What funding can you tap into in the Boulonnais?

Funder

CA du Boulonnais

Number of grants recorded

11 grants in the Capital OS database

Verification status

Partial review: current institutional sources consulted; the regulation and current availability of each grant must be confirmed with the business support department.

Support combining advice, business location and funding

CAB states that it works with partners such as CCI Littoral Hauts-de-France, the Chamber of Trades, BGE Littoral Opale and Pas-de-Calais Actif to support founders. It also has host structures such as Créamanche and Haliocap. For development or location projects, the business support department can direct applicants to the relevant schemes and process grant applications.

The main families of grants recorded

The catalogue combines start-up/takeover schemes, location schemes, property investment schemes, financial consolidation schemes and support for large companies, as well as several grants dedicated to the emergence or creation of social and solidarity economy structures. These instruments may take the form of a grant, a repayable advance or rent-related support; the conditions differ significantly.

The 11 grants in the Capital OS catalogue

The names, caps and criteria below are taken from the internal database. They should not be interpreted as confirmation that a scheme is currently open. The local authority must confirm the regulatory framework currently applicable, European State aid rules, available funding and compatibility with regional funding.

Grant for SME development

ID 9235 — Amount / form per the database: Grant or repayable advance, the amount of which will be set based on the sector and the amount invested.

Purpose

To help SMEs get through a crucial stage of their development by meeting their need for stable resources to finance their investment projects.

Eligible expenses

A project enabling the business to reach a new stage: creating a new product, winning new markets, international development, etc. Eligible expenses:

Cost of new productive investments (tangible investments); Cost of fit-out work needed to install production equipment; Cost of intangible investments directly linked to the creation project (patents, software, ERP systems, consulting fees, website, crowdfunding services, participation in trade fairs, etc.); Estimated payroll costs for jobs directly created by the investment project; payroll costs not directly linked to the investment project but justified by a clearly characterised local benefit, all calculated over a two-year period; Working capital requirement.

Beneficiaries / conditions

SMEs:

with at least one year of activity (at least 1 financial year); registered with the RCS (Trade and Companies Register) and/or the RM (Trades Directory).

Priority is given to the industry sector and high-value-added services. Non-eligible sectors:

Trade and commerce; Regulated or similar professions; Financial and real estate activities; Training organisations; Primary agricultural sector; Primary fishing and aquaculture sector; Primary forestry sector; Road freight transport.

Grant for micro-business (TPE) development

ID 9234 — Amount / form per the database: Development and investment projects: grant or repayable advance, capped at €100,000; Apprenticeship recruitment projects: grant of up to €500 for hiring a minor and up to €1,500 for hiring an adult.

Purpose

To increase business competitiveness and boost employment by:

Supporting craft, retail and service businesses in their development projects located in urban and rural areas; Encouraging growth investments; Promoting job creation in the area; Helping micro-businesses (TPE) get through a crucial stage of their development by meeting their need for stable resources to finance their investment projects; Encouraging the recruitment of apprentices.

Eligible expenses

Development and investment projects: projects that form part of an overall development strategy, enabling the business to reach a new stage and/or move into a continuous improvement approach. Particular attention will be given to business digitalisation projects; Apprenticeship recruitment projects: an apprenticeship contract with an apprentice primarily living in the Boulonnais area.

Eligible expenses:

Beneficiaries / conditions

Micro-businesses (TPE):

with a headcount of fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees; with consolidated turnover of less than €1 million; having closed a first financial year; registered with the Trade and Companies Register and/or the Trades Directory.

Priority is given to craft, retail and service micro-businesses. Non-eligible sectors:

Regulated or similar professions; Financial and real estate activities; Training organisations; Primary agricultural sector; Primary fishing and aquaculture sector; Road freight transport; Design/engineering consultancies.

Grant for the development of social and solidarity economy businesses

ID 9237 — Amount / form per the database: Grant made up of:

a fixed portion of up to €7,000 if the project meets the eligibility criteria; a variable portion of €3,000 if the project meets bonus criteria (for example, the activity created falls within a job "niche").

Businesses cannot receive direct aid under other intervention frameworks of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais for as long as they benefit from this scheme.

