As is known, in developed Western countries the share of small and medium-sized businesses is 80 percent of total number enterprises, and in Russia there are only 20. So there is potential. Let's look at what programs exist for small businesses with government support, how easy it is to use them and how effective they are.

Bills

In times of crisis, the state is ready to lend a helping hand to promising projects. In December last year, a state program to support small businesses was adopted at the federal level, regulating the procedure for providing assistance to small businesses.

The state has many ways:

Particular attention is paid to enterprises introducing and developing innovative technologies.

Preferential rental of premises and free participation in exhibitions are provided on a competitive basis. We can only hope that all these benefits are really distributed among the most worthy representatives of small businesses.

What goals does the state pursue by investing in such programs of state support for small businesses? The share of small businesses in such indicators as GDP and tax deductions should increase. And also the desired result will be an increase in employment in such enterprises and the development of the middle class of society.

Grants and subsidies

The main condition for receiving a subsidy is that your business must be registered no more than two years ago.

An entrepreneur also needs:

Six months after the funds are received, the entrepreneur must report on what they were spent on.

Allowed expense items are payment of rent, purchase of fixed assets and equipment.

The remaining unused amount must be returned.

In addition, you need to remember that, in addition to state money, the entrepreneur is obliged to contribute a certain part of the amount from his own pocket. For example, young people under 30 years of age must invest up to 20 percent of the amount provided.

Social projects

Up to one and a half million rubles will be allocated for business projects presented by single mothers, graduates of orphanages, and former prisoners. They also provide assistance for certain types of activities: folk crafts, the creation of children's educational and leisure centers.

For example, the size of the subsidy provided to the unemployed is about 60 thousand rubles. Conditions for receiving: be registered at the employment center, draw up a business plan and, after its approval, register your business. You will also have to report on the expenditure of allocated funds.

Loans

Small businesses can receive loans on a preferential basis. The maximum amount is up to a million rubles at 17 percent, for a period of three years.

Large enterprises receive subsidies to repay loans taken for leasing, purchase of equipment or construction of production facilities.

The maximum loan amount is 15 million rubles.

Guarantee funds specially organized for these purposes become guarantors for such creditors.

Support levels

In addition to the federal one, each region has its own small business development programs. Therefore, it is very important to know what rules apply in your area. For this purpose, special departments for supporting small businesses have been created; they operate in almost all constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It is on the websites of these organizations that you can find up-to-date information about the opportunities provided by the state to small and medium-sized businesses.

Video: How to find financing for a small business?

An important part economic policy The Russian Federation is a state business assistance program. This program is aimed at financial support for all small and medium-sized businesses. It has been operating for several years, but not all beginning entrepreneurs know how to get a subsidy to open or develop their own business. About how to get a subsidy for small businesses, what assistance is provided to small businesses under various government programs, how much money an individual entity can receive entrepreneurial activity according to these state programs - read on.

To support start-up entrepreneurs, the government is organizing state programs to help young enterprises. You can receive a subsidy for starting a business through two main government programs: federal and municipal. Various government departments (Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Economic Development) also have their own subsidy programs for entrepreneurs and to support new organizations in relevant sectors of the economy. It is sometimes possible to provide individual assistance to small businesses for some of its entities at the discretion regional authorities, but this is not the main purpose of the program.

There is a special program of the Ministry of Economic Development for new entrepreneurs Russian Federation to provide funds for opening new enterprises and supporting new entrepreneurs. The maximum amount of subsidies for starting a business under this program is 58,800 rubles - this is the annual amount. Every adult citizen of the Russian Federation who is recognized as unemployed and is also registered with the Employment Center can receive such small support.

Any business entity has the opportunity to receive a special government grant - a free subsidy for the development of small businesses. The maximum grant amount is no more than 300,000 rubles. The terms of the grant under the program to help start-up entrepreneurs differ by region; an enterprise that has existed for no more than two years and has not previously received financial assistance from the state can count on such support.

Particularly popular among some organizations is the state program for a small partial return of interest on the loan. There is another similar government program - providing subsidies to reimburse leasing costs. To receive assistance under these programs, an enterprise must meet a number of conditions, and the debt period must not exceed three months before submitting the application. Maximum size assistance under the loan interest reimbursement program - 5,000,000 rubles.

