How to check whether a company qualifies for a grant in 2026?

To check whether a company qualifies for a grant in 2026, several basic areas need to be verified: the company's status, the investment location, the sector, the type of planned project, eligible costs, the financial situation, the history of State aid and the deadlines of current calls. The desire to obtain funding alone is not enough. The key is to match the company and the investment to a specific programme, because each grant has its own formal, substantive and financial criteria.

In practice, this means that the same company may qualify for one call but not meet the conditions of another programme. For example, a business planning to purchase machinery may be assessed differently from a company implementing digital technology, a renewable energy (RES) installation, circular economy solutions or an R&D project.

It is worth starting the eligibility assessment not with the question “are there grants for businesses?”, but with the question “does my specific project fit the current funding rules?”.

Why should a company's eligibility for a grant be checked before preparing an application?

Verifying eligibility before starting work on an application reduces the risk of preparing documentation for a call in which the company has no real chance of obtaining support. In many programmes, basic conditions are checked as early as the formal assessment stage, such as SME status, the project location, the consistency of the business activity with the call rules, the absence of exclusions, the investment start date and the correctness of the planned expenditure.

If any of these conditions is not met, even a well-described project may be rejected. For this reason, the eligibility analysis should precede the preparation of the budget, the schedule and the full grant application.

Verification is particularly important in 2026, as many programmes are targeted at specific groups of recipients: micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, companies from specific voivodeships, entities from Eastern Poland, enterprises implementing innovations, and companies investing in energy efficiency, digital transformation or the circular economy.

Step 1: check the company's status

One of the first elements of the assessment is determining whether the company is a micro, small, medium-sized or large enterprise. This is important because many grants are intended exclusively for the SME sector.

The company's status is determined on the basis of data on employment, turnover, balance sheet total and capital and personal links. It is therefore not enough to check the number of employees in the company itself. In some cases, partner and linked enterprises must also be taken into account.

The thresholds are set out in Annex I to Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014:

Official explanations of the SME definition can be found on the PARP website: PARP SME definition.

Why is SME status so important?

SME status affects the ability to take part in a call, the level of funding, the State aid intensity and the scope of the required documents. In some programmes, micro and small companies may receive a higher percentage of funding than medium-sized enterprises. In other calls, large companies may be completely excluded or admitted only for certain types of projects.

It is a mistake to assume that, because a company is “small” in the everyday sense, it automatically qualifies as a small enterprise. The assessment should be based on financial data, employment and the ownership structure.

Step 2: verify the company's location and the project location

The second important element is location. In grants, what counts is not only the company's registered office, but often also the place where the investment is carried out. A company registered in one voivodeship may be planning a project in another region. In such a case, you need to check which location is taken into account in the specific call.

Location matters especially in regional programmes and in programmes intended for specific areas of the country. Examples include instruments for Eastern Poland, voivodeship programmes, Local Action Groups (LGD) or calls dependent on the place of business.

Before choosing a programme, you should answer the following questions:

• where does the company have its registered office?
• where is the branch or plant to which the project relates located?
• where will the purchased machinery, equipment or fixed assets be used?
• will the investment be carried out in a voivodeship covered by the call?
• do the call rules require business to be conducted in a given area for a specified period?
• does the company have legal title to the property in which the project will be carried out?

In the case of construction, energy or production investments, location may be of additional importance due to permits, grid connection conditions, environmental documents or the right to use the property.

Step 3: assess whether the company's sector is not excluded

Not every business activity can receive support under every programme. Some calls contain sectoral exclusions arising from State aid rules, programme rules or the objectives of the intervention.

Before starting work on the application, you should check:

• the PKD code of the main and additional activities,
• the actual scope of the business activity,
• sectors excluded in the call rules,
• restrictions concerning de minimis aid,
• restrictions concerning regional, environmental or investment aid,
• whether the project concerns eligible activity rather than a secondary activity.

Having the right PKD code alone is not always sufficient. The assessing institution may analyse whether the project actually concerns the activity covered by the support. If the company conducts several types of activity, it must clearly indicate which part of the business the investment concerns.

Step 4: match the type of project to the programme objective

The most common mistake when looking for a grant is matching the programme solely to the planned purchase. Yet institutions do not finance the mere “purchase of a machine”, “purchase of a car” or “renovation of premises” in isolation from the project objective. The expenditure must result from a broader business rationale and fit the objective of the call.

In 2026, companies can seek financing for, among other things:

• production investments,
• implementation of innovations,
• digitalisation and automation of processes,
• research and development work,
• energy efficiency,
• renewable energy sources,
• the circular economy,
• foreign expansion,
• training and skills development,
• purchase of machinery, equipment and furnishings,
• development of new products or services.

Each of these areas may be financed from a different instrument. For example, a project involving the implementation of a new technology may require innovativeness to be demonstrated, while an energy project may require an energy audit, a calculation of energy savings or confirmation of the environmental effect.

Step 5: check whether the planned costs can be eligible

The next stage is the cost analysis. An eligible cost is an expense that can be covered by funding in accordance with the call rules. Not every expense the company needs will automatically be eligible.

For example, in one programme the purchase of a production machine may be eligible, but not the purchase of a car. In another, financing software may be possible, but only if it is directly related to the project objective. In yet another programme, construction works may be permitted, but only to a limited extent.

