FINANCIAL SUPPORT CRITERIA

Kerry Local Enterprise Office provides a range of financial supports to qualifying small businesses based in Kerry employing 10 or less employees.

To qualify for the support the enterprise:

• must not employ more than ten people (including the promoter) (i.e. if there are ten people employed full time in the enterprise, it is eligible for grant support. The headcount is verified as per the data in the last set of published accounts );

• must be established, registered, and operate within the geographic location of the LEO;

• must operate commercially;

• must demonstrate a market for the product/service;

• must have potential for growth in domestic and/or export markets and also potential for new job creation;

• can be a manufacturing or internationally-traded services business;

• can be a domestically-traded business with the potential to trade internationally; and

• must be a business which, on growth, may or may not fit the Enterprise Ireland portfolio.

The eligibility criteria listed above are subject to certain priorities and restrictions:

• Priority must be given to enterprises in the manufacturing or internationally-traded services sectors which, over time, can develop into strong export entities and graduate to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio.

• Salary support may be offered to unique tourism services projects that are focused predominantly on generating revenues from overseas visitors and which do not give rise to dead-weight and/or displacement in the local economy.

• With regard to restrictions, retail enterprises, local services (e.g. restaurants, cafes, bars), personal services, professional services or construction and local building services are not eligible for grant aid.