The basis of state support for private entrepreneurship in our country is programs for financing enterprises from the state budget, designed for beginning entrepreneurs, designed to help develop their own business. According to them, any entrepreneur in Russia can count on various support measures, for example, free support for small businesses.

The subsidized entrepreneur is obliged to draw up regular reports on the expenditure of targeted funds from the budget, and in case of their misuse, he must return them to the state.

Subsidy for starting your own business

A future entrepreneur can receive financial support from the state to open an individual entrepreneur. To do this, he needs to be registered with the Employment Center, obtain unemployed status, write, and then present to the commission a special plan for the development of the future enterprise drawn up in advance. After this, you need to register a legal entity and enter into an agreement with the Employment Center to provide a subsidy when opening an individual entrepreneur. Receiving subsidies for individual entrepreneurs and providing assistance from the state when opening a small business is only possible if the labor exchange cannot provide for the citizen suitable job, and he himself already receives the corresponding cash allowance.

Required documents to register as unemployed:

• statement about the need for government assistance to find a job;
• passport or temporary identity card of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• certificate, diploma or other document certifying professional qualifications;
• work record (except for citizens who have never worked anywhere before);
• a certificate of earnings received for the last three months before dismissal.

A business development plan consists of a description of the area of ​​activity of the enterprise, a list of the basic principles of the future enterprise, and justification for the feasibility of opening new organization. And also: a detailed development strategy for this organization, a payback forecast, an estimate of resource costs, a spending plan for the first three months of those targeted funds that were allocated to the entrepreneur under the subsidy program. Receiving subsidies for entrepreneurs from the Employment Center presupposes the creation of jobs, so the plan must include the expected number of newly created jobs.

The received subsidy for opening a small business involves targeted spending of the funds allocated for opening an individual entrepreneur. A project to use state assistance in creating a new SPD must have a social orientation, must be publicly useful and cannot engage in activities in the following four areas:

• banking and loans are prohibited;
• you cannot engage in the mining industry;
• financing of gambling activities is prohibited;
• The production and sale of excisable goods is unacceptable.

The Employment Center provides consulting support to aspiring entrepreneurs, conducts seminars on the basics of entrepreneurship, and helps them in legal issues, provides financing for newly created enterprises, reimbursement of registration costs, and even provides businesses with workers from among unemployed citizens. The main goal of the program is to employ already unemployed citizens and create new jobs.

Grants for the development of an existing enterprise

You can receive a subsidy for opening a small business, as well as developing an existing small enterprise, through regional state programs for the development of entrepreneurial activity. Targeted funds are distributed through a competition between different organizations. The money should be used for the development of the organization, but not for its current activities. Requirements that must be met to receive a subsidy for the development of small businesses: the enterprise must have been operating for less than two years, must have no more than 250 employees, and must not have tax arrears. Funds from subsidies for starting a small business and subsidies for business development must be used in one year, unspent funds must be returned to the budget of the city or region.

Your local Small Business Development Department can help you obtain small business grants. The entrepreneur must provide a full package of documents, take part in the state competition, prepare and defend a project plan for spending the received budget funds.

Package of documents:

• Statement of the need to receive assistance in developing small businesses;
• Passport or other identification document;
• Completed entrepreneur application form;
• A copy of the state registration certificate, constituent documents;
• Certificates required to conduct business in a specific industry;
• Certificate from the tax office confirming the absence of debt;
• Financial documentation on the current activities of the organization;
• Prepared business plan.

In 2017, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture program “Support for Beginning Farmers” was launched, under which organizations in the industry Agriculture can expect to receive a subsidy for small businesses from the state in the amount of up to 3,000,000 rubles. To participate in a competition under such a program, you must provide the same package as to receive a grant for the development of an existing organization in other sectors of the economy. The competition is held by the local Ministry of Agriculture. The purposes of spending budget funds may be:

• Purchase of equipment, equipment, animals, raw materials, seeds, fertilizers;
• Land lease, land purchase;
• Construction of buildings, renovation of premises;
• Construction of roads, infrastructure facilities, territory redevelopment.

Grant is state financial assistance to business, provided free of charge to business entities that have existed for less than 24 months, meet the criteria for issuing state subsidies for small businesses, have no debt to the state and have not previously received subsidies for start-up entrepreneurs.

