SME Grants in Singapore 2026 for Non-Residents

Singapore offers a range of SME grants that help businesses grow, whether through better productivity, new technology, or entry into new markets. For many entrepreneurs, these schemes cut costs and speed up scaling.

As a non-resident, things get more complicated. Most grants demand some local presence: Singapore shareholding, a registered company, or proof that your business operates here. That means extra steps before you benefit.

This guide covers which SME grants stay open to non-residents in 2026, what you must meet, and what alternatives exist if you do not qualify yet.

How SME Grants Work in Singapore

The Singapore Government offers more than 100 grants to help small and medium enterprises grow. These schemes support areas like IT solutions, product development, overseas expansion, and capability building. The goal is to provide subsidies and funding support that lower eligible costs and accelerate business growth.

If you are unsure which schemes fit your situation, you can use the free GoBusiness e-Adviser tool on gov.sg. After a short questionnaire, it matches you to relevant programmes based on your eligibility criteria.

Eligibility Rules for SME Grants

Most SME grants in Singapore share a similar baseline:

• Your company must be registered and operating in Singapore.
• Some schemes add requirements such as minimum paid-up capital, annual sales turnover, or a minimum operating history.

These conditions ensure that funding supports companies with a genuine local presence and a validated track record.

 Note for non-residents: many SME grants require at least 30% of shares held directly or indirectly by a Singapore citizen or permanent resident. Unless a scheme says otherwise, assume the rule applies. Foreign business owners work around it by partnering with a local co-founder, restructuring ownership, or building the local team first, while keeping operational control.

Agencies That Manage SME Grants

Enterprise Singapore oversees most grants, focusing on capability development, automation, and overseas expansion. Other agencies manage more specialised areas:

• Workforce Singapore (WSG): Skills development and manpower support.
• Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA): Digital adoption and technology.
• SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG): Workforce training and upskilling.
• Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS): Financial institutions and fintech innovation.
• Singapore Tourism Board (STB): Grants tailored for tourism businesses.

Knowing which agency manages a scheme helps you understand its priorities.

Grant Access for Non-Residents

For non-resident entrepreneurs, the main hurdle is the local shareholding requirement. Most government grants are open only if at least 30% of your company is owned by Singapore citizens or permanent residents.

A small number of schemes look at local employees rather than ownership, so check each scheme’s own rules before you assume the 30% test doesn’t apply. The Energy Efficiency Grant is not one of them: it requires at least 30% local shareholding, with exceptions for maritime companies and data centre users.

SME Grants in Singapore for Non-Residents

Most SME grants require a local presence, such as a Singapore-incorporated entity with at least 30% local shareholding. While this can be a challenge, certain grants remain within reach if you structure your business appropriately and meet the eligibility criteria.

Here are the main grants to know in 2026:

1. Startup SG Founder

Just starting out? Startup SG Founder provides seed funding and mentorship. You apply through Accredited Mentor Partners, who also guide the early stages.

Funding

SGD 20,000 to SGD 50,000 on a 1:1 matching basis. For an SGD 20,000 grant, you match it with SGD 20,000 of paid-up capital and show at least SGD 10,000 of it on ACRA when you apply.

Eligibility

• Singapore citizen or PR first-time founder, holding at least 30% equity, committed full-time 
• Applying with a co-founder means at least one of you is a first-timer, and both complete entrepreneurship training or show equivalent experience

What qualifies. Innovative digital platforms, consumer apps, and new product concepts. Lifestyle businesses such as cafés and massage parlours fall outside the scheme.

2. Startup SG Tech

For tech startups, Startup SG Tech funds testing and commercialisation at the Proof-of-Concept (POC) and Proof-of-Value (POV) stages. Enterprise Singapore may also take an equity stake after a funding round.

Funding

• POC: Up to SGD 400,000 (requires at least 10% paid-up capital)
• POV: Up to SGD 800,000 (requires at least 20% paid-up capital)
• Funds are released as you meet milestones.

