The Local Enterprise Offices in Cork
The Local Enterprise Office is the first stop for any small business. Training, mentoring and advice are open to everyone. Its cash grants are only for manufacturing and internationally traded services businesses with up to 10 staff. What the Cork office can and cannot fund.
Local Enterprise Office Cork City
- Address
- Cork City Council, City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork, T12 T997
- Phone
- 021 4961828
- info@leo.corkcity.ie
- Website
- localenterprise.ie/CorkCity
- How to apply
- Online portal. You start with an online Grant Expression of Interest form, and a member of staff contacts you about the next steps. Full applications go through the office's online system. It takes a limited number of applications in each round, and any that arrive after the quota is reached go forward to the next round.
- Dates to know
- Online information webinar on the office's grants and how to apply: Thursday 8 October 2026, 12pm to 1pm
No 2026 closing dates or committee dates are published. Ask the office before you apply. - Courses
- Start Your Own Business courses and other training
Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West
- Address
- West Cork office: Building C, West Cork Business and Technology Park, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, P85 RV08. North Cork office: Spa House, The Spa, Mallow, Co. Cork, P51 FD83 (phone 022 43235, email northcork@leo.corkcoco.ie).
- Phone
- 023 8834700
- westcork@leo.corkcoco.ie
- Website
- localenterprise.ie/CorkNorthandWest
- How to apply
- Online portal. The office asks you to ring and meet a member of its team before you apply, to talk through your plans. You then apply on its online portal, which includes a short one-question video interview. Spending before the office acknowledges your completed application in writing is not eligible.
- Dates to know
- Next deadline for Feasibility, Priming and Business Expansion Grant applications on the online portal: Thursday 5 November 2026
Online business advice clinic: Wednesday 14 October 2026, booked through the office's online form - Courses
- Start Your Own Business courses and other training
Local Enterprise Office South Cork
- Address
- The Business Growth Hub, Cork County Council, Carrigrohane Road, Cork, T12 A243
- Phone
- 021 4285200
- southcork@leo.corkcoco.ie
- Website
- localenterprise.ie/SouthCork
- How to apply
- Online portal. You first complete a Grant Expression of Interest form online. The office says a member of its team will be in touch within 10 working days to discuss the next steps. The form is not itself a grant application.
- Dates to know
- No 2026 closing dates or committee dates are published. Ask the office before you apply.
Next Start Your Own Business Programme on the booking page: from 2 November 2026 - Courses
- Start Your Own Business courses and other training
Can your business get a LEO grant?
Four taps. The honest answer, and what you can use if the answer is no.
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What Cork City Council offers
Two strands, each paying 25% of the cost excluding VAT, up to €5,000: a Painting Grant for painting, cleaning, power washing and minor external repairs, and a Shopfront Grant for upgrading or restoring the shop front. One property could apply under both, so up to €10,000.
Buildings on St Patrick's Street between St Augustine's Church and Lavitt's Quay or Merchant's Quay. The property owner could apply, or a tenant with the owner's written consent. Anyone in arrears with commercial rates, without a formal agreement with the council, was not eligible.
Online application on the council's portal, with three quotes, proof of ownership or the owner's consent, and a completed colour palette template. The council set aside €200,000 and assessed each application on value for money and impact on the street.
Closed. Applications closed on Thursday 26 March 2026, and the work had to be finished by 30 September 2026.
The council described it as a new programme, with St Patrick's Street the focus for 2026. Successful applicants got trade discounts on paint and some equipment, and the council waived some scaffolding and hoarding fees.
We found no rates incentive for a new business opening in a vacant premises from Cork City Council for 2026. The council's vacancy abatement takes 40% off the rates on an empty property, which helps the owner, not a new tenant.
4% of the bill for rate accounts of up to €4,000 a year, and 2% for accounts of €4,001 to €10,000
Ratepayers whose account is settled in full by 30 November 2026 with no arrears. Paying on a payment plan also qualifies. The council says about 75% of all ratepayers will benefit.
No application. The rebate is applied automatically as a credit on your account in 2027. The Rates Office is on 021 4924484 or rates@corkcity.ie.
Pay in full by 30 November 2026.
If you own a vacant property that is available to let, or is undergoing significant renovation, you can get 40% off its rates. Send proof, such as a letter from a letting agent or contractor, with the application form to rates@corkcity.ie. The council says reductions are generally applied in the last quarter of the year.