The goal of the program is a one-time subsidy for small businesses on a competitive basis with the aim of developing a specific enterprise.

Other measures to support SPD

Help for small businesses from the state is not limited to monetary support alone. In addition to direct subsidies to business entities, assistance is provided to entrepreneurs in various other forms of support. Government bodies can help new individual entrepreneurs with preferential rental of premises and purchase technical means, provide entrepreneurs with government contracts, as well as infrastructure, accounting, and legal support for those who need it.

Since 2015, the Federal SME Corporation has been implementing a state program to support entrepreneurs. This state program is designed to help aspiring individual entrepreneurs create new enterprises. It provides information and methodological support to all aspiring entrepreneurs, organizes investment programs and provides the opportunity to start a business.

Different regions have their own programs to help small businesses. In addition to direct subsidies under federal state programs, municipal authorities different regions organize their own state programs to support enterprises.

Sample list of regional support programs for small businesses:

Types of government programs	Name	What kind of assistance is provided?
Are common	Assistance program for socially vulnerable citizens	You can get a subsidy for starting a small business with a maximum amount of up to 1,500,000 rubles
	Youth Entrepreneurship Development Program	Consultations, trainings, subsidies for a start-up entrepreneur up to 250 thousand rubles
Clusters	Technoparks and technopolises	State assistance to small businesses, support for knowledge-intensive projects
	Territorial clusters by economic sectors	Implementation of innovative projects
Funds	Support for regional entrepreneurship	Development of business activities in the region
	Guarantees and access to credit	Available loans to start a business
	Venture Investment and Equity Fund	Organization of exhibitions, transfer of enterprises to joint-stock companies, search for investors

The exact list of regional state programs for entrepreneurship development should be checked with the local Department of Entrepreneurship Development. The list is constantly changing, and is also strongly tied to the characteristics of the region. For example, in the south of the country more funds are allocated to support farmers.

The issuance of subsidies for small businesses from the state occurs not only under federal programs to assist new business entities, but also under many regional programs. In addition to subsidies for small businesses, it is also possible to receive other forms of assistance when starting a business and the subsequent development of the enterprise. Individual corporations and foundations also provide SOP under their own programs to support entrepreneurs.

Under the entrepreneurship development program, 7 billion rubles were allocated in 2017, and this money was directed from the state to the development of small businesses in our country. Any small business can receive support under these programs.

The general goals of all government programs to support entrepreneurship: providing conditions for the development of entrepreneurial activity, reducing unemployment, reorienting the economy to increase the share of small businesses in general structure economy.

Assistance from the state to start-up entrepreneurs is provided by providing business subsidies. In addition, there are also other assistance to small businesses from the state.

To receive a subsidy for small business development, you must register with the Employment Center (PEC). Formally, you need to be unemployed, that is, the work book must contain a note about dismissal from your last place of work. Subsidies for the development of small businesses are not given to pensioners, students, founders of any legal entity and individual entrepreneurs.

What documents are required to receive a subsidy?

To count on receiving money, you must present a passport to the Central Tax Office, work book, diploma of education, TIN, pension insurance number and details personal account. The stage of checking the information at the Central Employment Center takes several weeks, after which the applicant is registered and assigned unemployment benefits. The next step should be to contact the same central employment center, but this time to the department for self-employment subsidy programs.

According to the rules, the recipient of the subsidy, in order to develop a small business, will have to hire an employee from the category of people experiencing difficulties in finding employment

Experts advise everyone who wants to open their own business on what documents need to be submitted, in particular in what form a business plan should be drawn up, in order to receive subsidies. Examples of successful business plans can be found on the Internet yourself, but in any case it should contain short idea proposed project, a list of required personnel, a description of production technology, a description of the market and potential clients, as well as legal support for activities and, most importantly, financial plan and project forecast.

Business plan review

Having received the business plan, the relevant department of the central planning committee will forward it to the financial commission for consideration. Within a few weeks, independent experts study it and either decide on approval or return it back for processing. Although you can immediately receive a final refusal, and you are not allowed to contact members of the financial commission, so, unfortunately, you will not be able to find out the reasons for such a decision.

