Business Grant Services: How Grants Work

Applied Support Services can assist you with:

•    Grant eligibility assessment
•    Preparing your grant application
•    Submitting your grant
•    Grant claiming and reporting


Firms often find dealing with government agencies complex and confusing.  On the other hand many of New Zealand’s most successful companies have obtained government grants to help realise their business plans. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about business grants.

 
Is my Business Eligible? 

The first step is to establish if your business is eligible for a particular grant. Most grants have rules about business eligibility. Some have restrictions on turnover or require 100% New Zealand ownership. The majority of grants require the applicant business to disclose their financial position. For example by submitting copies or summaries of financial statements, managment accounts and annual accounts. Some grants are not available to start-ups. Others restrict the types of activities that can be approved for funding. As a first step we will establish if your company is eligible to apply for the funds that interest you.

Is my Project Eligible?

Once you have established that your business is eligible to apply for a particular fund the next step is to determine if the project itself is eligible. Most grants do not support "business as usual" activities. Different grants have different eligibility criteria and approval conditions. For example, some grants require you to engage external experts to undertake the work while others require you to be developing new international markets. As a second step we will review your commercial and business plans and match your project to the most appropriate fund.

How do I Apply for a Business Grant?

Having established that your business and your project are eligible the next step is to prepare the grant application itself. Grant applications usually have set questions to let you present your business case. These questions also help the reviewers determine if your project meets their policy criteria. Grant applications draw on information from your business, product or market development plans. Your business case is expected to be supported by sound financial arguments. We use an agenda and template driven process to help  you complete your application documentation. If required we can assist you submit your grant application on-line. We can help you present your business case to the government agency who will review your application.

How are Grants Approved?

Government business grants are assessed against set criteria. Sometimes these criteria are published and sometimes they are not. Some grants are contestable and others are available "on-demand". Some grant schemes require the applicant to show they have the funds to cover 100% of the total budgeted project cost as a pre-condition of approval.  As a general rule the better your business case matches the eligibility criteria the higher your chance of approval. Some schemes use review panels of independent experts to assess applications.
 

How do I Claim my Grant?

Most grants require you to prepare a report on the outcome of your project as part of the claim. Claims are often required to be completed by a due date. This date is set by the agency that approves your grant and will form part of your contract. A claim usually requires you to present a detailed statement of the project costs. Evidence may be required including invoices, receipts and proof of payment to third party suppliers.


Our Experience

Applied Support Services has over 20 years experience assisting companies obtain government grants. For help applying for government business grants contact us.


Useful Links:

Government business grant templates.
Sources of business funding and support.
Ministry of Science and Innovation R&D grants.
MAF agricultural grants.
EECA energy grants.
Government business support.
Research and development project services.
Applied Support Services home page


More Information about Business Grants:

Find out how New Zealand government business grants work.
Small Research & Development grants.
Large Research & Development grants.
Student grants for Research and Development.
Technology Transfer Vouchers for Research & Development.
Agricultural grants.
Energy grants.
 

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