Eligibility

• Company registered in Singapore for less than 10 years
• Annual sales turnover no higher than SGD 100 million, or employment size no higher than 200
• Project must be IP-driven, tech-based, and conducted mainly in Singapore
• Sectors include advanced manufacturing, biomedical, clean tech, ICT, precision engineering, food science, and more

3. EDGE Grant

The EDGE Grant is now Enterprise Singapore's main business grant. It replaced the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG), Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) Grant and Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) on 30 September 2026. It co-funds over 150 activities in areas such as automation and digitalisation, business strategy, financial management, innovation, internationalisation, standards and sustainability.

Funding. A percentage of qualifying costs, set per activity, with a higher rate for SMEs and an annual cap per company across all activities. Rates and caps are on the EDGE Grant page.

Eligibility

• A business entity registered in Singapore
• At least 30% owned by Singapore citizens and/or permanent residents
• SME rates: group annual sales turnover no higher than SGD 100 million, or group employment no higher than 200
• Other requirements may apply, depending on the activity

Two more rules catch foreign founders. Applications must be submitted by your own company's staff through the Business Grants Portal with Corppass, not by a vendor or consultant on your behalf. And you must not start work or pay a supplier, even a deposit, before you submit.

Examples of supported activities: adopting accounting or e-commerce software, process redesign, branding, joining overseas trade fairs, in-market business development.

Pair it with a tax deduction. The Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation (DTDi) gives a 200% tax deduction on qualifying expansion expenses such as market research, trade fairs, and overseas business development trips.

You can claim directly with IRAS without prior approval if your total qualifying expenses for the year stay within SGD 400,000, except for overseas trade offices and e-commerce campaigns, which need approval first. Use EDGE for the co-funded portion and DTDi on what you pay yourself, since DTDi expenses are worked out net of the EDGE Grant.

Applied under EDG, MRA or PSG before 30 September 2026? Those applications are still assessed under the old rules, and approved projects are supported until the claim is paid. You can't seek EDGE support for the same project.

4. SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC)

The SFEC gives credits for staff training and enterprise transformation. Unlike most grants, it arrives automatically.

Funding

• SGD 10,000 credit per firm, covering up to 90% of out-of-pocket costs
• Up to SGD 7,000 for enterprise transformation
• No cap for workforce transformation

Eligibility

• Enterprise Singapore notifies eligible companies
• At least SGD 750 in Skills Development Levy during the qualifying period
• At least 3 local employees

How credits work. They support Career Conversion Programmes and job redesign. EDGE activities can't be paid for with SFEC.

5. Sector-Specific Grants

Beyond the broad schemes, several target particular industries.

• Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF): manpower development and productivity in maritime businesses
• Business Improvement Fund (BIF): technology adoption for tourism businesses
• Business Events in Singapore (BEiS): co-funding for organisers hosting international-standard events
• Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund: productivity and sustainability for licensed farms

These need a local entity and collaboration with the relevant agency. Most non-resident SMEs fall outside them, though they matter if you enter a specialised sector.

What Costs Do SME Grants Cover?

Grants fund projects, not operations. Knowing the line between the two saves a rejected claim.

Under the EDGE Grant, each activity page on Enterprise Singapore's website lists the costs it supports.

What grants do not cover:

• Costs incurred before the letter of offer
• Recurring operating expenses: rent, lease payments, utilities, existing payroll
• GST and other taxes
• Equipment unrelated to the approved project
• Costs already funded by another scheme

One rule matters more than the rest: one expense, one grant. You can hold several grants at once for different activities, and you cannot claim the same invoice twice.

How to Apply for SME Grants: Step by Step

Every major scheme runs through the same portal for grants. Here is the flow.

Step 1: Check your eligibility. Run the GoBusiness e-Adviser and confirm your shareholding, turnover, employment size, and any staffing rule. This is where non-residents should stop and check the 30% test before spending time on a proposal.

Step 2: Set up Corppass. The applicant files with a Corppass account tied to your Unique Entity Number (UEN). Assign the right person as the grant administrator early, since access issues delay more applications than weak proposals do.

Step 3: Build the proposal. Cover the project scope, timeline, objectives, and measurable deliverables. Attach vendor quotations and a cost breakdown by category.