Receiving development subsidies

If the financial commission has approved the business plan, all that remains is to sign an agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DTiZN) to provide a subsidy for the development of small businesses. A person who wants to start his own business must register an LLC or individual entrepreneur, open a current account and bring all supporting documents to DTiZN. And within 30 calendar days required amount will fall into the account of the novice entrepreneur.

When carrying out the entire operation of receiving money from the state, there are several important points to consider. Usually, none of the officials is interested in the innovation of the project, and it is much easier for the financial commission to consider the business plan of a street drink stall than of an IT startup. Therefore, you should be simpler, explaining the essence of your idea as clearly as possible in your business plan. In addition, there are categories of projects that are more likely than others to receive money, such as socially significant and infrastructure.

And one more very important thing: according to the rules, the recipient of the subsidy, in order to develop a small business, will have to hire an employee from the category of people experiencing difficulties in finding employment. This includes citizens with many children, university graduates, and people with disabilities. Moreover, the employee will have to work in the newly created company for at least a year. This fact must be taken into account when drawing up staffing table and financial settlements.

21Apr

Hello! In this article we will talk about business grants.

Today you will learn:

1. What is a grant and how to get it;
2. What are the features of issuing grants?
3. What government programs to help businesses operate in the Russian Federation.

It is no secret that some large business projects were brought to life thanks to support provided from outside. Taking advantage of this opportunity requires serious effort. Today we’ll talk about how to act correctly in this direction.

What is a grant?

This is free assistance in cash or in kind, which is directed to Scientific research, for, for education and other purposes.

Both the organization and individual. Ultimately, you need to account for the use of funds.

It is worth noting that the state is interested in sponsoring small and medium-sized businesses, since its presence is a counterbalance to large companies, which, if absent, become monopolists in the market, and therefore have a destructive effect on the state as a whole.

What role do subsidies play?

The use of a grant system supports projects that cannot initially be called profitable, but for society as a whole, a particular region, or a particular city, they play a truly important role. Not every activity is fully funded by the state; in such cases, support is provided in the form of grants.

Who can issue a business grant?

• Private foundations;
• State;
• Foreign organizations.

The requirements for the grant recipient are different in each case. Therefore, it simply doesn’t make sense to apply everywhere; it’s better to immediately choose a source that suits your type of activity and work to fulfill its conditions.

Now let’s move from the general to the specific, namely to grants to small and medium-sized businesses.

Legislative regulation

Issues of government assistance to small and medium-sized businesses are regulated by the Federal Law “On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation.” In each region of the country there is a body that helps implement measures to help entrepreneurs.

Grants for start-up entrepreneurs

The dream of receiving a grant to start a business haunts almost every aspiring entrepreneur. But not everyone can apply for this, but only those citizens who are unemployed and registered with employment centers, or those who want to expand and increase the volume of an existing business.

State funds often issue grants to people who are just starting their journey as an entrepreneur.

In this case, preference will be given to the following categories:

• Citizens who fell under;
• Preferential categories (single mothers, persons with disabilities, and so on);
• Graduates of higher educational institutions;
• Citizens who are authors and owners of any innovative technologies;
• Citizens who use innovative equipment in their business;
• Taking part in various kinds of fairs and exhibitions.

In accordance with the law, those citizens who have reached the age of 18 and want to run their business in our state can receive a grant.

This assistance option can also be used by those who already have a certain amount of funds.

The state will compensate part of the costs in the amount of 500,000 rubles. Let's look at how to get such a grant step by step.

How to get a grant or subsidy

Step 1. Study the funds.

This also includes familiarizing yourself with the areas that are supported and studying the requirements for candidates.

You need to look for a suitable fund in your region of residence or in your city. The foundation can be public or private.

Step 2. Create a business plan.

Business support programs in Russia

Now we will consider several programs to support small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation.

Support from the Skolkovo Foundation

They are provided in mini format (up to 5 million rubles) and in amounts up to 150 million rubles.

Companies operating in the following industries can apply:

• Related to space;
• Nuclear Research;
• Biomedicine;

To receive a grant, you need to prepare documentation.

It usually includes:

• The project itself;
• Presentation;
• Financial plan with its full justification;
• Estimate;
• Memorandum.

