, within thirty calendar days, the amount of the subsidy will be transferred to your personal account. Remember, you can only get a grant once.
Subsidies for start-ups
A small business development grant is issued to existing entrepreneurs. Individuals 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 that which the unemployed can count on. But achieving such financial support is not as simple as getting a grant to open a business. A prerequisite for the provision of a subsidy is that an entrepreneur must invest in his own money in an amount not less than the amount of the grant.
Spending funds received for business development
An entrepreneur may spend money provided by the state on:
- organization and equipping of new jobs;
- purchase of fixed assets (except cars);
- purchase of licensed software;
- the acquisition of materials and raw materials - not more than 20 percent of the total grant;
- rental of premises and buildings - not more than 20 percent of the total grant.
Where to apply for a business development subsidy
Not sure where and how to get a grant? Contact the district center for small business development at the place of registration of the individual entrepreneur. There they will tell you what to do, and it is there that you will then submit documents. The chances of receiving government support will increase significantly if you decide to support priority sectors such as healthcare, construction, education, innovation, and agriculture.
The size of the grant may increase in this case. 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 as much of your own funds in the business.
