Guide updated 11 July 2026
How to apply for a grant, step by step
Applying for a grant is not complicated if you follow the right order. This is the general process for a small or medium-sized company, with what makes the difference between an application that is admitted and one that is discarded.
What a public grant is
Financial aid granted by an Administration without direct consideration, in exchange for you meeting an objective or carrying out a specific activity (digitising the business, hiring staff…). The general framework is the Ley 38/2003, General de Subvenciones.
It is not money without conditions: you take on obligations (carrying out the activity, justifying the expense and keeping the documents). If you do not meet them, the Administration can require you to return it.
Where they are published
Each call is published in an official gazette (the BOE or that of your region or province) and, by legal obligation, in the Base de Datos Nacional de Subvenciones (BDNS), the public register that gathers those of all Administrations.
The information exists, but it is scattered, and dozens of calls open and close every week. What works is systematically watching the ones that fit your company.
1 · Find the ones that fit
Filter by three things: who can apply (that it admits an SME), your sector and your territory. Discard from the start those that do not meet all three.
2 · Read the regulatory rules
The rules govern: they set who can be a beneficiary, which expenses are funded, the deadline, the documentation and the criteria used to score applications when there is competition.
Read them before investing time, check that you meet all the requirements and note the exact deadline and what they ask for. Any doubt about amounts or dates is resolved in the rules of that call.
3 · Prepare the documentation and the proposal
Gather in good time the usual items: company identification, being up to date with the tax authority and Social Security, and the call's annexes. Many applications fall because of a missing or badly signed document.
The proposal is where your score is won or lost: describing the company is not enough, you have to answer the assessment criteria in the rules point by point.
4 · Submit on time through the electronic office
Companies deal with the Administration by electronic means, so you need a digital certificate. Submit with room to spare: leaving it for the last day is the most frequent and most avoidable cause of rejection.
5 · Remedy, decision and justification
If something is missing, the Administration will ask you to remedy it within a short deadline, normally ten working days; reply straight away. Then comes the decision.
If it is granted, you still have to carry out the activity and justify it within the set period. Keep invoices and proofs from day one: poor justification can force you to return the aid.
Keep going
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a digital certificate to apply for a grant?
If you are a company, yes: legal entities deal with the Administration by electronic means and the application is signed and submitted in the electronic office.
What happens if I make a mistake in a document?
Normally you are asked to remedy it within ten working days. If you do not reply in time, you are considered to have withdrawn the application.