What Cork County Council offers
Up to 60% of the cost of painting a building, or of replacing plastic, neon or printed signs with traditional shop front signs. Up to 70% where most of a street applies together. 100% of the cost of paint and materials if you do the work yourself.
Tenants or owners of occupied buildings in key town locations across the 8 Municipal Districts of County Cork. Main streets and commercial premises get priority.
Online application form, with 3 quotations from tax-compliant registered contractors and photos of the building. Your local Municipal District office approves the application and the paint colours or sign design, and pays the grant once you send receipted invoices and photos of the finished work.
Closed. The extended closing date was Friday 22 May 2026. The council gave €199,208.85 to 119 of the 145 applicants, across 29 towns and villages.
75% of the rates waived at the end of year 1, 50% at the end of year 2 and 25% at the end of year 3. Each year is 12 months of trading from the date you occupy the premises.
A new business, a business relocating or expanding from outside the county, or an existing business opening a second location, in a rated commercial premises listed as vacant for at least 2 years. For 2026 it covers Kanturk, Mallow and Youghal only. The council looks first at whether your business would take trade from an existing one.
Fill in the Part B application form and email it to collection@corkcoco.ie, or post it to the Rate Collection Office, Finance Directorate, Floor 6 extension, County Hall, Cork, T12 R2NC. Queries go to 021 4285252.
Open for 2026. The council's page gives no closing date.
3.5% of your 2026 rates bill, counted on no more than €7,000 of it, so €245 at most
Every ratepayer in the county whose 2026 rates and any arrears are paid in full by 31 October 2026.
No application. The council gives it as a credit against your 2027 rates.
Pay in full by 31 October 2026.
The council kept the abatement on vacant commercial premises at 100% for 2026. It applies where a premises is empty for repairs or redevelopment, or because the owner cannot find a suitable tenant at a reasonable rent. Apply in writing to collection@corkcoco.ie.
Council hubs with hot desks, offices and meeting rooms in Bantry, Cobh, Fermoy, Mitchelstown and Newmarket, booked through the national Connected Hubs website. The council's Economic Development Section is on 021 4285795.
A council initiative in Carrigaline industrial estate with a fully equipped catering kitchen and bakery kitchen that new and existing food businesses can rent by the hour.
What would the council take off your rates?
Pick the council and put in the yearly rates bill for the premises.
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LEADER funding in Cork
LEADER pays grants to rural businesses and community groups. In Cork it is delivered by 5 local groups, and their staff help you put an application together.
North Cork, and parts of south and west Cork
Says it is accepting expressions of interest across north, south and west Cork. Its latest targeted call, The Green Economy in north Cork, closed to expressions of interest on 24 July 2026 and to full applications on 25 September 2026.
Phone: 022 46580
Parts of south and west Cork. Office in Midleton
Rolling calls take expressions of interest at any time, on a first come, first served basis. SECAD says it currently takes expressions of interest only from organisations and businesses that got less than €50,000 in LEADER funding over the past five years. Email leader@secad.ie to speak to a development officer first.
Phone: 021 461 3432
The north Cork part of the Ballyhoura region
Two steps: an expression of interest form, then a full application if your project is eligible in principle. Its 2026 targeted call, on digital connectivity, closed to expressions of interest on 1 May 2026.
Phone: 063 91300
The Duhallow area. Office at the James O'Keeffe Institute, Newmarket
Its LEADER page had no current call details when we checked. Phone the office.
Phone: 029 60633
The Cork islands and the Three Peninsulas in west Cork
The programme is open. Contact the company for an expression of interest form.
Phone: 099 75096
Help with a business plan if you are on a welfare payment
If you are on a jobseeker's or other social welfare payment and want to start a business, a local development company helps you prepare the business plan for the enterprise allowances.
North Cork. Development officers in Castletownroche, with outreach offices in Fermoy, Mallow and Buttevant
Phone: 022 46580
The Bantry, Skibbereen and Bandon-Kinsale municipal districts. Offices in Clonakilty and Bantry
Phone: 023 8834035
The Ballyhoura area of north Cork. Offices in Mitchelstown and Charleville
Phone: 025 85213
Also in Cork
- Cork has a Gaeltacht area. Businesses there deal with Údarás na Gaeltachta, which has its own grants, instead of the Local Enterprise Office for some supports.
