Grants and support programmes for businesses in Suriname

Free money with no contribution of your own hardly exists. What does exist: schemes that refund 60 to 90% of a specific expense, free coaching and training, and regional calls that open a few times a year. On 26 October 2026 SITA's export schemes are open (rolling), and a Caribbean Development Bank call for organisations that support entrepreneurs closes on 16 November 2026. Large programmes such as SURGE and Caribbean Export's digital grant have ended; watch them for a new round.

On this page (13)

• How support works here
• Overview and status on 26 October 2026
• SITA: export plan and Cost Share Grant
• Other Surinamese programmes
• Caribbean programmes
• European and international programmes
• Dutch programmes and experts
• How to write an application that wins
• Checklist: what you almost always need
• Pitfalls
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

How support works here

Almost every scheme for businesses in Suriname falls into one of five types. If you know which type you are applying for, you also know what you must pay upfront and what the assessor wants to see.

• Cost-share. You pay first, then you get a fixed percentage back on proof of payment. Example: SITA's Cost Share Grant. So you need working capital to pre-finance.
• Matching grant. You receive an amount if you invest a share yourself, usually in equipment, certification or training under an approved growth plan. Examples: SURGE, and Caribbean Export's BRIDGE grant (up to 60% of the project).
• Technical assistance in kind. You get an adviser, coach or expert instead of money. Examples: PUM, SITA's export coaches, SURGE's business diagnostic.
• Training and knowledge. Free or cheap courses, workshops and online programmes. Examples: SPWE, the Standards Bureau, the Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute.
• Project grants for organisations. Larger amounts (EUR 100,000 and up) for consortia, NGOs, chambers and industry bodies. Examples: EU-LAC calls, Interreg, GEF, CDB PROPEL. An individual entrepreneur can often only take part through a partner organisation.

Your business almost always has to exist formally: registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KKF), a tax number (FIN), a licence if your activity needs one, a business bank account and accounts for at least one or two years. If that is not in order yet, start with Start a business and Bookkeeping and invoices.

Overview and status on 26 October 2026

Programme	For whom	What you get	Status
SITA Export Growth Programme	Surinamese businesses with export ambition, not in mining, oil or round logs	Export marketing plan with a certified coach; 85% of USD 4,000 paid	Open, rolling
SITA Cost Share Grant	SMEs with an approved export plan	Up to 90% back on trade fairs, certification, tests, samples, marketing, B2B travel, e-commerce	Open, no closing date
SURGE (EZOTI, World Bank)	Growing SMEs with buyers in sight	Business diagnostic, coaching and matching grants	Closed; last round 2025, no new round announced
FTBP (via NOB)	Production and service firms (not trading); industry bodies	Cheap loans for studies and training; grant up to USD 25,000 for sector studies	Open
Caribbean Export (EU)	Exporting or export-ready firms in CARIFORUM	Grants per call (BRIDGE 2025: max EUR 50,000, 60%), training, free digital check	No grant call open; training and CDTI open
CDB PROPEL	Chambers, industry bodies, cooperatives, development finance institutions	Technical assistance to strengthen your organisation	Open until 16 November 2026
SheTrades Caribbean Tech It Up (CDB)	Women-led firms with a clean energy innovation	Coaching, and one USD 100,000 R&D grant	Call opens in Q1 2027
EU-LAC Social Accelerator	Consortia of NGOs, cooperatives, social enterprises from the EU and LAC	EUR 100,000 to 250,000 per project	Closed 8 April 2026; an example of recurring EU calls
Interreg Amazonia	Projects together with French Guiana	Project funding from the EU regional fund (about EUR 20 million, 2021-2027)	Per call; always with a French Guiana partner
GEF Small Grants Programme (UNDP)	Registered NGOs and community organisations	USD 5,000 to 50,000 per project	2025 call closed; new calls within phase 8
PUM	SMEs that need advice	A Dutch senior expert, usually for a few weeks on site or online	Apply any time
Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute	Micro, small and medium firms in the Caribbean	Free Digital Check-Up and e-learning	Open since April 2026

Status checked on the official sites on 26 October 2026. Calls often open with little notice and stay open for only four to eight weeks. Subscribe to the newsletters of SITA, Caribbean Export and the CDB.

SITA: export plan and Cost Share Grant

The Suriname Investment and Trade Agency (SITA) runs two schemes that fit together. They are funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and run with the National Development Bank (NOB). The Cost Share Grant was launched on 30 October 2025.

