Micro-Enterprise Assistance Grant

The objective COVID-19 Micro-Enterprise Assistance Scheme is to provide a grant of a minimum of €500 to a maximum €1,000 in respect of vouched expenditure contribution towards the cost of reopening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers.

Eligibility Criteria:

This fund is open to operating businesses who self-declare that they meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Have suffered a 30% reduction in turnover due to COVID-19 restrictions or downturn in trade provided they commit to remaining open and to hiring and sustaining employment;
• Employed between 2 and 10 full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) on their payroll at the 29th February 2020; 
• Have an annual turnover of less than €2 million as per the latest set of annual accounts;
• Have a commercial focus excluding:  Businesses in the primary agricultural, fishery or aquaculture, coal and steel sectors;  Or involved in activities that the Local Enterprise Offices consider as ineligible or as involving an unacceptable reputational risk: gambling including ‘gaming’ (as defined in the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956), adult entertainment, tobacco products and cannabisbased products which are not authorised as medicines);  Non-commercial organisations such as community, charity, arts and sporting (including charity shops and community and sporting premises with a bar).
• Are not eligible for the COVID-19 Restart/Restart Plus Grant or similar COVID-19 business restart grants from other government departments. A non-exhaustive list of COVID-19 business restart grants from other government departments include the Fáilte Ireland Adaptation Fund, Department of Children and Youth Affairs Childminding Re-opening Grant, Department Employment Affairs and Social Protection Enterprise Support Grant COVID-19 support for Micro-Enterprises, The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Live Performance Support Scheme.

Eligible Expenditure:

• Adaptation and reconfiguration costs of buildings and room layouts to allow for physical distancing and safe working. Examples of eligible items include internal and external signage, queuing system materials, screens and barriers, sanitiser stations, sinks, waste disposal areas;
• COVID-19 related consumables such as personal protective equipment, sterilisation equipment, additional cleaning equipment, waste disposal equipment, paper towel dispensers;
• The grant will be based on vouched expenditure net of VAT incurred from the 14th September 2020 to the 30th November 2020;

Closing Date for applications is 13th November 2020

Apply If Eligible: Micro-Enterprise Assistance Scheme 2020