State grants for businesses: identifying the right schemes

Introduction

The State supports businesses through a range of instruments: calls for projects, grants, advances, loans and guarantees, tax credits or exemptions, and targeted measures. Schemes are often run by ministries, agencies, public operators or partner networks. It is therefore necessary to identify the managing body and the rules specific to each scheme.

What types of support should you look for?

Depending on the project and the beneficiary, support may cover innovation, investment, employment, the ecological transition, business creation or takeover, cultural sectors or local needs. The form of support can be a grant, a loan, a guarantee, a tax advantage or advisory support; these instruments are not interchangeable.

Who can be eligible?

The criteria depend on the scheme: company size, sector, location, planned expenditure, financial position, timeline, nature of the project and combination rules. Some schemes are accessible through calls for projects, others through an operator or a tax/social procedure.

How do you check a scheme?

1. Identify the exact scheme and its managing body. 2. Consult the official fact sheet and the rules in force. 3. Check the opening dates, the deadline, eligible expenditure and combination rules. 4. Confirm whether the application must be submitted before the project starts. 5. Keep supporting documents and the official decision.

How can Capital OS help?

Capital OS can match a company's profile, needs and location against the schemes on record. The results are leads to verify and do not constitute a decision by a public body, confirmation of eligibility, or a guarantee of funding.

FAQ

Does the State pay out every grant directly? No: many schemes are processed or paid out by operators or partners. Is a public grant always a subsidy? No: it can take the form of a loan, a guarantee, a tax advantage or a relief. Does appearing in a catalogue confirm that a scheme is open? No, the timeline and official conditions must be checked.

CTA

Identify the public schemes that could match your project, then check the criteria and procedures with the official managing body.

Directorate General for Enterprise

Official entry point for grant schemes and tax credits; the list is not exhaustive.

Directorate General of the Treasury — definition of public support

Analysis of the criteria and limits for defining public support for businesses, published on 16 April 2026.

Bercy Infos Entreprises — directory of schemes

Presentation of the national directory and search criteria by location, need and SIRET.

DGE — definition of forms of support

Explanation of the possible forms: grants, advances, loans, guarantees, tax advantages and social relief.

Name of the scheme

Purpose of the scheme