Step 1: Export Growth Programme (the export plan)

With an export coach certified by SITA you write an Export Marketing Strategy: which market, which buyers, which positioning, which actions and what budget. The coach does research and helps write it, you decide. The programme is worth USD 4,000; it pays 85%, your own contribution is USD 600. You sign up through the registration form on SITA's site, followed by an intake about your product, capacity, export experience and financial position.

Step 2: Cost Share Grant (carrying it out)

• Who: formally established SMEs in Suriname, registered with the KKF, with a valid licence where required, outside mining, oil and gas and round logs, with an approved export plan. First-time exporters and women-owned firms get priority.
• What: up to 90% refund of market entry costs such as trade fair participation, product certification and testing, packaging and labelling, samples, marketing material, buyer visits and e-commerce. One application can cover several categories, each with its own cap.
• How to apply: rolling, no closing date. You submit your export plan, a company form, a form with the cost items and quotes, and a list of at least ten potential buyers with contact details and evidence that they buy your kind of product.
• Payment: SITA confirms within 10 days. You contract and pay the supplier; the NOB pays you the agreed amount within two weeks of receiving the invoice and proof of payment. For trade fairs and certification you can get an advance of up to 50% against a pro forma from an approved supplier.

More on exporting: Exporting from Suriname, EU rules for Surinamese suppliers and Trade agreements and market access. Which trade fair to choose: Business events.

Other Surinamese programmes

SURGE (finished, awaiting a successor)

Suriname's Growth Enterprises was the country's largest matching grant programme, run by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZOTI) with a World Bank loan. According to SURGE, more than 660 businesses received business development services, 413 were selected and USD 8.2 million in matching grants was paid out, with USD 3.7 million of the firms' own co-investment. The approach was buyer-led: firms that already sold and could point to a buyer or market stood the best chance. SURGE held an Impact Event on 18 April 2026. No new round had been announced on 26 October 2026. If a successor comes, expect the same requirements: growth figures, a concrete investment plan and a contribution of your own.

FTBP: studies, training and certification

The Private Sector Technical Assistance Fund (FTBP, managed by the NOB) is mainly a cheap loan (4% in SRD, 3% in foreign currency) for feasibility studies, market research, pilots, training and certification, always with a 10% own contribution. For industry and sector studies the fund gives a grant of up to USD 25,000 if your organisation represents more than half of the sector. Details and the other loans: Business financing.

Training: SPWE, SSB and the Chamber

• SPWE (Productive Work Units Foundation, under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour) trains starters and small business owners in business management and basic bookkeeping. In October 2025 it started training Small Business Coaches to support more entrepreneurs.
• The Suriname Standards Bureau (SSB) trains in ISO 9001, quality management and labelling, also in-company, and is preparing the National Quality Awards programme 2027 (also open to small firms and agro-processors). See Standards and certification.
• The KKF (Chamber of Commerce) regularly holds free business evenings on tax, annual accounts, ISO, cybersecurity and AI in farming, and every Monday morning an information desk on the oil and gas sector.

Training your staff: Staff training and internships.

Caribbean programmes

Caribbean Export Development Agency

Caribbean Export is CARIFORUM's trade and investment agency, funded by the European Union among others. Suriname is a member, so Surinamese firms can take part.

• Grants per call. Under the EU private sector programme (RPSDP) there were the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme, the Direct Support Grants and in 2025 the BRIDGE Digital Transformation Grant: up to EUR 50,000, at most 60% of a project of EUR 80,000 to 100,000, for e-commerce, automation, cybersecurity, apps and digital skills. Requirements: at least two years in operation with financial statements, exporting or showing export potential, a business bank account. The call closed on 9 November 2025. On 26 October 2026 no grant call was open.
• Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute (CDTI). With the IDB and Compete Caribbean: a free Digital Check-Up and e-learning on online presence, digital marketing, data, cybersecurity, e-commerce and digital operations. Launched on 8 April 2026.
• Training and workshops. ProNET, Services Go Global, ISO training, on-demand webinars, and workshops in member states, including Paramaribo (late 2025, on the EPA with the EU and access to finance). Caribbean Export also runs the Caribbean Investment Forum (see Business events).

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

Suriname is a borrowing member of the CDB. The bank works mainly through governments and banks, but also has schemes for the private sector.

