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What website design grants are available in Ireland?

A professional website is an essential investment to help you attract clients and customers from around the world. For start-up companies, or businesses that don’t have the money to put into a new website, the idea of spending a few thousand euro can be anxiety-inducing.

We’re incredibly lucky to live in a country that believes in investing in small local businesses. There are two incredibly helpful grants available to help with the cost of a website: the Local Enterprise Office – Online Trading Voucher and the Social Welfare Technical Assistance and Training (TAT).

With these grants, you can get up to €2,500, or 50% of the costs, towards developing a website. We’ve been working with the LEO for many years to aid local businesses avail of these grants.

LEO - Online Trading Voucher

Many Local Enterprise Offices in Ireland are rewarding qualifying businesses in their area with this sort of grant.

If you’re awarded the grant, you’ll be able to receive up to €2,500 off the total cost of your website.

The objective of these grants is to maximise the online potential of Irish micro-businesses (businesses with 10 or fewer employees).

Where do you start?

Give us a call and we’ll run through the qualification questions with you.

Get in touch with your LEO and tell them you’d like to apply:

You’ll be asked to attend a brief session outlining how to trade online.

There’s a small form to fill out and submit to the LEO and they’ll be in touch with you to let you know if you’re successful within a few weeks.

Once you’ve been approved, you can get started on your website!

Who can apply?

The online trading voucher is open to all businesses with ten or fewer employees that intend to trade online.

You must be located and operate within the area of the Enterprise Office. You must have less than €2m in turnover and be trading for at least 6 months to qualify.

Application process

Before the application process begins you’ll need to attend an information seminar organised by your own Local Enterprise Office

You can then complete your application form which will need to be submitted to your LEO along with three different quotes for the development of the website.

You must also provide them with a reason as to why you’ve decided to go with the web designer you’ve chosen.

How is the grant paid out?

The grant will be paid once the following conditions are complied with:

 

  • The website is live
  • Original invoices are submitted at the time of claim
  • Proof of payment is provided, which must be in the form of an original bank statement or an online statement that has been stamped by the bank
  • The home page of the website acknowledges the source of funding and is accredited in a prominent position. It should include the European Union logo and your Local Enterprise Office logo
  • The grant must be drawn and fully paid before the completion date as detailed in the Letter of Offer

What the vouchers can
be used for

  • It consultation
  • Development or upgrade of an e-commerce website
  • Implementing Online payments or booking system
  • Purchase of Internet related software
  • Purchase of online advertising (this purchase cannot make up any more than 30% of approved Voucher costs and can only be drawn down in one payment phase)
  • Developing an app (or multiplatform webpages)
  • Implementing a digital marketing strategy i.e. Social media marketing
  • Consultation with ICT experts for early stage adopters of online strategy
  • Training/skills development specifically to establish and manage an on-line trading activity

Technical Assistance and Training (TAT)

These grants are designed to help people who are under a Short-Term Back to Work Enterprise Allowance. This allows them to have certain costs taken care of when starting a business.

You do not have an automatic entitlement to TAT. The assistance awarded from this sort of fund must be approved by the jobs facilitator in your local social welfare office.

Payments from the fund must be made directly to the provider of the service aka, your website developer.

Your local jobs facilitator or enterprise officer can give you more information on sources of help and funding.

If you’d like to learn more about the grants that are available to you and your business, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We’re always happy to help.

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