- The nearest New Frontiers programme for early-stage founders is at Munster Technological University, Cork campus (Rubicon Centre).
Good to know in Cork
Which Local Enterprise Office you use depends on where your business is. Cork City covers the city council area. South Cork covers places such as Little Island, Cobh, Midleton, Youghal, Watergrasshill, Ovens, Macroom and Carrigaline. Cork North and West covers places such as Bandon, Bantry, Charleville, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Fermoy, Kanturk, Kinsale, Mallow, Mitchelstown, Newmarket, Skibbereen and the Beara Peninsula. Cork North and West's online portal lists 5 November 2026 as the next deadline for Feasibility, Priming and Business Expansion grant applications. LEO Cork City caps its Priming and Business Expansion grants at 50% of the investment, up to €50,000, with larger grants only in exceptional cases.
Both councils give an automatic rates credit in 2027 to ratepayers who pay on time in 2026. Cork City Council gives 4% on bills up to €4,000 and 2% on bills of €4,001 to €10,000, if you pay by 30 November 2026. Cork County Council gives 3.5% on the first €7,000 of the bill, or €245 at most, if you pay by 31 October 2026. Cork County's rates waiver for long-empty units in Kanturk, Mallow and Youghal takes 75%, 50% and 25% off over three years for a business opening in a premises vacant for at least two years.
Both councils ran painting and shop front grants for Cork streets in 2026, and both have closed. Cork County Council's Streetscape Enhancement Scheme closed on 22 May 2026 and funded 119 applicants in 29 towns and villages. Cork City Council's new façade grant, for St Patrick's Street only, closed on 26 March 2026. Neither council has announced a 2027 round yet.
LEADER grants for rural Cork are delivered by five companies, and only the one covering your location can process your project: Avondhu Blackwater Partnership, SECAD Partnership, Ballyhoura Development, IRD Duhallow and Comhar na nOileán. West Cork Development Partnership does not deliver LEADER in this programme, but it does help people start a business. The Cork Gaeltacht is in Múscraí and on Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear), where Údarás na Gaeltachta supports businesses. Údarás client companies cannot get Local Enterprise Office grants.
What every business in Cork can apply for
- Microfinance Ireland loans for Cork businesses: State-backed loans of €2,000 to €50,000 for businesses with fewer than 10 staff, start-ups included.
- the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance in Cork: keep your welfare payment for two years while you start a business.
- the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance in Cork: the same idea for people on Jobseeker's Benefit.
- the Grow Digital Voucher through the Cork office: half the cost of software and digital tools for small businesses.
- the Energy Efficiency Grant for Cork firms: help with the cost of cutting your energy bills.
- the Wage Subsidy Scheme for Cork employers: an hourly subsidy when you employ a person with a disability.
We can write the business plan for your allowance application
Starting a business in Cork? We write the business plan and 12-month cashflow that an allowance or a loan application asks for.
- Your business plan under the headings the Department of Social Protection asks for
- Your 12-month cashflow, month by month
- A prep sheet for the meeting with your adviser, and a guide to the form
€99 one-off, VAT included. You put in your figures and check your cashflow, then pay and answer the questions. A person prepares your pack within two working days. 14-day money-back promise. We cannot promise any funder will approve you.
Common questions
Which Local Enterprise Office do I use in Cork?
It depends on your business address. LEO Cork City is at City Hall, Anglesea Street (021 4961828, info@leo.corkcity.ie). LEO South Cork is at the Business Growth Hub on the Carrigrohane Road (021 4285200, southcork@leo.corkcoco.ie) and covers places such as Cobh, Midleton, Youghal, Macroom and Carrigaline. LEO Cork North and West has offices in Clonakilty (023 8834700) and Mallow (022 43235) and covers north and west Cork, from Mitchelstown and Charleville to Skibbereen and Beara.
Can a shop or cafe in Cork get a LEO grant?
Not the main cash grants. The Feasibility, Priming and Business Expansion grants from the three Cork offices are for manufacturing and internationally traded services businesses with up to 10 employees, and LEO Cork City's grant page says retailers, such as coffee shops, and local services are not eligible. A shop or cafe with 1 to 50 employees that has traded for at least six months can apply for the Grow Digital Voucher (50% of the cost, up to €5,000, after a Digital for Business report) and the Energy Efficiency Grant (75% of the cost, up to €10,000, after a Green for Business report). Mentoring, training and a Microfinance Ireland loan through the office are also open to you.