• CDB PROPEL, successor to the CTCS technical assistance network. On 26 October 2026 it opened a call "Institutional Strengthening for MSME Development" for organisations that support entrepreneurs: development agencies, chambers, industry associations, cooperatives and development finance institutions. Closing date: 16 November 2026. Individual firms cannot apply.
• SheTrades Caribbean Tech It Up Facility (USD 550,000, 2026-2028): support for women-led firms bringing clean energy ideas to market, with one USD 100,000 R&D grant plus mentoring and intellectual property help. Suriname is one of the eight eligible countries. The call opens in Q1 2027 through the CDB's Submittable portal.
• The new 2026-2035 strategy promises more lending to the private sector and a trade finance programme for exports. That runs mainly through local banks; ask your bank.

IDB and IDB Lab

The IDB funds the SITA schemes and, through the Green Climate Fund, a NOB credit programme for SMEs and bio-businesses (see Business financing). IDB Lab, the innovation arm, funds innovative projects, usually through organisations and funds rather than as a counter for individual firms.

European and international programmes

• EU-LAC calls. Under the EU's Global Gateway agenda there are calls for Latin America and the Caribbean. Example: the EU-LAC Social Accelerator (budget EUR 1.8 million, EUR 100,000 to 250,000 per project, 18 to 24 months, deadline 8 April 2026) for consortia of organisations from the EU and the region. Caribbean Export also runs the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, which links digital firms with large companies for open innovation.
• Interreg Amazonia. The 2021-2027 cross-border programme of French Guiana with Suriname, Brazil and Guyana has about EUR 20 million from the European Regional Development Fund. Themes: economic innovation, sustainable development, mobility, social inclusion. Surinamese parties only take part in a project with a French Guiana partner. Exporting to French Guiana: Trade agreements and market access.
• Global Environment Facility (GEF). In the GEF-9 cycle (2026-2030) the themes are climate, biodiversity, land use, waste and water. Companies get no money directly: you take part in a project of the government or an NGO, submitted by a GEF agency such as UNDP or the World Bank. First present your idea briefly to the GEF Operational Focal Point at the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment.
• GEF Small Grants Programme (UNDP): USD 5,000 to 50,000 per project for registered NGOs and community organisations, with priority for conservation, eco and agro-tourism in the interior and sustainable farming and fishing. Projects with Indigenous and tribal communities require free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). A call for the eighth phase ran in 2025. A company can be a partner of an NGO applicant. Sustainable business: Sustainable business.
• UNIDO Programme for Country Partnership 2026-2031. Signed by EZOTI and UNIDO in November 2025: industrial policy and SMEs, agrifood chains and agro-industrial parks, quality infrastructure for exports, special economic zones and technical vocational training. It is not a grant counter; watch for projects and tenders that come out of it (Tenders).
• ILO MyGreenEnterprise. A training method that helps small entrepreneurs with green business ideas and greener operations. In February 2025 new Dutch-speaking trainers were trained in Paramaribo. Ask the employers' association or the Ministry of Labour about the next course.
• ITC Alliances for Action. The International Trade Centre used EU money to support the coconut value chain in the Caribbean, including Suriname (value addition, food safety, trade fair participation). It worked through a network of farmers and processors and had no open window; treat it as an example of value chain programmes that come back.
• SDG Investment Fair (UN, New York, 20 to 24 April 2026). Not a grant but an investor fair for projects of USD 30 million and up; you submit through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See Business events.

Dutch programmes and experts

• PUM Netherlands senior experts is active in Suriname, among others in farming, hospitality, tourism, health care, energy and marketing. An experienced (often retired) specialist advises your business as a volunteer, on site or online. You apply through PUM's country representative; ask about the conditions and what you pay yourself (usually local costs).
• CBI (Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries) publishes free market studies on European markets per product, from spices to tourism. Its coaching projects run in a limited number of countries; check the site whether your sector and country take part.
• DECP (Dutch Employers Cooperation Programme) works with employers' organisations in partner countries, including Suriname. You notice it through training by your industry body. See Business associations.
• RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) has the Starters International Business (SIB, a coach) and DHI (a contribution to feasibility and investment preparation) schemes for Dutch companies that want to start in Suriname. Useful if your partner, or your own diaspora company, is based in the Netherlands. See Doing business from the diaspora.

How to write an application that wins

Assessors read dozens of applications and score them on a fixed grid. Whoever answers their questions in their order, with figures and evidence, beats whoever writes a nice story.