Purpose

To enable the creation of a new job-creating economic activity and to facilitate access to other types of funding.

Eligible expenses

Projects forming part of an overall development strategy, enabling the business to reach a new stage: developing a new product, winning new markets, developing activities, etc. Eligible expenses:

recruiting a manager, a developer, a professional with specific skills (engineer, analyst, etc.), an assistant to the business owner, or signing an internship agreement with a post-secondary student; funding an outsourced study to help structure a strategic development project within an existing business (carrying out a market study).

Beneficiaries / conditions

Capital companies (SARL, SA, SAS, etc.) that have obtained ESUS (Solidarity-based Social Utility Enterprise) accreditation; Cooperative businesses; Associations with an economic activity; Structures for integration through economic activity, including Integration Workshops and Projects (ACI); Employer groups and employer groups for integration and skills development.

Not eligible:

Businesses in difficulty; Businesses that do not respect SSE principles (co-construction, shared governance, limited profit-making, local roots, etc.); Sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the regulation or by European aid schemes.

Grant for the development of large companies

ID 9236 — Amount / form per the database: Grant, the amount of which will be set based on the project. Businesses cannot receive direct aid under other intervention frameworks of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais for as long as they benefit from this scheme.

Purpose

To help large companies get through a crucial stage in their development or economic evolution, and to facilitate investment decisions within the territory of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais by national and international groups.

Eligible expenses

Projects forming part of an overall development strategy and enabling the business to reach a new stage: setting up a new establishment for a new activity, developing a new product, winning new markets, international growth, etc.

Beneficiaries / conditions

Large companies or groups already established in the Hauts-de-France region and creating a new establishment within the territory of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais. Excluded sectors:

Regulated or similar professions; Financial activities; Training organisation; Primary agricultural sector; Primary fishing and aquaculture sector; Road freight transport; Sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the regulation or by European aid schemes.

Grant for business location

ID 9238 — Amount / form per the database: Grant, the amount of which will be set based on the project. Businesses cannot receive direct aid under other intervention frameworks of the CAB for as long as they benefit from this scheme.

Purpose

To encourage, within the territory of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais, the decision to locate strategic, geographically mobile, job-creating business projects.

Eligible expenses

Projects for which the incentive effect and financial leverage of the aid are demonstrated. Eligible expenses:

Cost of new productive investments (tangible investments); Cost of fit-out work needed to install production equipment; Cost of intangible investments directly linked to the development project (patents, software, ERP systems, consulting fees, etc.); Estimated payroll costs for jobs directly created by the investment project, calculated over a two-year period; Staff costs (researchers, technicians, trainers and other support staff where employed for the project); Working capital requirement.

Beneficiaries / conditions

SMEs, large companies and groups, not yet established or creating a new site/establishment within the territory of the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais. Excluded sectors:

Regulated or similar professions; Retail trade; Financial and real estate activities; Training organisation; Primary agricultural, fishing and aquaculture sectors; Road freight transport; Sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the aid schemes.

Grant for the emergence of social and solidarity economy businesses

ID 9232 — Amount / form per the database: Grant made up of:

a fixed portion of up to €3,500 if the project meets the eligibility criteria; a variable portion of €1,500 if the project meets bonus criteria (for example, the activity created falls within a job "niche").

Purpose

To enable a social and solidarity business to carry out, under the best conditions, the design and testing of its project to create a new, potentially job-creating economic activity, and also to enable project leads to acquire and apply the technical resources and methodology needed to build an economically viable project.

Eligible expenses

Creation of a new, potentially job-creating economic activity. Eligible expense: an expert service aimed at structuring the financial, legal and/or commercial side of the project, with clear deliverables.

Beneficiaries / conditions

Capital companies (SARL, SA, SAS, etc.) that have obtained ESUS (Solidarity-based Social Utility Enterprise) accreditation; Cooperative businesses; Associations with an economic activity; Structures for integration through economic activity, including Integration Workshops and Projects (ACI).

Not eligible:

Businesses in difficulty; Businesses that do not respect SSE principles (co-construction, shared governance, limited profit-making, local roots, etc.); Sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the aid schemes.

