One of the things that distinguishes County Louth as a place to start a business is the quality and variety of support available to new and growing enterprises. Between Louth Local Enterprise Office, InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland, and several other programmes, there is a meaningful amount of public money available to Louth businesses — and a significant proportion of it goes unclaimed simply because people don’t know it exists.
I have been an accredited advisor with both Louth LEO and InterTradeIreland for many years, and I see the same pattern repeatedly: businesses that would have qualified for substantial grant funding never applied, because nobody pointed them in the right direction early enough. You can find this guide alongside our wider business startup articles covering everything from tax to company structure.
This guide is designed to fix that.
Louth Local Enterprise Office (LEO)
The Local Enterprise Office is your first port of call for business support in County Louth. The LEO operates as part of Louth County Council and is funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Its mission is to support the startup, development, and growth of small businesses in the county.
Feasibility Study Grant
If you have a business idea and you want to assess whether it’s viable before committing fully, the Feasibility Study Grant can cover up to 50% of the cost of commissioning independent research or analysis, up to a maximum of €15,000 in grant. This is designed for innovative ideas with genuine commercial potential — it is not for every business concept.
Priming Grant
The Priming Grant is for businesses less than 18 months old that are looking to invest in startup costs. It covers capital expenditure (equipment, machinery, fit-out) and in some cases revenue expenditure (marketing, training, professional fees). The maximum grant amount is typically €150,000, though in practice most awards to micro-enterprises are considerably less. A 50/50 match funding requirement applies — meaning you need to put in an equal amount of your own money.
Business Expansion Grant
For businesses that have been trading for more than 18 months and want to invest in growth — new equipment, new premises, additional staff, marketing — the Business Expansion Grant operates on similar terms to the Priming Grant.
Trading Online Voucher
This is one of the most accessible and fastest-moving LEO supports. The Trading Online Voucher provides up to €2,500 (50% matched) to help small businesses develop an online trading capability — a website, an online store, or a booking system. For a trades business that doesn’t have a website, or an existing business that wants to sell online, this is a relatively quick win.
Mentoring and Soft Supports
Beyond financial grants, LEO Louth offers subsidised mentoring — access to experienced business people at a significantly reduced cost. For a new business owner who needs guidance on a specific challenge (pricing, marketing, financial management, operations), LEO mentoring is excellent value. I have acted as a business mentor through the LEO programme over the years and the quality of advice available is genuinely high.
Eligibility for most LEO grants requires the business to be manufacturing-oriented, internationally traded, or capable of creating sustainable employment. Purely local, non-traded service businesses (a local café, a hairdresser) are generally not eligible for the financial grants, though they may access the soft supports.
InterTradeIreland
InterTradeIreland is a cross-border trade and business development body funded jointly by the Irish and UK governments. It focuses specifically on helping businesses to trade cross-border — from the Republic into Northern Ireland and vice versa.
Given Dundalk’s geography, InterTradeIreland is a particularly relevant support for County Louth businesses. I am an accredited InterTradeIreland advisor and have worked with businesses accessing their programmes. For a deeper look at what each InterTradeIreland programme involves, see our detailed guide to BLOOM, SPROUT, and Elevate.
BLOOM (formerly ACUMEN)
The BLOOM programme (previously known as ACUMEN) supports companies that want to start selling into the cross-border market for the first time. It provides funding to hire a dedicated business development resource — either a new employee or a specialist consultant — specifically focused on cross-border sales activity. The support covers up to 50% of the salary or consultant cost for a defined period.
For a Dundalk business that wants to expand into the Northern Ireland market (population 1.9 million, and just up the road), this is a significant subsidy on the cost of that business development effort.
SPROUT
SPROUT is a business start programme for early-stage businesses with cross-border trading ambitions. It provides structured mentoring, training, and limited financial support to help businesses validate and develop their cross-border proposition.
Elevate
Elevate provides targeted advice and support to SMEs on specific issues around cross-border trade — including tax, customs, regulatory compliance, and commercial strategy. Access to an approved advisor (I am one) is subsidised under this programme.
Connect
The Connect programme helps businesses source suppliers, partners, or distributors across the border. If you are looking to expand your supply chain into Northern Ireland or find an Irish supplier for your Northern Ireland business, Connect can facilitate introductions and provide support.
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland (EI) is the government agency responsible for supporting Irish businesses with international ambitions. It operates at a different scale from LEO — EI is generally focused on businesses with the potential to become significant exporters, typically with revenues already in the €1m+ range or with a credible pathway there.
For early-stage businesses in Dundalk with a genuinely innovative product or technology and a clear international ambition, EI supports to be aware of include:
New Frontiers Programme
New Frontiers is a national entrepreneur development programme, run through the Institutes of Technology (including DkIT). It provides training, mentoring, and funding (a stipend of approximately €15,000) to early-stage entrepreneurs who are developing innovative businesses. Applications are competitive.
High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Investment
For startups with genuine high-growth potential, EI can provide equity investment alongside other investors. This is not a grant — it is investment in exchange for equity — but it is a significant source of funding for qualifying businesses.
Research and Development Grants
If your business is investing in R&D, EI has several programmes that can part-fund that activity. The interaction with the R&D Tax Credit (a separate Revenue measure) can make R&D investment very cost-effective for qualifying businesses.
SEAI — Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
If your business has an opportunity to invest in energy efficiency or renewable energy, SEAI has a range of grants and support programmes that are worth exploring. For a trades business, an industrial or commercial premises, or any business with significant energy costs, the SEAI supports can provide meaningful funding.
Getting the Most From Available Support
The key insight I’d offer is this: grant funding requires preparation. Most programmes want to see a business plan, financial projections, evidence of your own funding contribution, and a clear case for why the investment will create jobs or economic value. Turning up to a LEO meeting with a vague idea and expecting a cheque doesn’t work.
The businesses I see succeed with grants are the ones that have their numbers in order, their plan articulated clearly, and their own contribution ready to deploy. Our guide on how to write a business plan that will actually get you funding covers exactly what LEO and Enterprise Ireland reviewers are looking for. If you need help preparing a business plan or financial model that will support a grant application — or if you want a review of which supports your business might qualify for — that’s something we can work through together.
Paddy Malone FCA AITI
Paddy is the principal of Malone & Co. Chartered Accountants in Dundalk. A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Chartered Tax Consultant with the Irish Tax Institute, he has been advising businesses across County Louth and the North-East for over 35 years.