1. Read the guidelines twice. Mark the requirements (who may apply, what is paid, what is not), the scoring criteria with their weights, and the mandatory annexes. A missing annex often means rejection without anyone reading your plan.
2. Check that you fit. Legal form, sector, size, age of the business, ownership, country. If in doubt, email the contact person before the deadline. Keep the reply.
3. Start with the problem, not the solution. Which concrete bottleneck holds back your growth (no certificate, too little cold storage, no buyer in the EU)? Use figures: turnover, output, losses, missed orders.
4. Show the buyer or market. Letters of intent, emails from buyers, lists of distributors, trade fair visits. Programmes like SITA and SURGE reward proven demand over good intentions.
5. Make a budget that adds up. Every item with a quote, in the scheme's currency, with exchange rate and date. Split what the grant pays and what you pay. Check your own contribution and pre-financing with Cash flow planner.
6. State measurable results. "Export sales from 0 to USD 60,000 within 18 months, 4 new jobs, HACCP certificate in month 9." No vague goals.
7. Plan over time. A simple monthly plan with milestones and who is responsible.
8. Name the risks yourself. Exchange rate, lead times, permits, weather. Say how you handle them. That does not cost points, it earns them.
9. Have someone else read it. Someone who does not know your business should understand it within ten minutes. Cut the jargon.
10. Submit on time and keep proof. Not on the last day (portals jam), in the requested format, with the subject line the guidelines prescribe.

Your business plan is the basis of almost every application: Writing a business plan and the free tool Business plan template. Figures for your application: Break-even calculator and ROI and payback. For market evidence: Market research.

Checklist: what you almost always need

• Recent KKF extract and, for an NV, the articles of association and share register
• Tax number (FIN) and a recent tax clearance (no arrears or an arrangement)
• Business licence if your activity requires one (Business licences)
• Annual accounts or management figures for the last two years
• Bank statements of the business account
• Business plan or export plan with budget
• Quotes for every cost item, preferably two or three per item
• Evidence of demand: buyers, letters of intent, orders
• IDs of directors and a UBO declaration
• CVs of the people carrying out the project
• For NGO calls: statutes, board composition, annual report and reference projects

Pitfalls

• Spending before approval. Almost no scheme refunds costs incurred before the contract is signed. Wait before you order.
• No money to pre-finance. Cost-share pays afterwards. Arrange working capital or ask about the advance.
• Asking for too much at once. A smaller, focused project wins more often than a large plan with many loose parts.
• Paid "grant consultants" who promise a guaranteed award. Official programmes charge no application fees and give no guarantees. In doubt? Call the programme yourself.
• Forgetting the reporting. After the award you must hand in receipts, photos and progress reports. If you do not, you may have to repay and you will not stand a chance in the next round.

What if...

• ...I do not export yet and have no plan? Then SITA's Export Growth Programme is exactly for you: you write the plan with a coach for a USD 600 contribution.
• ...my business is less than two years old? Many grants ask for two years of figures. Start with training (SPWE, KKF, CDTI) and a loan (Business financing), and build up your records for the next round.
• ...I am in trading? Trading is often excluded (FTBP, PKF). Look at digitalisation (CDTI, future Caribbean Export calls) and the Cost Share Grant if you export a service or product.
• ...I want to take part from abroad? Most schemes require a business established in Suriname. Set up an NV first; see Doing business from the diaspora and Investing in Suriname.
• ...my application is rejected? Ask for the scores and the reasons. Use them for the next call; programmes with rounds often come back.

Sources

• SITA: Export Growth Programme
• SITA: Cost Share Grant
• SITA: launch of the Cost Share Grant and EIP phase II (30 October 2025)
• SURGE: results and 2026 Impact Event
• Government of Suriname: funds (FTBP, PKF, SURGE, NOFA, SCF)
• Private Sector Technical Assistance Fund (FTBP)
• SPWE: Small Business Coach training (October 2025)
• Suriname Standards Bureau: newsletter, 2nd edition 2026
• Caribbean Export: grants (DAGS, Direct Support, BRIDGE 2025)
• Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute
• CDB: CDB PROPEL call (26 October 2026)
• CDB: SheTrades Caribbean Tech It Up Facility (30 September 2026)
• IDB: programme SU-G1007 with the NOB
• IDB Lab
• EU-LAC Social Accelerator: calls
• Key News: Suriname and French Guiana, Interreg Amazonia (February 2025)
• Global Environment Facility
• GEF Small Grants Programme (UNDP)
• ITC: coconut value chain in Suriname
• PUM: Suriname
• CBI: market information
• DECP
• RVO: starting a business in Suriname (SIB, DHI)

Checked on 26 October 2026. Calls and amounts change often. Always check the current conditions with the programme before you spend money.