Home Funding programmes Investment & growth

Capital for the
next step.

New machinery, more production capacity, a second site, digitalisation or energy efficiency: investment projects can often be financed with grants, promotional loans and guarantees. We check which combination of state development bank, KfW, GRW and your house bank fits your project, before the investment starts.

The mix decides Programmes at federal and state level.
GRWgrants in assisted areas
State banksregional promotional loans
KfWnationwide promotional loans
before the startclarify eligibility

A second site, more production capacity, the next stage of expansion: growth and investment projects can often be financed with a funding mix of grants, promotional loans and guarantees, provided the course is set correctly before the start.

What the funding is suited to

Typical projects that can be funded through state development banks, KfW and GRW:

  • new machinery, plant and production capacity
  • expansion or modernisation of business premises
  • creation of new jobs
  • digitalisation, automation and energy efficiency
  • setting up a new site or sustainable company growth

The funding mix decides

An investment project can combine several building blocks:

  • GRW grant, where eligible
  • + state development bank: loan, grant or guarantee
  • + KfW: promotional loan
  • + house bank and equity

The combination is not automatic. Start of funding, state aid ceilings and cumulation rules have to be checked in advance.

What we bring

  • Assessment of location, project and company size
  • Placing state development bank, KfW and GRW in a funding mix
  • Clarification of the next steps before the project starts
  • Support from the funding check to the application
Important: clarify eligibility before ordering, starting construction or implementing. Otherwise the entitlement to funding is usually lost
Three funding routes

GRW, state development banks and KfW.

Grants, promotional loans and guarantees at federal and state level, individually or as a combined funding mix. Which building blocks fit together depends on the location, the project and the company size.

GRW

grants · assisted areas

Grants for investments in the right location. The joint federal and state scheme "Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure" (GRW) supports investments in designated assisted areas.

  • grants for investments by individual companies
  • expansion, modernisation or establishment of business premises
  • creation or safeguarding of permanent jobs
  • strengthening competitiveness and adaptability
  • depending on the state guideline, CO₂ reduction or transformation measures
Assisted area, industry, eligible costs, job targets and funding intensity are checked case by case.

State development banks

closer to the region

Depending on the federal state, promotional loans, grants, guarantees or equity instruments come into question. Examples:

  • IBB, Berlin: investment, growth and innovation financing
  • L-Bank, Baden-Württemberg: investment, growth, transformation
  • LfA, Bavaria: investment, technology and energy projects
  • NRW.BANK: SMEs, digitalisation, site development
  • NBank, Lower Saxony & SAB, Saxony: investment and GRW
Development bank, programme and funding amount depend on the federal state, the place of investment, the company size and the project.

KfW

available nationwide

KfW supports companies mainly with promotional loans, which are usually applied for through the house bank.

  • ERP promotional loan for SMEs for investment and working capital
  • promotional loans for larger mid-sized companies
  • financing of start-up, succession and participation
  • innovation, digitalisation, energy efficiency and transformation
  • where applicable, risk assumption or release from liability; combination with state programmes
Application usually through the house bank; combination with state programmes and guarantees where the guidelines allow it.
Also of interest

Other funding areas.

Investment & growth is one of three pillars. Often the combination of federal, state and investment funding is the maximum that can be achieved.

Federal R&D funding

ZIM, KMU-innovativ, the research allowance: grants for research and development.

View programmes →

State funding

ProFIT, BayTOU, PROFI Hamburg: regional programmes of the federal states' development banks.

View programmes →
Let's talk

Growth begins
before the order.

Are you planning an investment, an expansion or the next step of growth? We check whether a state development bank, KfW, GRW or a combined funding mix fits your project, and what needs to be clarified before the start.