Grant for financial consolidation

ID 9241 — Amount / form per the database: Repayable advance capped at €100,000. The rate is calculated on the basis of the 3-month Euribor rate plus 100 basis points, with a floor of 0% at the time the aid is requested; the rate of the repayable advance will be set based on the business's project, its repayment capacity and the other funding sources mobilised. A capital repayment deferral of up to 2 years may be granted according to need and will be the subject of a specific request from the business. The loan term including the deferral will not exceed 7 years.

Purpose

To support, together with the Region, businesses facing temporary financial difficulties so that they can implement their economic turnaround strategy and ensure their long-term viability.

Eligible expenses

Redeployment projects that help preserve the maximum number of jobs. Eligible expenses:

working capital requirement; tangible investments (excluding property); intangible investments (patents, software, ERP systems, etc.) linked to the redeployment plan.

Beneficiaries / conditions

SMEs with more than 25 employees and large companies:

primarily belonging to the industry sector and/or a business that is structurally important to its sector of activity; registered with the RCS (Trade and Companies Register); with at least 3 financial years of accounts, except in the case of a takeover.

Not eligible:

Regulated or similar professions; Financial and real estate activities; Primary agricultural sector (production); Primary fishing and aquaculture sector; Sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the regulation or by European aid schemes.

Grant for the creation of social and solidarity economy businesses

ID 9233 — Amount / form per the database: Grant made up of:

Purpose

To provide financial support for projects creating job-generating economic structures and to facilitate their access to other funding.

Eligible expenses

An expert service aimed at structuring the financial, legal and/or commercial side of the project, with clear deliverables (50% of the financial support); Operating aid (50% of the financial support).

Beneficiaries / conditions

Capital companies (SARL, SA, SAS, etc.) that have obtained ESUS (Solidarity-based Social Utility Enterprise) accreditation; Cooperative businesses; Associations with an economic activity; Structures for integration through economic activity, including Integration Workshops and Projects (ACI); Employer groups and employer groups for integration and skills development.

Excluded:

businesses in difficulty; businesses that do not respect SSE principles (co-construction, shared governance, limited profit-making, local roots, etc.); sectors of activity or categories of aid excluded by the aid schemes.

Grant for business creation/takeover

ID 9231 — Amount / form per the database: The aid can take 2 forms:

Grant of at least €15,000 (€5,000 per job created); Repayable advance at a 0% rate plus the average European interbank interest rate (3-month Euribor), over a 7-year term with a 24-month deferral.

Purpose

To provide financial support for the creation/takeover of promising, job-creating economic activities and to facilitate their access to other funding.

Eligible expenses

Priority is given to business creations accompanied by investments and the creation of permanent jobs (assessed over 3 years), and more specifically to:

the cost of production, office and IT equipment investments (excluding leasing and similar financing arrangements); fit-out expenses needed to install production equipment; the cost of intangible investments (excluding salaries): recruitment costs, significant outsourced services with clear deliverables (website, patent filings, crowdfunding services, etc.); full-time permanent contracts (CDI) and part-time permanent contracts of at least 50% FTE.

Beneficiaries / conditions

Businesses (SARL, SA, SAS, etc.):

in the creation or takeover phase; in any sector of activity; located within the territory of the Communauté d'Agglomération du Boulonnais; supported by the Hauts-de-France Region under its scheme; whose capital is not held at 50% or more by one or more other companies.

Priority is given to:

industrial businesses (with a production line); high-value-added service providers; innovative businesses holding JEI (Young Innovative Company) status or supported by a structure specialised in supporting and/or funding innovative businesses, followed under specific innovation schemes (BPI innovation, LMI Innovation, Réseau Entreprendre's Innotech Programme, Finovam, etc.) and interventions by the Regional Innovation Fund for Incubators.

Not eligible:

Trade and commerce; Regulated or similar professions; Financial and real estate activities; Training organisations; Agricultural sector (primary production); Fishing and aquaculture sector; Road freight transport.