When assessing costs, you should check:

• whether the expense is listed as eligible in the call documentation,
• whether it is necessary for the implementation of the project,
• whether its price is reasonable,
• whether it will be incurred within the appropriate period,
• whether it was not started before the date permitted in the programme,
• whether it will be properly documented,
• whether it falls within the percentage or amount limits,
• whether VAT is eligible or ineligible,
• whether the expense will be used in the activity covered by the project.

In practice, the purchase itself is not a sufficient argument. The application must show that the expenditure leads to a specific result: an increase in production capacity, improved efficiency, the launch of a new service, reduced energy consumption, less waste, process automation or entry into a new market.

Step 6: assess the company's financial situation

A grant is not just a reward for a good idea. The assessing institution also checks whether the company is able to implement the project, finance its own contribution, maintain liquidity and bear the costs until reimbursement.

Depending on the programme, the following may be analysed:

• the company's revenues,
• the financial result,
• debt,
• financial liquidity,
• the history of the business,
• arrears in public-law liabilities,
• the ability to provide the own contribution,
• the possibility of bridge financing,
• the risk of losing liquidity during project implementation.

In many grants, funding is paid out after the expenditure has been incurred or in tranches. This means that the company must have its own funds, a bank loan, a loan or another form of bridge financing. The lack of a realistic source of own contribution may weaken the project assessment, even if the investment idea itself is sound.

Step 7: check State aid and de minimis aid

Before submitting the application, you should check what State aid the company has previously received. This applies in particular to de minimis aid, regional investment aid, environmental protection aid, training aid and aid for advisory services.

In practice, the company should prepare:

• de minimis aid certificates,
• information on State aid received for the same costs,
• data on previous grants, preferential loans and tax reliefs,
• information on projects implemented with public funds,
• data on linked entities, if relevant to the aid limits.

This stage is important because exceeding the aid limit or financing the same costs from several sources may lead to the expenditure being deemed ineligible. In extreme cases, this may result in an obligation to repay part of the funds. Information on the rules for granting State aid is published by UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection).

Step 8: verify the call deadline and the investment start date

A company may meet the programme conditions and still not obtain a grant if the project was started too early or the application is submitted after the deadline. That is why the schedule is one of the key elements of the eligibility assessment.

Before starting the investment, you need to check:

• when the call opens and closes,
• whether the call documentation has already been published,
• from when expenditure may be incurred,
• whether signing a contract with a contractor before submitting the application is permitted,
• whether procurement can start before the funding decision,
• what the latest permitted project completion date is,
• when the project indicators must be achieved.

In many programmes, starting the project too early may rule out the possibility of financing. This applies in particular to investment projects subject to the incentive effect principle, where State aid is meant to encourage the investment to be carried out, not to reimburse an undertaking that has already started.

Step 9: check the assessment criteria, not just the formal conditions

Meeting the formal conditions means that the company can submit an application. However, it does not mean that the project has a high chance of obtaining funding. In competitive calls, the substantive score also counts.

Depending on the programme, the following may be assessed:

• project innovativeness,
• impact on the company's competitiveness,
• realism of the financial assumptions,
• readiness to carry out the investment,
• environmental effects,
• social effects,
• durability of results,
• quality of the business rationale,
• reasonableness of the budget,
• the applicant's experience,
• consistency of the project with the programme strategy.

It is therefore worth distinguishing between two concepts: eligibility and whether it is worthwhile to submit an application. A company may qualify formally, but the project may score too low to compete realistically with other applicants. A professional analysis should cover both levels.

What documents should be prepared for a preliminary eligibility assessment?

A full business plan is not always necessary for a preliminary assessment. However, it is worth gathering a set of data that allows a quick assessment of whether the company and the project fit the current calls.

The minimum scope of information includes:

• data on employment, turnover and balance sheet total,
• information on linked and partner enterprises,
• the location of the registered office and the project site,
• a description of the company's business,
• PKD codes,
• a short description of the planned project,
• a list of planned expenditure,
• estimated net and gross value of the investment,
• the planned implementation date,
• the source of the own contribution,
• information on de minimis aid,
• information on previous grants,
• the expected project results,
• technical documents, if the project requires them.

The more specific the project description, the easier the assessment. A general statement such as “I want a grant to grow my business” is insufficient. A better starting point is a description of what the company wants to buy, why, where it will be used, what business problem the investment solves and what results will be achieved.

Where to check available grants for a company in 2026?

Available grants can be checked in several places. The primary source is the official websites of public institutions and call schedules. However, the information is scattered: some calls are nationwide, some regional and some sectoral.

In practice, it is worth using several sources at the same time:

• the European Funds Portal and official calls,
• the websites of institutions such as PARP, BGK, NCBR, ARiMR, NFZ or the Marshal's Offices,
• schedules of regional programmes,
• Local Action Groups (LGD),
• sector-specific programmes,
• specialist databases and tools for monitoring grants.

Current calls from all over Poland and international EU calls can be checked in the free grant search engine with an AI Assistant, and guidance materials can be found in the Knowledge base.

Individual assessment of the eligibility of the company and the project is covered by the funding analysis and selection service. The full scope of support is described in grant advisory services.

If you need support in assessing your chances of obtaining funding, please get in touch.Contact an expert