Despite the numerous success stories, entrepreneurship can be an even greater challenge for women, due to reasons of maternity or even gender gap. Therefore, over the years, different aid and subsidies aimed at supporting the female collective in their path towards business creation have appeared.
Specific aid and subsidies for women
The first thing that arises when undertaking is doubts. From the need to resolve them, the Business Support Program for Women (PAEM) is born, an aid developed by the Chamber of Commerce dedicated to personalized and free advice for women. The Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa also offers microcredits without guarantees that can reach up to 25,000 euros to solve economic problems.
However, with age it seems that undertaking becomes an increasingly difficult task. Therefore, the Innovatia 8.3 Program, promoted by the European Social Fund, the Institute for Women and the University of Santiago de Compostela, offers support to women of all ages, focusing on those over 45, who want to start a business in the scientific or technological sector.
In addition, within the space there is an initiative called Madrinadet, where a long-standing and experienced female entrepreneur "godmothers" a university student with entrepreneurship projects to help her enhance and improve the viability of her plans.
Likewise, for those women who wish to undertake in specialized environments such as the rural, they have the Rural Woman Challenge Program co-financed by the European Social Fund, whose objective is to promote and support the competitiveness of projects led by women in this environment. In addition, this aid is not limited to providing advice, but also allows selling products on its portal to give them more visibility.
The Canary Employment Service through the subsidy for the Promotion of Autonomous Employment favors the start-up of business initiatives for unemployed women.
As a self-employed worker you can also benefit from different aids, such as the 30% bonus on your quota for common contingencies, with a maximum duration of 36 months. For this you must be under 35 years old and it must be the first time you register in the RETA or if more than two or three years have passed since you enjoyed bonuses previously since you unsubscribed.
On the other hand, if you have been forced to unsubscribe due to birth, adoption, guardianship, foster care, or you have some risk during lactation, you can opt for a 100% bonus on the self-employed quota on the average base of the 12 months prior to the leave. The aid will be extended throughout the period of inactivity.
General aid and subsidies
There are also other aids that are not focused on promoting businesses led by women in particular, but that can be very useful when starting or relaunching a business.
The Aporta Islas No Capitalinas Program of PROEXCA, together with the Government of the Canary Islands, helps to finance up to 75% of the internationalization expenses with advance payment of the companies that seek to project themselves outside of Lanzarote. Of course, these must be in the range of 2,000 and 6,000 euros.
Finally, women under 30 years of age can also opt for the Youth Employment Shock Plan, a specific support promoted by the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), which aims to contribute with long-term strategies to the creation of a own productive model with added value.
