Funding Finder: match your startup with EU and national grants
Funding finder for European startups: answer six quick questions and get a ranked list of the EU and national grants you can apply for, with the amount, your odds and the next deadline. It is free, needs no sign-up and takes about two minutes.
Six questions, about two minutes. Your ranked shortlist appears right below the form.
Free, no sign-up. Your answers stay anonymous: we only count which countries, stages and sectors people search for. Data checked 21 October 2026.
How does the Funding Finder work?
Most grant databases list thousands of calls and leave the sorting to you. The Funding Finder starts from your answers and shows only the programmes your startup can apply for, ranked by fit. It checks 46 programmes: 14 EU-wide schemes and the main startup grants of all 27 EU countries.
1. You describe your startup
Country, company age, sector, what the money is for, how much you need, and whether you are woman-led, a research spin-off, under 30 or open to partners abroad.
2. We filter and score
Hard rules come first: where you are registered, how old the company is and the groups a grant is reserved for. Then every match gets points for sector, use of funds, ticket size and whether the call is open.
3. You get a ranked shortlist
Each card shows the amount, who can apply, the current status, the odds where official figures exist, the official page and our step-by-step guide.
Why your national grants come first
National schemes ask for shorter applications and you compete with founders from one country instead of all of Europe. The EU prizes are bigger and harder: the EIC Accelerator funded about 6 to 7% of full proposals in its recent cut-offs and Women TechEU under 4%, while Eurostars funded 19 to 29% of applications and NGI Zero cascade grants about 14%, according to the EIC, EISMEA, Eureka and NLnet. So the finder lists your country's grants first and the big EU calls as the next step. Compare them all in European grants: success rates, amounts and effort.
Funding finder or grant database: which one do you need?
Use the Funding Finder
You run a startup or SME and want to know in two minutes which grants exist for you, at home and at EU level, and which of them are open now. Best before you commit weeks to one application.
Use an official database
You already know your programme and need the exact call text, forms and deadlines. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal lists every EU call, and agencies such as Bpifrance, CDTI or Business Finland publish their own. Our guide to the best free official grant finder tools compares them.
Which grants does the Funding Finder cover?
The finder covers 14 EU-wide programmes and 32 national schemes, including the main startup grant in every EU country. We checked every entry against the programme's own pages on 21 October 2026 and update the list as calls open and close. The full guide to each country's scheme is in startup grants in Europe: the main grant in each of the 27 EU countries.
EU-wide programmes
EIC Accelerator: Grant up to €2.5M (70% of costs) plus €1–10M equity
Women TechEU: €75,000 plus coaching
Eurostars: National funding rates, e.g. up to 50% for SMEs in Germany, 80% in Bulgaria
EIC Pathfinder Open: Up to €3–4M
EIC Transition: Up to €2.5M
Cascade funding (open calls for third parties): Typically €5,000–60,000 per startup
NLnet / NGI open calls: €5,000–50,000
EIT innovation communities (sector accelerators): Non-dilutive support and services; amounts vary by programme
European Digital Innovation Hubs (test before invest): Free or subsidised services rather than cash
LIFE Programme: Standard projects funded at up to 60%
Innovation Fund: Large net-zero projects, € millions
Horizon Europe collaborative calls: €1.2M average single-beneficiary grant; consortium grants average €4.2M
ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BIC): Typically up to €60,000 plus technical support (varies by centre)
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs: Monthly allowance set by host country, for 1–6 months
National startup grants by country
Austria: aws Preseed – Innovative Solutions
Austria: aws Preseed – Deep Tech
Belgium: VLAIO Innovatieve starterssteun
Bulgaria: National Innovation Fund (NIF)
Bulgaria: Green technologies grant for SMEs
Croatia: Proof of Concept (Dokazivanje inovativnog koncepta)
Greece: Support for new SMEs (ESPA Competitiveness programme)
Hungary: STARTUP FACTORY
Ireland: Priming Grant
Italy: Smart&Start Italia
Latvia: Support for knowledge-intensive startups
Lithuania: ICT startup product and prototype grant
Luxembourg: Fit 4 Start
Malta: Business Start (B.Start)
Malta: Accelerate
Netherlands: MIT Haalbaarheidsproject (feasibility project)
Poland: Platformy startowe (Start-up platforms for new ideas)
Portugal: StartUP Voucher Innovate
Romania: Start-Up Nation România (edition IV)
Slovakia: Inovačné poukážky (innovation vouchers)
Slovenia: P2: start-up incentives for innovative companies
Spain: NEOTEC
Sweden: Innovativa startups
Amounts, rates and dates change during the year. Confirm every detail on the official page before you apply.
Funding finder FAQ
What is a funding finder?
A funding finder is a tool that matches a company's profile with the grants and other public funding it can apply for. Ours covers non-dilutive grants for startups and SMEs in the EU and Horizon Europe associated countries, and returns a ranked shortlist instead of a long database.
Is the Funding Finder free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no email field. We store only anonymous answers, such as country, stage and sectors, to see which grants people look for.
How current is the grant data?
Every programme was checked against its official page on 21 October 2026. Calls open and close all year, so each result links to the official page where you confirm the deadline.
Which EU grant gives a startup the best odds?
Among EU programmes, Eurostars funded 19 to 29% of applications and NGI Zero cascade grants about 14%, according to Eureka and NLnet. The EIC Accelerator funded about 6 to 7% of full proposals in recent cut-offs, and Women TechEU under 4%. More in European grants compared.
Can I get a grant before I register my company?
Yes. Germany's EXIST start-up grant pays graduates and researchers before they found a company, Austria's aws Preseed accepts founders before incorporation, and Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is open to people planning a business. Pick “Idea stage” in the finder to see them.
Are there grants only for women founders?
Women TechEU pays €75,000 plus coaching to woman-led deep-tech startups, with the next deadlines on 14 January, 1 April and 8 July 2027. Austria's aws Preseed adds a gender bonus, and Spain reserved €5 million of NEOTEC 2026 for women-led projects. More in business grants for women.
Can I combine national and EU grants?
Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. A sensible order is a national grant first, then Eurostars or the EIC Accelerator once you have results to show. More in grant opportunities by founder profile.
What if the finder shows no matches?
Tick more sectors or uses of funds and run it again. If your country has no open call, look at cascade funding, which funds startups across Europe through EU projects, or at public loans and guarantees. More in European funding beyond grants.
Next: turn your shortlist into an application
These guides take you from a list of grants to a submitted proposal.
Built and maintained by Violetta Bonenkamp, co-founder of Fe/male Switch, for founders who would rather spend their time building than reading call documents.
