Grant Programs
Ten line items. One ledger of support.
Every application is reviewed against these focus areas. Most businesses touch more than one — a rural producer applying for capital, for example, is usually also getting help reaching new markets.
Job Creation
Grants aimed at helping small businesses survive and expand, because small economic units account for a very large share of employment globally — every job protected or created ripples outward.
Poverty Reduction
Support for establishing sustainable businesses that generate long-term household income, rather than one-time relief that ends when the aid does.
Access to Finance
Direct grant capital for viable businesses that struggle to obtain conventional bank financing — a gap that is especially wide in developing economies.
Entrepreneurship
Training, mentoring, and startup assistance that help people turn a skill or an idea into a sustainable, revenue-generating business.
Support for Underserved Entrepreneurs
Programs that specifically address the barriers faced by women, young entrepreneurs, rural businesses, people with disabilities, and other groups with limited access to business resources.
Local Economic Development
Backing for businesses whose success spreads: buying supplies locally, employing people locally, and spending money inside the community they serve.
Business Formalization
Help for informal businesses to register, set up proper bookkeeping, understand local tax obligations, and comply with regulations.
Skills & Productivity
Accounting, marketing, digital skills, management, and technical training that make an existing business stronger — productivity and market access are core levers the ILO identifies for SME support.
Economic Resilience
Support spread across many independent small businesses, so communities depend less on any single large employer or industry.
Market Access
Assistance for small producers reaching larger domestic or international markets — growth that comes from selling more, not just spending less.
How programs are structured
Grants, plus the support that makes them stick.
Capital alone can be spent quickly and lost just as fast. Where it's useful, we pair a grant with mentoring, formalization help, or skills training, so the money outlives the initial expense.
What a grant can cover
- Working capital
- Inventory, materials
- Equipment
- Tools, machinery
- Formalization costs
- Registration, licensing
- Skills training
- Staff or founder
- Market access
- Distribution, export prep
Not sure which line fits?
Apply anyway — we'll match your business to the right focus areas during review.