The application undergoes initial approval, then it is sent to the grant service, which verifies the veracity of the information received. After this, experts evaluate it according to ten point system. If the score is higher than 5 points, the application is submitted to the grant committee for consideration. If the score is lower, the project is eliminated.

Ultimately, the committee makes a decision on the project by a simple majority vote. The commission consists of 12 to 14 people.

If the project is submitted to the committee for consideration, the chance of receiving a grant is high.

Grants from social VKontakte network

Most young people now know what social media is. VKontakte network. It is used to communicate with friends, work colleagues, and to find new friends. But few people know that this network operates a fund that sponsors start-up businessmen.

Note that grants are issued by Pavel Durov and businessman Evgeny Milner. And there are lucky ones who have become the owners of such support. The amount of the grant is not small, $25,000, and it is quite capable of becoming a help for a novice businessman.

Support from the Moscow Government

The grant amount is half a million rubles. A company that has been operating for no more than 2 years can apply for the receipt; there are also a number of restrictions on receipt.

A company that trades or sells tobacco and alcohol products will not receive a grant. Also, those whose activity is the gambling business cannot count on help.

To receive this subsidy, you need to apply to the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship. The application must indicate all the parameters of the project and outline the ways of its implementation. If the project is approved, the Department enters into an agreement with the winner within 15 days.

Grants from the Fund for Assistance to the Development of Small Innovative Enterprises in the Scientific and Technical Sphere

All the work of the fund is aimed at interaction with start-up companies in the Russian Federation. A candidate can apply for 1 million rubles or 200 thousand rubles every year for 2 years.

The fund usually supports small businesses whose activities are related to promising areas of the future. This can include the development of new materials, biotechnology, the creation of new instruments and apparatus, and so on.

The Foundation holds various events in major universities educational institutions and enterprises of the Russian Federation. The events also include holding a grant competition, the participants of which can be the authors of interesting and promising projects.

The application is reviewed by an expert commission, which decides whether to allocate a grant or not. Funds are not paid at once; they are divided into several parts.

Support for IT companies from Microsoft

This company is the most successful, and its creator is the most wealthy man in the world. The company supports talented aspiring businessmen in the IT field. The grant amount is 30 - 100 thousand dollars.

A distinctive feature of such support is that funds can only be allocated for the development or refinement of a project that already exists. These funds cannot be used for advertising and promotion of the project.

The mandatory requirements for the candidate are as follows: he must have a highly qualified team and use Microsoft technologies.

To receive support, a candidate must go through several stages and prove himself to be the best at each one.

At the first stage, you need to pass the selection process, according to the information provided in the application. It is necessary to characterize the project, talk about it positive aspects, justify its benefits for society as a whole.

At the second stage, the candidate is interviewed by phone or Skype. Based on the results, a rating is compiled, and several projects will be allowed to defend before the selection committee.

Consider here important point: the conversation takes place only on English language, which means you need to master it at the highest level.

At the third stage, a presentation is held in the office of the foundation itself. It should be meaningful, effective, and capable of interest. If it is successful, the project is approved and the grant is paid.

What to do with the funds received

The funds received as a grant can be characterized as a kind of agreement between an entrepreneur and an investor.

Therefore, the entrepreneur has certain obligations under this agreement that he must fulfill:

• All funds must be spent only in full accordance with the goals of the project;
• Reporting on the use of funds must be submitted within the time period specified in the contract;
• If any force majeure occurs, you must immediately contact the fund that issued the grant;
• The grant recipient cannot refuse to verify that funds are being spent correctly.

If the grant is used in a way that is not intended intended purpose, or other terms of the agreement are not met, the fund may initiate its termination, and also apply to the judicial authorities with a claim for the return of the allocated money.

Let us clarify that you must understand that receiving a grant is not the most difficult thing; you also need to fulfill the requirements of the fund that allocated it to you.

Conclusion

To receive a grant for your business, you need to stock up on time and patience. You will also need to develop a project and business plan, which will be considered by the commission. It's not an easy task, but all your efforts will be worth it.

One of the main obstacles to starting your own business is the lack of funds. Often it is this obstacle that stops potential entrepreneurs from realizing their plans. Those who have already opened their own business may also face the problem of lack of finance to maintain and develop the business. In case of such problems, you should learn in detail about how to obtain a subsidy for a small business.

