To many small businesses, a professional website looks like a major expense – and that is exactly what keeps some from getting started. Yet a significant part of the cost can often be recovered through public funding programs: with the right consulting grant, the state usually covers 50 percent (BAFA) of the eligible costs, and individual regional programs offer even more. At the same time, many small firms still lag behind with their digital presence: 53 percent (Bitkom) of companies in Germany report problems with managing digitalization. This article gives a clear overview of which grants are realistic for a website in 2026, who is eligible, and how a clear fixed price from 390 euros noticeably eases the funding application.
Key takeaways
- The BAFA funding for entrepreneurial know-how subsidizes consulting services at 50 percent (BAFA), up to 1,750 euros per consultation – the application must be submitted before the work begins.
- The federal go-digital program expired at the end of 2024; its place is taken by regional funding, the KfW development loan and free Mittelstand-Digital centers.
- Regional digital bonus programs of the federal states fund digitalization projects with grants that vary considerably by state and degree of innovation.
- A clearly defined fixed price provides the traceable offer that funding bodies usually expect for an application – this saves time and follow-up questions.
Why a Look at Funding Programs Pays Off
The most common reason small businesses end up with an outdated website or none at all is not a lack of will but the fear of the costs. A website appears to be a planning-intensive investment whose benefit is hard to quantify in advance. This is exactly where public funding programs come in: the federal and state governments have recognized the digitalization gap among small firms and want to close it with grants. According to Bitkom, one in five companies with 20 to 99 employees – specifically 22 percent (Bitkom) – still has no overarching digital strategy. Anyone who uses the right funding not only lowers their own costs but also brings part of their tax money back to their own business.
An honest classification is important right from the start: funding is not automatic. Programs have application deadlines, conditions and budgets that can change. A purely simple website is also not recognized as eligible by every program – some states explicitly fund only projects with an innovation or process angle. Even so, for many businesses a realistic lever remains to recover part of the investment, for example via consulting funding or a suitable regional program. Which routes are open depends on the federal state, the size of the company and the specific project.
The most important rule: apply first, then commission
BAFA: Funding for Entrepreneurial Know-How
Probably the best-known federal program, and the most easily accessible for small firms, is the "funding for entrepreneurial know-how" of the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). What is funded here is not the building of the website itself but the consulting around a business project – for example the concept of your online presence, the development of a digital strategy or support during implementation. The grant amounts to 50 percent (BAFA) of the eligible consulting costs. The assessment base is a uniform 3,500 euros, which results in a maximum grant of 1,750 euros (BAFA) per consultation.
A welcome change for small business owners and freelancers: from 2026, BAFA assesses applications on the basis of gross costs, provided the applicant is not entitled to deduct input tax (BAFA). For the first time, part of the value-added tax is thus co-funded, which especially relieves small business owners who cannot claim input tax. Eligible are small and medium-sized enterprises, business founders and freelancers with their registered office and business operations in Germany. The consulting must be carried out by a consultant registered with BAFA, and the application must be submitted online via the BAFA platform before the consulting begins.
Who is eligible
Small and medium-sized enterprises, business founders and freelancers with their office and operations in Germany. Young businesses in the startup phase can benefit too.
How high is the grant
50 percent of the eligible consulting costs, at most 1,750 euros per consultation (BAFA). The assessment base is a uniform 3,500 euros.
What to watch for
The application must be submitted online before the consulting starts, and the consulting is done by a registered consultant. At most two applications per year are possible.
Keep consulting and implementation cleanly separate
go-digital: Expired – and the Alternatives for 2026
For years, the federal go-digital program was the first port of call when it came to funded digitalization projects including web presences. It covered up to 50 percent of consultant fees in modules such as "digitalized business processes" or "digital market development." Important for 2026: the application phase for go-digital ended on 31 December 2024, and new applications are no longer possible (BMWE). The responsible ministry cites the budget situation as the reason. There is no direct federal successor so far; the federal government refers to the states and to other instruments.
But this does not mean support no longer exists. In place of go-digital, several routes step in for 2026: the regional digital bonus programs of the federal states, the KfW development loan for digitalization, and the roughly 30 free Mittelstand-Digital centers nationwide (BMWE), which offer workshops, demonstrators and individual consulting without an invoice. For consulting around your online presence, the BAFA funding described above remains the central building block. So anyone who relied on go-digital so far should now turn their attention specifically to these alternatives.
| Program | What is funded | Status 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| BAFA funding for entrepreneurial know-how | Consulting services, 50 %, max. 1,750 € | Active, can be applied for online |
| go-digital (federal) | Consultant fees for digitalization | Expired since 31 Dec 2024 |
| Digital bonus of the states | Digitalization projects, depending on state | Active or relaunched depending on state |
| KfW ERP development loan for digitalization | Investments, low-interest loan | Active, via your house bank |
| Mittelstand-Digital centers | Workshops, demos, individual consulting | Free of charge, around 30 centers nationwide |
Regional Digital Bonus Programs of the Federal States
After the large federal programs expired, the state digital bonuses have become the most important grant instrument for the digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises in 2026. How high the grant is and whether it is available at all depends heavily on the federal state – and the landscape changes constantly. In Bavaria, for example, the digital bonus runs over a fixed period until the end of 2027; small businesses can receive a grant of up to 7,500 euros in the standard variant, and up to 30,000 euros in the plus variant for projects with special innovation content, each at a funding rate of around 50 percent (Digitalbonus Bayern).
