The Grow Digital Voucher is one of the most useful funding supports available to small businesses in Ireland, and one of the least talked about. Administered through your Local Enterprise Office (LEO), it provides co-funding for digital services — including custom software development, website builds, e-commerce platforms, and digital business tools.
This guide covers the essentials: what the voucher is, who qualifies, what it covers, and how the application process works. No fluff, just the practical information you need to decide whether it's worth applying.
The Grow Digital Voucher is a co-funding scheme that covers up to 50% of eligible digital project costs, to a maximum of EUR 5,000. That means the LEO contributes up to EUR 5,000 and you pay the other half.
For a EUR 6,000 project, the LEO would contribute EUR 3,000 and you would pay EUR 3,000. For a EUR 10,000 project, the LEO would contribute EUR 5,000 (the maximum) and you would pay EUR 5,000. For a EUR 3,000 project, the LEO would contribute EUR 1,500 and you would pay EUR 1,500.
The voucher is paid directly to the business after the work is completed and invoices are submitted. It's a reimbursement, not an upfront payment. You pay the supplier, then claim back the LEO's contribution.
The voucher is aimed at small businesses. The typical eligibility criteria include:
The exact criteria can vary slightly between LEOs, and availability depends on funding. Some LEOs have strong demand for this voucher, so it's worth applying early in the year when budgets are fresh.
The voucher covers the cost of digital services provided by an external supplier. Eligible spending typically includes:
What it generally does not cover: hardware purchases, ongoing subscription fees (like monthly SaaS costs), or work done by employees of the business. The funding is for external professional services.
The application process is straightforward, though it does require some preparation. Here's how it typically works:
Start by contacting the LEO in your county. You can find yours at localenterprise.ie. Every county has one. Ring them or email them and say you're interested in the Grow Digital Voucher. They'll explain the current availability and any specific requirements for your area.
The LEO will ask you to fill out an application form. This typically includes:
The application doesn't need to be a formal business plan. It's a practical document that explains what you want to do and why. LEOs are looking for genuine business need, not polished proposals.
The LEO reviews your application and, if approved, issues a letter of offer. This confirms the amount of co-funding and the conditions. You typically have a defined period (often 6 months) to complete the project and submit invoices for reimbursement.
Important: do not start the project before you receive approval. The LEO needs to approve the voucher before work begins. Starting early may make you ineligible for the funding.
Once approved, you engage your supplier, the work gets done, and you pay the invoices. You then submit the paid invoices to the LEO along with a brief completion report. The LEO verifies the work was done and reimburses their share — up to EUR 5,000 or 50% of the total cost, whichever is lower.
Our pricing is structured in fixed-price tiers that align well with the Grow Digital Voucher. Here's what the numbers look like in practice:
We provide the detailed quote your LEO needs as part of the application. The quote breaks down exactly what's included: design, development, deployment, training, and support. LEOs like clear, specific quotes — it makes their approval process easier.
We've built 9 production apps for businesses across Ireland. Every project is fixed price, EU-hosted, and GDPR compliant. If you're thinking about applying for the voucher and want to discuss what kind of tool would make sense for your business, get in touch. We can help you scope the project and prepare the quote before you submit your application.
The Grow Digital Voucher is one of the most practical funding supports available to Irish small businesses. If your business qualifies, it can cut the cost of a custom software project in half. Contact your Local Enterprise Office to get started.