Leader will help you start your business

Leader is a bottom-up program characterized by a partnership approach to rural development. It consists in the development of the Local Development Strategy (LDS) by the rural community, which is implemented by Local Action Groups (LAGs). The aim of the program is to create and implement innovative projects that combine human, cultural, natural, historical, etc. resources. On the other hand, the long-term goals of the Leader program are to build the social capital of villages by activating the inhabitants, as well as contributing to the creation of new jobs in rural areas.

As part of the program, you can get up to 300,000. PLN co-financing of business in rural areas or in towns up to 5,000 residents.

How to join Leader?

If you want to apply for funding from Leader, you must submit an application to the Local Action Group (which consists of representatives of local governments, local enterprises and non-governmental organizations). The LAG performs an initial assessment of the application and submits it to the rural development department of the Marshal's Office of the territorially corresponding one. This is where the final decision to grant funding is made. The appropriate branch of ARMA will pay the money in the event of a positive decision.

Who can apply for funding from the Leader Program?

All persons under the age of 60 and not insured with KRUS can apply for a grant. The future entrepreneur must live and be willing to set up his business in a village or town with no more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Attention! The applicant for a grant from the Leader program cannot be entered in the register of economic activity at least one year before submitting the grant application.

If the future entrepreneur has already received funding from the Human Capital Operational Program in the two years preceding the submission of the application for funding from the Rural Development Program, he cannot submit an application for funding from the Leader program.

The planned activity must be of a micro-enterprise nature and concern strictly defined non-agricultural activities. Consequently, the entrepreneur cannot employ more than 10 employees, and his annual turnover is more than EUR 2 million. The aim of the Leader program is to create new jobs, therefore the applicant indicates in the submitted application how many jobs he is able to create. It is worth knowing that a one-man activity is also understood as a full-time job. The amount of the subsidy also depends on the number of people employed. The more there are, the more money you can get.

 

Important! The creation of jobs is declared in the business plan. ARMA imposes an obligation to maintain them for at least two years. If the entrepreneur fails to meet these deadlines, penalties will be imposed on him, and in the worst case he will have to return the entire amount of the grant.

Is own contribution required?

Leader is implemented in the form of a grant, not a grant. This means that the funds obtained from the program are the reimbursement of outlays incurred for the establishment of the enterprise. Therefore, a future entrepreneur applying for help in starting a business must have an own contribution. As a rule, you can apply for a refund of 50% of the costs. Having 50 thousand. zlotys of own contribution, from the Leader program you can get a maximum of 50 thousand. etc. However, the money received cannot finance the purchase of second-hand goods, the purchase of real estate or the goods and services tax.

 

Check where to get money for business? Loan with de minimis guarantee!