In other states the picture differs. In Lower Saxony, the former digital bonus was replaced by a relaunched program with a stronger focus on innovation; the funding rate there was most recently around 35 percent for small and 20 percent for medium-sized enterprises, with grants between 3,000 and 50,000 euros (NBank). In North Rhine-Westphalia, in turn, there is no longer a classic digital bonus but project-based grants for structural digitalization and innovation projects (Skill-Sprinters). A blanket statement of "this is how much you get" is therefore not possible – what matters is the location and the specific project.
A purely standard website is not eligible in every case
It is precisely here that the scope of the project becomes important. A lean starter website is often not eligible, whereas a project with a real function is. Anyone planning, for instance, an online shop on an open-source basis or a booking solution has better chances of fitting into a state program. Which variant suits your business and your federal state is best clarified in advance – the authoritative source remains the official funding database and the funding body of the respective state.
The KfW Development Loan as a Low-Interest Complement
Besides the classic grants, the KfW ERP development loan for digitalization and innovation is another instrument that has become interesting for small firms in 2026. Unlike a grant, this is a loan, but on favorable terms. Particularly relevant for small projects: there is no longer a minimum loan amount, so even smaller sums from 25,000 euros are possible (KfW). The term runs up to ten years with up to three repayment-free start-up years, and in certain stages an additional repayment subsidy of up to 5 percent of the loan amount can be granted (KfW).
For a pure website, a loan of several tens of thousands of euros is usually oversized – the instrument is more worthwhile when the website is part of a larger digitalization project, for example together with new software, a shop system or the modernization of internal IT. The application runs via the house bank, not directly with KfW. For small businesses initially planning only a modest investment, the BAFA consulting funding and a suitable state program are usually the more obvious route. The KfW loan is the option for the bigger step.
BAFA consulting funding
The obvious entry point: a 50 percent grant on consulting, applied for online, for SMEs, founders and freelancers. Ideal for developing the concept and strategy of the website.
State digital bonus
For projects with a real function: grants depending on the federal state and innovation content. Check availability and amount in advance with the state funding body.
KfW development loan
A low-interest loan from 25,000 euros for larger digitalization projects in which the website is only one building block. Application via your house bank.
Mittelstand-Digital centers
Around 30 centers nationwide offer workshops, demonstrators and individual consulting without an invoice – a free first step for orientation.
Federal funding database
The official funding database bundles programs from the federal government, states and the EU. It is the reliable source for checking current deadlines and conditions.
Chamber of commerce advice
The chambers of industry and commerce advise free of charge on consulting and digitalization funding and help find the right program for your case.
How to Proceed with the Funding Application
The route to funding usually follows the same pattern, regardless of the specific program. It begins with clarifying which program fits your project, your company size and your federal state. Then comes the binding offer with a clearly defined scope, which almost every funding body requires for the application. Only after that is the application submitted – and only after it is approved may the measure begin. Anyone who keeps to this order avoids the most common mistake that costs the funding: starting too early.
- Check the program: use the official federal funding database and your state funding body to clarify which program fits your project.
- Obtain a binding offer: a traceable fixed-price offer with a clearly defined scope as the basis for the application.
- Submit the application: complete and before the measure begins – online via the respective platform, such as that of BAFA.
- Wait for approval: only after a positive decision place the order and start implementation.
- Implement and document: keep invoices, proofs and the result cleanly – they are needed for the proof of use.
- Submit the proof of use: after completion, submit the required documents so that the grant is paid out.
The fixed price is your strongest argument in the application
Why a Fixed Price Makes the Application Easier
Funding programs thrive on traceability. A funding body must be able to see which service is provided, what it costs and when it is completed. This is exactly where the fixed-price model has a structural advantage over billing by the hour: with a fixed price, the amount is set in advance, the scope is described in writing, and there is no open range that would need to be explained in the application. We described the fundamental difference between the two models in detail in our article on fixed price and hourly rate.
On top of that, a clearly defined package makes it easier to separate consulting and implementation cleanly – important, for instance, when the consulting is funded via BAFA and the implementation runs as its own project. Our fixed-price services are cut exactly that way: a defined number of pages, a responsive design, the setup of the imprint and privacy policy, the transfer of your content and an introduction to maintenance. Each of these items can be named and priced – the form a funding application needs. Anyone still at the very beginning will find additional pointers on what matters for a modern presence in our article on how small websites get found in AI search.
Note on bindingness