Funding your business with Département 59 - Nord

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SEO title: Funding your project with the Département du Nord's grants and schemes Meta description: Identify the Département du Nord's schemes for inclusion, employment and territorial projects, and distinguish them from the honour loans offered by the local Initiative networks. Slug: /financeurs/departement-59-nord

Introduction

The Département du Nord is notably involved in inclusion and return to employment, support for RSA recipients, assistance to local authorities and certain territorial projects. These pages correspond to territorial funding and support operators — notably the Initiative networks and Réseau Entreprendre — and should not be presented as grants paid directly by the Département. This guide therefore distinguishes departmental schemes from the private/non-profit funding listed in the catalogue's relationships.

What the Département actually funds

The Département du Nord's institutional pages highlight inclusion, return to employment, support for RSA recipients and partnerships with employers. The Activ'emploi scheme can help certain RSA recipients who have found a job or training to fund travel for work, childcare or professional equipment. The Département also works with businesses through its Services territoriaux de relations aux entreprises and the Maisons Nord Emploi to facilitate recruitment and connect employers with candidates. These inclusion schemes are not general business investment grants: the access conditions depend on the target group, the project and the service concerned. Source: official “Insertion, retour à l'emploi” page.

Support for local authorities and territorial projects

The Département supports municipalities and intercommunalities in territorial development projects through financial, technical and engineering support. The Projets Territoriaux Structurants and Aide départementale aux villages et bourgs programmes are aimed at local authorities, not at a private business seeking an operating grant. The iNord agency can help member local authorities identify public funding and put together and review applications. For a business, the right entry point therefore depends on the nature of the project: employment/inclusion, a project led by a local authority, start-up/takeover funding, or regional/intercommunal support.

The seven funding pages linked to the Département in the catalogue

The reference associates seven honour loans with this funder. This is an anomaly or a linking relationship that needs re-examining: the titles point to distinct local networks (Douaisis Initiative, Initiative Cambrésis, Initiative Flandre Intérieure, Initiative Lille Métropole Sud, Initiative Sambre Avesnois and Réseau Entreprendre Nord). An honour loan is generally granted on a personal basis to the project leader, with no interest or personal guarantee, and is often intended to strengthen the founder/buyer's own contribution to make it easier to secure a bank loan. The amounts, per-job caps, durations and criteria differ depending on the network and programme. They are not amounts granted by the Département du Nord.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Douaisis Initiative Création honour loan

Grant ID: 3266 Purpose: Support business start-ups in the Douaisis area through an honour loan. Funding type stated: Honour loan, with no interest or guarantee, of an amount between €2,500 and €50,000, limited to - twice the amount of own funds; - €5,000 per job created or maintained for 3 years, - repayable over 5 years. Repayment period: - if the loan is below €25,000: 3 years maximum, with a possible 6-month deferral, - if the loan is above €25,000: 5 years maximum, with a possible 6-month deferral. Beneficiaries stated: Businesses:

• created or taken over less than 3 years ago,
• in all business sectors,
• of all legal structures (except 1901-law associations),
• whose registered office and jobs are located in the Douaisis employment area. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Douaisis Initiative Premier développement honour loan

Grant ID: 3267 Purpose: Support the first stage of business growth in the Douaisis area through an honour loan. Funding type stated: Honour loan, with no interest or guarantee, of an amount between €5,000 and €50,000, repayable over a maximum of 5 years and limited to: - half of the financing needs over 3 years; - €5,000 per job created or maintained for 3 years. Beneficiaries stated: - Businesses created or taken over less than 5 years ago; - Businesses that have received a first honour loan that is still being repaid or has been fully repaid. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Initiative Cambrésis honour loan

Grant ID: 2106 Purpose: Make business start-up accessible to as many people as possible through suitable financing (the zero-interest honour loan) and free, long-term support. Support from the local associations of the Initiative France network secures business projects: 90% of businesses supported get past the 3-year mark (vs. 70% on average). Funding type stated: Honour loan with no interest or guarantee, granted on a personal basis. It is generally for an amount between €5,000 and €30,000, repayable over a period of 3 to 5 years. The honour loan is always paired with a bank loan: for every €1 of Initiative honour loan, an Initiative entrepreneur obtains €9.50 of bank loan on average. The support provided before the honour loan is granted allows the entrepreneur to assess the full extent of their financing needs. Beneficiaries stated: Leaders of business start-up or takeover projects in all sectors, regardless of age, background or financial capacity. Excluded business sectors: financial intermediation and real estate services. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Initiative Flandre Intérieure honour loan

Grant ID: 7700 Purpose: Make business start-up accessible to as many people as possible through suitable financing (the zero-interest honour loan) and free, long-term support. Support from the local associations of the Initiative France network secures business projects: 90% of businesses supported get past the 3-year mark (vs. 70% on average). Funding type stated: Honour loan with no interest or guarantee, granted on a personal basis. It is generally for an amount between €5,000 and €30,000, repayable over a period of 3 to 5 years. The honour loan is always paired with a bank loan: for every €1 of Initiative honour loan, an Initiative entrepreneur obtains €9.50 of bank loan on average. The support provided before the honour loan is granted allows the entrepreneur to assess the full extent of their financing needs. Beneficiaries stated: Leaders of business start-up or takeover projects in all sectors, regardless of age, background or financial capacity. Excluded business sectors: financial intermediation and real estate services. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Initiative Lille Métropole Sud honour loan

