Sustainable business in the Netherlands · 06
Funding, subsidies and who to ask
Grants and non-repayable subsidies exist for decarbonisation, circularity and education — but they are written for prepared applicants.
Reference material, not advice for your specific case. Last reviewed September 2026.
Sustainable projects in the Netherlands are unusually well served by public money, and unusually badly served by how it is described. Most schemes are administered by RVO nationally, with additional programmes from the province and the municipality. Amsterdam has its own circular-economy and neighbourhood funds.
The applications are not won by the best idea. They are won by the applicant who can already show numbers: current energy use, waste volumes, supplier names, what the intervention changes and by how much.
Before you apply to anything
- Frame the project as an outcome, not a purchase. 'Replace gas with electric and cut X tonnes of CO₂, while running public workshops' beats 'buy a machine'.
- Collect baseline data for at least a few months. Without a baseline there is nothing to measure against.
- Separate what a grant should fund from what a loan should. Equipment can often be financed cheaply through guaranteed schemes; the demonstration, education and circular-packaging parts are what non-repayable money is for.
- Ask the municipality's business adviser before writing a word. The advice is free and they know which round closes when.
And the small kind of funding
Not every business needs a scheme. Some need €2,000 and someone to tell their story properly. That is what the Frogwise Fund is for, and it is the reason this guide exists at all.