Kumamoto-type Support Subsidy for Small Businesses (Application Opens Feb 24)

1) Overview: The Kumamoto-type Support Subsidy is operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural SME Group Central Association using the national Regional Revitalization Temporary Grant for Price Hike Response. It funds part of the expenses incurred by small businesses pursuing sustainable growth—particularly those tackling management challenges such as securing funds for wage hikes—to strengthen their earning power and create a virtuous cycle of higher wages. 2) Eligible applicants: Small businesses with a principal place of business in Kumamoto Prefecture. Headcount caps: commerce/services (excluding lodging & entertainment) up to 5 full-time employees; lodging/entertainment and manufacturing/other up to 20. Eligible entities include corporations (KK, GK, GMK, GSK, special yugen-kaisha, business cooperatives, professional-services corporations), individual proprietors filing business income, and certain NPOs. Excluded: medical doctors/dentists, individual farmers/fishers earning only via collective shipment, medical/religious/school/social-welfare juridical persons, agricultural cooperatives, general/public interest incorporated associations or foundations, those not actually operating by Feb 23 2026, voluntary groups, and adult-entertainment operators. No outstanding prefectural taxes and no organized-crime affiliation required. 3) Eligible projects/expenses: Five menus—(1) cost reduction (energy-efficient equipment, in-housing outsourced work, paperless tools), (2) productivity (IT tools, IoT, POS, ordering systems), (3) sales growth (trade shows, EC, store renovation), (4) value-add (SNS ads, design refresh, PR videos), (5) HR (job ads, training, on-site childcare). Eleven cost categories include machinery, PR, website, exhibition, travel, new-product development, rentals, training, auxiliary labor, equipment disposal, and outsourcing. 4) Rate, cap, schedule & key points: Subsidy rate up to 9/10 of eligible expenses (rounded down to nearest 1,000 yen). Caps by headcount: 0 → 200,000 JPY; 1–4 → 500,000; 5–9 → 1,000,000; 10–20 → 2,000,000. Applications open Feb 24 2026, close Sep 30 2026 (or earlier when budget is exhausted); project must finish by Nov 30 2026; report due 15 days after completion or Dec 15 2026, whichever is earlier. Electronic application only; one submission per entity; orders over 1,000,000 JPY (tax incl.) need at least two competing quotes.