Grant ID: 2099 Purpose: Make business start-up accessible to a wide range of people through suitable financing: the “0%” honour loan, a free loan with no guarantees or interest. This scheme strengthens the project leader's own funds and provides genuine recognition through its award process. The support offered by the association is entirely free for the beneficiary. In addition, support from the local associations of the Initiative France network secures entrepreneurial projects, with a three-year survival rate of 90%, compared with 70% on average. Funding type stated: Honour loan with no interest or guarantee, granted on a personal basis. It is generally for an amount between €3,000 and €30,000, repayable over a period of 3 to 5 years with a 3-month repayment deferral. The honour loan is always paired with a bank loan: for every €1 of Initiative honour loan, an Initiative entrepreneur obtains €8 of bank loan on average. Beneficiaries stated: Leaders of business start-up or takeover projects with no restriction on age or background. The beneficiary must, at the very least, create their own job through their entrepreneurial project. Excluded business sectors:

financial intermediation and real estate services; street vending in markets. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Initiative Sambre Avesnois honour loan

Grant ID: 2102 Purpose: Make business start-up accessible to as many people as possible through suitable financing (the zero-interest honour loan) and free, long-term support. Support from the local associations of the Initiative France network secures business projects: 90% of businesses supported get past the 3-year mark (vs. 70% on average). Funding type stated: Honour loan with no interest or guarantee, granted on a personal basis. It is generally for an amount between €5,000 and €30,000, repayable over a period of 3 to 5 years. The honour loan is always paired with a bank loan: for every €1 of Initiative honour loan, an Initiative entrepreneur obtains €9.50 of bank loan on average. The support provided before the honour loan is granted allows the entrepreneur to assess the full extent of their financing needs. Beneficiaries stated: Leaders of business start-up or takeover projects in all sectors, regardless of age, background or financial capacity. Excluded business sectors: financial intermediation and real estate services. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

Catalogue page to reconcile — Réseau Entreprendre Nord honour loan

Grant ID: 2568 Purpose: Help entrepreneurs (founders / buyers / developers) of future job-creating SMEs with strong growth potential emerge and succeed, through: - the award of an honour loan intended to strengthen the founder's own funds and facilitate access to bank loans; - personalised support for the entrepreneur over 3 years, provided by business leaders who are members of the Réseau Entreprendre® Nord association; - collective training in the job of running a business over 3 years, offered each month by volunteer business leaders as part of a 'Club de Lauréats', which allows the entrepreneur to discuss their successes and difficulties with other new business leaders and break out of isolation. Funding type stated: Honour loan with no interest or guarantee, granted on a personal basis, of an amount between €15,000 and €70,000 (up to €100,000 for innovative projects) and repayable over 5 years. Beneficiaries stated: Leaders of business start-up projects with strong growth potential: - who ultimately aim to create a significant number of jobs (at least 5 to 10 jobs over 5 years); - whose financing needs are equivalent to those of a future SME (minimum €70,000). Leaders of business takeover projects with a minimum headcount at the time of the takeover of 10 full-time permanent equivalent employees. In the case of a court-ordered takeover, only an asset takeover with the creation of a new company will be eligible; a takeover through continuation of activity is to be avoided.

Leaders of business development projects: - with revenue of €500,000; - with a headcount of at least 5 full-time permanent equivalent employees; - at least two sets of accounts; - aiming for significant (x2) growth in revenue and headcount. Franchisees are excluded, except in exceptional cases where: - review of the franchise agreement reveals genuine independence from the franchisor; - support proves relevant. Current link in the reference: Département 59 - Nord (funder ID 535). Data quality alert: the title refers to a distinct honour loan operator. Do not present this page as a direct departmental grant without proof of a partnership or distribution mandate. Check the operator, the area, the rules, the criteria and the financial link.

How to direct a project

For a hire or return to employment, contact the Maisons Nord Emploi or the relevant departmental service and check eligibility for the Activ'emploi scheme. For an investment project led by a municipality or intercommunality, look at the territorial schemes and, if the local authority is a member, iNord's financial engineering offering. For a business start-up or takeover, contact the Initiative network or Réseau Entreprendre corresponding to the project's location directly; the approval committee, personal contributions, the financing plan and the expected job creation can be decisive.

Precautions before applying

Check who actually awards the grant, who receives the funds and who signs off on the decision. Being linked in a catalogue is not enough to establish that the Département is the legal funder or manager of the scheme. For honour loans, confirm the amounts, the repayment terms, the requirements for a complementary bank loan and the approval criteria with the operator. For inclusion grants, check the beneficiary's status and the nature of the expenses covered. For territorial schemes, confirm that the project leader is indeed an eligible local authority.

FAQ

Does the Département du Nord grant the seven honour loans listed? The titles in the catalogue refer to distinct funding networks. The link needs to be checked and corrected before presenting them as departmental grants. Which departmental grants might interest businesses? Mainly the inclusion and return-to-employment schemes for eligible groups, as well as recruitment support; some territorial grants are aimed at local authorities. Can a business apply for the departmental grant for villages and small towns? These schemes are intended for municipalities and intercommunalities, not for private businesses acting alone. Who should I contact for an honour loan? The Initiative network or Réseau Entreprendre covering the business's area, checking the conditions and the programme's availability.

Sources and verification status

Official sources consulted on 13 October 2026: • https://lenord.fr/nos-politiques/insertion-retour-a-lemploi • https://lenord.fr/nos-politiques/amenagement-du-territoire-validation • https://inord.lenord.fr/offre-d-ingenierie-financiere • https://maires.lenord.fr/ Status: partial review / linking anomaly detected. The official pages document the Département's action on inclusion and with local authorities.

Official sources

• Département du Nord — Inclusion, return to employment
• Département du Nord — Territorial planning
• iNord agency — financial engineering
• Maires du Nord portal