The state is interested in the development of the economy, so today Russia has a special program to support start-up entrepreneurs. Under this program, the state issues subsidies.

What is a subsidy and for what purposes is it issued?

Subsidy is target payment at the expense of the federal or local budget.

The subsidy is given free of charge, so it should not be confused with a loan or loan. That is, after receiving a subsidy to the state, you do not have to return anything. Thus, the first property of a subsidy is its gratuitousness and irrevocability.

The second property of the subsidy is its strictly targeted nature.

The purposes of spending the received subsidy may be:

• purchase of equipment and consumables;
• purchase of raw materials;
• purchasing intangible assets such as patents.

Specific types of financial support for small businesses are approved by the executive body of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation (the Government of the constituent entity). Usually detailed information can be found on the website of the executive authority of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation dealing with issues of industry, entrepreneurship and trade.

The targeted nature of spending the subsidy is expressed in the fact that the citizen who received it is responsible for the targeted use of the subsidy. If it is discovered that funds were misused, the entire amount will be recovered from the violator. In addition, one year after receiving the subsidy, you will be required to report on how the funds were spent. If you have not spent all the funds, the rest will need to be returned.

Entrepreneurs who plan to open a business in the production and sale of alcohol and tobacco products, in real estate, or in equipment rental cannot receive a subsidy.

Amounts and types of subsidies

The amount and types of subsidies are established by each subject of the Russian Federation. Let's give an example. In Moscow there are the following types subsidies:

• 300,000 rubles to open a business (conditions must be met: the entrepreneur has not previously been employed anywhere, has a disability, or is the only parent of a child being raised);
• 60,000 rubles for starting a business (with the possibility of increasing the subsidy by the same amount for each additional job created);
• 25,000 rubles for business support.

Procedure for receiving a subsidy for starting a business

Registering as unemployed

Receiving a subsidy is a rather long process and includes several stages.

You must register as unemployed. To do this, you must, firstly, not have an official place of work. Secondly, not to be a founder of any legal entity and not to be registered as an individual entrepreneur. If these conditions are met, then you should contact the employment center at your place of residence.

After expressing your desire to register as unemployed, you will be asked to fill out a form. You must also bring originals of the following documents with you:

• passport;
• education document;
• TIN certificate;
• insurance certificate;
• certificate of average monthly salary.

If you have never worked, you do not need to provide a certificate.

When filling out the documents given to you, do not forget to inform the employment center employee about your plans for self-employment own business. Don’t forget to also check where the self-employment department is located.

As soon as all your documents are accepted, you will be notified of the date of your return visit. Also, most likely, they will tell you where to open a savings book to transfer first unemployment benefits and then subsidies.

The next step is writing a business plan. Here you need to be very careful and not hope for a freebie. The state, although it provides support for business, is (let’s be honest) reluctant to give away budget money.

The business plan must be competent, detailed and realistic (executable).

Must be indicated:

• project cost;
• economic feasibility of the project;
• project payback period;
• the purpose of receiving support from the state;
• planned own costs;
• required subsidy amount;
• creation of additional jobs.

After the business plan is ready, we take it to the department for promoting self-employment of citizens (both in printed and electronic form).

We come to the commission

You will be notified in advance of the date of the commission meeting, which, based on the submitted business plan and your responses to questions asked will decide whether to give you a subsidy or not. You need to be prepared: at a minimum, you should be very familiar with your business plan.

Based on the results of the commission meeting, you may be approved for a subsidy or denied it. Don’t be upset if the latter happens - you will simply be asked to finalize the business plan and come back to defend the business plan again.

Final Steps

All you have to do is register as a individual entrepreneur(registration period is 5 working days) and bring documents issued tax office, to the Employment Center. After this, the subsidy will be transferred to your savings book within one month.

You can receive funds from the state not only for opening, but also for developing a business.

This is somewhat simpler. It is necessary to provide the Employment Center with a certificate of state registration as an entrepreneur, documents confirming compliance with the requirements for candidates for subsidies, and a business plan.

It’s worth saying a little about the requirements for candidates to receive a subsidy. They may be different in different entities and may relate, for example, to the availability of own funds, activities in priority sectors, completion of special courses by the entrepreneur, etc.