Do Cork City Council and Cork County Council give grants to businesses?
Mostly through rates. Both give a credit on 2027 rates if you pay your 2026 bill on time: 4% or 2% in the city, by 30 November, and 3.5% up to €245 in the county, by 31 October. Cork County Council also waives 75%, 50% and 25% of rates over three years for a business opening in a premises vacant for two years in Kanturk, Mallow or Youghal. Both councils ran shop front and painting grants in 2026, but both have closed.
Who helps with a Back to Work Enterprise Allowance business plan in Cork?
It depends on where you live. Cork City Partnership (021 430 2310) covers the city, SECAD Partnership (021 461 3432) covers south and east Cork, Avondhu Blackwater Partnership (022 46580) and Ballyhoura Development (025 85213) cover parts of north Cork, and West Cork Development Partnership (023 8834035) covers west Cork. Each one offers self-employment support, including help with a business plan. Ballyhoura says your Intreo case officer makes the referral, and the Department of Social Protection decides on the allowance.
Is LEADER funding open in Cork?
Partly. SECAD Partnership runs rolling calls that take expressions of interest at any time, but only from groups and businesses that got less than €50,000 in LEADER funding over the past five years. Avondhu Blackwater Partnership says it is taking expressions of interest across north, south and west Cork, and Comhar na nOileán takes them for the islands and the Three Peninsulas. The 2026 targeted calls from Ballyhoura Development and Avondhu Blackwater have closed. Talk to the company that covers your area before you fill in a form.
Where this comes from
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, contact page
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, grants process
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, eligibility criteria
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, Priming Grant
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, Business Expansion Grant
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, business advice clinic and areas covered by each Cork office
- Local Enterprise Office Cork City, grants information webinar on 8 October 2026
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, contact page
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, Priming Grants
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, Priming Grant application form 2026 (online portal)
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, FAQs on the application process
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, business advice clinics
- Local Enterprise Office South Cork, contact page
- Local Enterprise Office South Cork, Priming Grant
- Local Enterprise Office South Cork, Expression of Interest Form
- Local Enterprise Offices, Grow Digital Voucher
- Cork City Council, apply for business grants (City Centre Façade Improvement Grants 2026)
- Cork City Council, €200,000 fund for St Patrick's Street (26 January 2026)
- Cork City Council, City Centre Façade Improvement Grant Guidelines 2026
- Cork City Council, 2026 budget and rates incentive scheme
- Cork City Council, rates and vacancy abatement
- Cork County Council, Streetscape Enhancement Scheme 2026
- Cork County Council, Streetscape Enhancement Scheme allocations (13 July 2026)
- Cork County Council, Rate Waiver Schemes 2026
- Cork County Council, Rate Waiver Scheme 2026 Part B application form (PDF)
- Cork County Council, rate abatement for vacant properties 2026
- Cork County Council, eCentres and remote working hubs
- Cork County Council, Cork Incubator Kitchens
- gov.ie, LEADER Local Action Groups and implementing partners 2023 to 2027
- gov.ie, LEADER Local Action Groups contact details
- Avondhu Blackwater Partnership, LEADER targeted and rolling calls
- Avondhu Blackwater Partnership, SICAP self-employment supports
- SECAD Partnership, LEADER programme
- SECAD Partnership, LEADER calls for expressions of interest
- SECAD Partnership, start your own business support
- Ballyhoura Development, apply for LEADER funding (north Cork)
- Ballyhoura Development, North Cork targeted call 2026
- Ballyhoura Development, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
- Ballyhoura Development, contact details
- IRD Duhallow, LEADER programme
- IRD Duhallow, contact details
- Comhar na nOileán, LEADER 2023 to 2027
- Cork City Partnership, SICAP 2024 to 2028
- West Cork Development Partnership, SICAP
- West Cork Development Partnership, contact details
- gov.ie, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
- Local Enterprise Offices, Energy Efficiency Grant
- Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Cork Gaeltacht
- New Frontiers, Munster Technological University Cork campus
Checked on 3 October 2026. We are an independent guide, not a government service. Closing dates and schemes change, so confirm with the office or the council before you rely on anything here.