Step 4: Submit through the Business Grants Portal. Upload everything and file. An application with complete documents moves far faster than one that triggers three rounds of questions.

Step 5: Wait for the letter of offer. Approval arrives as a letter setting out the funded amount, the conditions, and the completion deadline. Accept it in the portal. Start nothing before this point.

Step 6: Run the project and keep records. Track spending against the approved budget. Keep invoices, proof of payment, contracts, and evidence that each deliverable landed. Agencies audit claims.

Step 7: Submit your claim. File after completion with the supporting documents. Once approved, the money reaches you through PayNow Corporate or GIRO, into the business account registered under your UEN.

Processing time depends on the grant and the activity. Plan the cash flow around that gap, since you pay first and claim later.

Options if You Don't Qualify for a Grant

Not every foreign-owned company meets the 30% rule today. Here is how to improve your position or find funding elsewhere.

Improving Your Grant Eligibility

Restructuring shareholding. Most agencies want at least 30% local equity. Many foreign owners get there by adding a Singapore-based shareholder to their private limited company.

Partnering with locals. Programmes such as PACT, which supports partnerships between larger companies and Singapore-based SMEs, and the Global Innovation Alliance, which links Singapore-based companies with overseas innovation hubs, support collaboration between existing companies rather than matching founders with local co-founders. These partnerships strengthen a capability development case. 

Hiring local employees. A local team does not replace the 30% ownership rule, but it strengthens your local-impact case and may be required by some schemes. A local team makes your company more fundable across the board.

Setting up a subsidiary. You can register a local company even when fully foreign-owned. A Singapore subsidiary gives you that base, but the main Enterprise Singapore grants, including the EDGE Grant, still require at least 30% Singapore citizen or PR ownership. 

Exploring Alternative Funding Sources

Private investors and VC. Tap Singapore's investor ecosystem through Startup SG Equity, SG Growth Capital, or the Startup SG Network. These back new business models, product development, and technology validation.

Bank loans and trade financing. The Enterprise Financing Scheme provides working capital, trade finance, venture debt, and green loans through financial institutions. Most still require 30% local equity and proof of annual sales turnover.

Overseas grants and cross-border programmes. The Global Innovation Alliance and Singapore–France Eureka fund international collaboration on qualifying costs.

How to Prepare a Strong Grant Application

Securing a grant comes down to preparation. Show that your company is ready and compliant.

1. Prepare the Right Documents and Records

At minimum: your ACRA Bizfile profile, Corppass login, financial statements, business plan, and any product or IP documentation.

Supporting evidence strengthens the case: client contracts, proof of revenue, consultants' track records. New businesses should include validation of the product and evidence of innovative technology.

2. Meet Co-Funding and Capital Requirements

Most grants cover part of the cost, so show you can carry the rest.

• EDGE: co-funding set per activity, higher for SMEs, within an annual cap per company
• Startup SG Founder: 1:1 matching, with at least 50% of the co-matching already in paid-up capital

3. Don't Start Before Approval

Sign a contract, make a payment, or start the project before approval and your claim fails. Processing time varies by grant and activity, so use that window to sharpen the project scope.

4. Highlight Local Economic Impact

Enterprise Singapore weighs how your project benefits Singapore. As a foreign-owned company, build the case around:

• Jobs for Singapore citizens or permanent residents
• Capability development inside your local entity
• Productivity, automation, or revenue gains
• Contributions to sustainability or sector goals

5. Keep Records of Past Performance

Provide 2 to 3 years of financial statements and turnover figures, contracts or invoices with clients, and a track record of product development or market expansion.

6. Stay Within Deadlines

Applications must arrive complete and on time. Enterprise Singapore can reject late or incomplete submissions.

Final Note

For non-resident entrepreneurs, grant access depends on your company structure and your industry. Building local presence through shareholding, partnerships, or hiring improves your position over time.

Grants are not the only route. Private investors and cross-border financing support growth too, and professional advice can help you avoid the delays and rejections that catch many first applications.