Grant for commercial property rental

ID 9240 — Amount / form per the database: The aid takes the form of a rent reduction through payment of a grant, within the limit of:

€200,000 in de minimis aid over 3 financial years; €100,000 for transport businesses.

Purpose

To support businesses in their development efforts. To encourage the lasting establishment of businesses by supporting their property investment, which creates lasting jobs.

Eligible expenses

The amount of the rental aid cannot exceed a percentage of the rent amount corresponding to the market value of the rented property, within the limit, depending on the zone where the rented property is located, of the aid rates authorised by the aid scheme covered by this intervention framework.

Beneficiaries / conditions

Businesses located in a regional development zone for an initial investment in a new economic activity (a project to create or expand economic activities). Excluded sectors:

steel; coal; shipbuilding; synthetic fibres; transport; energy production and distribution.

Grants for business property

ID 9239 — Amount / form per the database: AFR zone: grant representing up to 10% of eligible expenses for large companies, up to 20% for SMEs and up to 30% for micro-businesses (TPE), capped at €500,000; Outside the AFR zone: grant representing up to 20% of eligible costs for micro-businesses (TPE) and up to 10% for medium-sized companies, capped at €500,000.

Businesses cannot receive direct aid under other intervention frameworks of the CAB for as long as they benefit from this scheme.

Eligible expenses

Costs of investments in tangible assets (land and buildings) and intangible assets; Payroll costs over 2 years; Costs linked to the acquisition of new assets (except where acquired by an SME or in the case of the acquisition of existing establishments).

Beneficiaries / conditions

Businesses located in a regional development zone for an initial investment in a new, job-creating economic activity; SMEs outside a regional development zone for a project to create an establishment, expand an existing establishment, diversify an establishment's production into new additional products, or fundamentally change the entire production process of an existing establishment.

Excluded sectors:

steel; coal; shipbuilding; synthetic fibres; transport; energy production and distribution; Regulated or similar professions; Trade and commerce; Financial activities; Training organisation; Primary agricultural sector; Primary fishing and aquaculture sector; Road freight transport.

How do you prepare an application?

Define the project and its impact on the area

Specify the stage of the project, the investments, the jobs created or retained, the timeline and the expected benefits for the area.

Contact the business support department before getting started

The CAB supports development and location projects, directs applicants to suitable schemes and processes applications. Check whether a request must necessarily be made before the project starts.

Check co-funding and exclusions

Some frameworks exclude combining the aid with other direct aid from the CAB for the duration of the support; others require the Region to be involved or target specific sectors and company sizes.

Prepare your supporting documents

Gather quotes, the financing plan, employment forecasts, accounts and tax/social security certificates, as well as any specific documents required by the applicable regulation.

Focus on the social and solidarity economy

The CAB describes support for the SSE at various stages, with attention paid to projects that are useful to the area and create jobs that cannot be relocated. Its 2026 call for projects "Économie de proximité, sociale et solidaire" (Proximity, social and solidarity economy) offered aid of up to €8,000, within the limit of 80% of the overall cost; however, the announced deadline was 21 August 2026. As of 13 October 2026, this round has therefore closed, unless a new period is announced later.

Frequently asked questions

Does the CAB support business founders?

Yes. It presents several support partnerships and business incubators, including Créamanche and Haliocap.

Are the grants in the catalogue automatically open?

No. The information in the database is not sufficient to establish that a given line is currently open. The relevant department must confirm the regulation in force and the availability of funding.

Can several CAB grants be combined?

Some entries in the database exclude other direct CAB grants for the duration of the scheme. The exact rule must be confirmed for each framework.

Is the 2026 SSE call for projects still open?

The official page states an application deadline of 21 August 2026. This round has passed; check whether a new call has been published.

Sources and limitations

The institutional pages consulted describe business start-up support partnerships, SSE policy and a 2026 call for projects. The detailed financial entries in the internal database must be checked against the resolutions and regulations in force. The general public page alone does not confirm the conditions or the current availability of each of the eleven schemes.

Official sources

• Business creation — Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais
• Social and solidarity economy — Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais
• 2026 call for projects — SSE and proximity economy — Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais
• Economic action programme — SME development grant fact sheet (2018) — Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais