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We know very well that, for someone planning to start their own business, any additional financial support can be worth its weight in gold. Although finding and obtaining such support can be challenging, we believe that will no longer be the case after you read this article.Today, we present the most popular ways to obtain grants for starting a business in 2026.
Non-repayable EU grants and support from European Funds
We would like to begin this article with a method we have previously written about on our blog.
The European Union regularly allocates part of its budget to reducing unemployment and developing entrepreneurship in member states.
EU grants for starting your own business are therefore possible, and current calls for applications can be checked using the European Funds Grant Search Engine at: www.funduszeunijne.gov.pl/wyszukiwarka/. Consultants at European Funds Information Points can also help you find a suitable project in your chosen province. A full list of these points and their contact details is available here: www.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl/skontaktuj-sie/.
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Labour office grants – funding to start your own business from district labour offices.
In 2026, a one-off grant from the labour office remains a popular form of support for people wishing to start their own business.
This option is reserved for unemployed people, carers of people with disabilities who are not employed anywhere, and graduates of social integration centres and social integration clubs.
You can obtain up to six times the average wage, but remember that an application must be submitted to the relevant labour office before registering the business.
The detailed conditions for submitting such an application are listed in Article 148 of the Act on the Labour Market and Employment Services. In particular, applicants must not have had a registered business in the previous 12 months or discontinued labour office support through their own fault.
A business start-up loan with possible partial cancellation (“First Business – Start-up Support”)
Article 174 of the aforementioned Act on the Labour Market and Employment Services provides another interesting way to obtain funding for a new business in 2026: an attractive loan with an interest rate of 0.25%, a repayment period of up to seven years and a possible grace period for principal repayment of no more than 12 months.
You can borrow up to twenty times the average wage, with possible partial cancellation of the debt equal to six times the average wage (but no more than 50% of the loan value).
A relocation voucher – an option for those wishing to start a business away from their current place of residence.
Article 208 of the Act on the Labour Market and Employment Services identifies another funding method still available for new businesses in 2026.
A relocation voucher allows an unemployed person to obtain up to 200% of the average wage in connection with plans to take up employment, other paid work or business activity outside their current place of residence.
The key condition is the distance from that location (at least 80 km), or alternatively a journey to the new workplace and back to the previous place of residence taking more than three hours a day.
Local Action Groups (LGD) – what are they and what do they have to do with funding a business start-up?
Local Action Groups (LGD) are specific territorial partnerships bringing together regional organisations and residents and supporting various initiatives. One type of initiative is rural development, for which Local Action Groups often offer grants.
These can provide up to PLN 150,000, but a condition is always registered residence in a locality with no more than 20,000 inhabitants, along with meeting other application conditions.
The Local Action Groups database is available at: www.ksowplus.pl/baza- danych/baza-lokalnych-grup-dzialania.
Other ways to obtain funding to start and develop a business in 2026
EU grants, labour office funding, a loan with possible partial cancellation, a relocation voucher and Local Action Groups are just some ways to obtain funding for your own business in 2026.
There are many more possibilities, including:
- various preferential business start-up loans and credit facilities,
- venture capital, seed capital and private equity funds,
- business incubators,
- accelerator programmes,
- Business Angels,
- issuing bonds,
- crowdfunding,
- PFRON grants (for people with disabilities).
Interested in this article? Explore our financial management services and see how we can help:
Summary
- EU grants,
- labour office funding,
- a business start-up loan with possible partial cancellation,
- a relocation voucher,
- grants from Local Action Groups.
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