Alicante allocates €200,000 to trade and hospitality associations in 2026

Alicante City Council has announced €200,000 in grants for associations representing retailers, hospitality businesses and traders at municipal markets and street markets. Organisations can submit applications online from 17 October to 5 November 2026 and put forward projects to be carried out between January and November.

The call for applications was approved as a matter of urgency on 6 October and published in the Boletín Oficial de la Provincia on 16 October. Grants will be awarded through a competitive process: projects will be assessed against the criteria set out in the rules, and funding will be allocated until the budget is exhausted.

Eligible applicants include active non-profit associations with their registered office and tax domicile in Alicante and at least 30 active member businesses. Federations, confederations and associations representing traders at municipal markets and street markets are also eligible. At least 80% of members must be small or medium-sized businesses or self-employed people.

Organisations must provide their own income equivalent to 15% of the requested budget, with at least 10% coming from members’ subscriptions. Each association may submit one application and must have a digital certificate for a legal entity’s representative to complete the process through the municipal e-office. Joint projects involving several associations are also eligible.

The grant can cover up to 100% of a project’s budget, subject to limits based on the size of the organisation. The maximum is €6,500 for associations with 30 to 40 members; €15,000 for those with 41 to 70; €25,000 for those with 71 to 100; and €27,500 for those with more than 100 members.

The rules give priority to initiatives involving digitalisation and e-commerce, training and professional development, sustainability and social responsibility, as well as campaigns and activities to bring life to shopping and hospitality areas. For businesses in Alicante, the scheme gives their associations a way to fund joint promotional and improvement initiatives, provided they meet the requirements and submit the necessary documents by the deadline.

In 2025, the Council also launched a grant scheme with an initial budget of €200,000. On 4 December that year, the Local Government Board approved grants totalling €177,869.26 for the participating associations.

Article written by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.