Find and apply for a public grant (ALTUM, LIAA, EU funds)

When to use

The company wants non-repayable public money for a specific project and a call exists or is expected. Not for a loan or leasing — use money.loan-application. Not for a supplier purchase that merely happens to be funded — the purchase itself still goes through ops.purchase-approval.

Before you start

• The project and its rough budget exist; quotes for the big items are collected or collectable.
• The last annual report is filed (an unfiled report blocks most calls).
• The owner has said how much own co-financing is possible — this decides which calls are real candidates.

What a run requires4

The trail8 steps

1. S1

   Scan for open calls that fitagent

   Search ALTUM, LIAA and EU-fund portals for open calls matching the project and the company's size class.

   Done when a shortlist exists: call name, funder, grant size, co-financing share, deadline, link.

2. S2

   Read the guidelines, not the summaryagent

   Read the specific call's guidelines and annexes. Check eligibility of the company, the costs, the activities and the minimum/maximum grant.

   Done when a one-page eligibility check per candidate call is written, with the guideline section quoted for each condition. ⛔ A call marketed as "for SMEs" can still exclude the company's sector or cost type — only the guidelines decide.

3. S3

   Choose which calls to pursueownerneeds approval · owner

   Approval · S3 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

   Present the shortlist with effort per application, chance of success and co-financing needed.

   Done when the owner has named the calls to apply to and the budget ceiling.

4. S4

   Assemble the application and annexesagent

   Draft the project description, budget and calendar per the call's forms. Collect annexes: annual report, tax-arrears statement, quotes, permits if the activity needs any.

   Done when every document on the call's checklist exists in the documents module, named as the checklist names it.

5. S5

   Cost-check the budget against the guidelinesagent

   Mark each budget line eligible or not, with the reason. Check dates: costs incurred before the call's start date are usually ineligible.

   Done when the budget shows eligible total, co-financing share and no line without a basis.

6. S6

   Approve the final applicationownerneeds approval · owner

   Approval · S6 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

   Review the full package: numbers, commitments (procurement rules, reporting, publicity), co-financing.

   Done when the owner approves in writing (e-mail or a recorded decision).

7. S7

   Submit before the deadlineagentneeds approval · ownerirreversible

   Approval · S7 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

   Irreversible · S7 — an agent never closes it alone

   Submit through the call's required channel (electronic system, e-address or form) and save the confirmation of receipt.

   Done when a submission confirmation with a timestamp exists.

   ⛔ The agent never submits on its own — the application binds the company to reporting and audit duties.

8. S8

   Track the decision and set up the outcomeagent

   Watch for questions from the funder (they often have short answer deadlines) and for the decision.

   Done when either: the grant agreement is signed (owner signs) and bc tasks add holds every reporting and payment-request deadline — or the rejection is recorded with the reason, feeding S1 next time.

Checks — how we know it worked

• Submitted set = the call's checklist, line by line, with the confirmation of receipt archived.
• Every date in the budget falls inside the call's eligible period (read back from the guidelines).
• Co-financing is confirmed as available money, not intention.
• If approved: the grant agreement's reporting deadlines match the task list in bc tasks.

If it goes wrong

What each step leaves behind

1. S1a shortlist exists: call name, funder, grant size, co-financing share, deadline, link.
2. S2a one-page eligibility check per candidate call is written, with the guideline section quoted for each condition. ⛔ A call marketed as "for SMEs" can still exclude the company's sector or cost type — only the guidelines decide.
3. S3the owner has named the calls to apply to and the budget ceiling.
4. S4every document on the call's checklist exists in the documents module, named as the checklist names it.
5. S5the budget shows eligible total, co-financing share and no line without a basis.
6. S6the owner approves in writing (e-mail or a recorded decision).
7. S7a submission confirmation with a timestamp exists.
8. S8either: the grant agreement is signed (owner signs) and bc tasks add holds every reporting and payment-request deadline — or the rejection is recorded with the reason, feeding S1 next time.

Evidence to keep

Shortlist with links and deadlines · eligibility checks with quoted guideline sections · the submitted package and confirmation of receipt · the owner's approval in S6 · the decision letter · the grant agreement and every accepted report, if approved.

How this playbook improves

After every 3 applications ask: hours spent per application, and which step ate them? Did any application fail a check that S2 or S5 should have caught? What share of submitted applications was approved, and did any approved grant lose money to disallowed costs? A new version changes the step that caused the waste, and says so in its change note.