Startup grants in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026: non-repayable support by country
Short answer: MENA has no single regional grant; the money comes from national agencies. The largest non-repayable amounts we track are in Qatar, where the QCB Fintech Development Grant co-funds fintechs with up to QAR 1.5M (about $412,000), and in Morocco, where TATWIR-Startup subsidises 30% of an industrial startup's investment (up to MAD 2M) and half its product development. Egypt's TIEC StartIT gives ICT startups an EGP 480,000 support package plus $10,000 in AWS credits, and Bahrain's Tamkeen pays for a free accelerator and half the cost of software. Saudi Arabia has its own guide: see startup grants in Saudi Arabia.
The Grant Index tracks 36 programs open to startups in MENA countries, each checked against its official page (the date is in the "Verified" column). This guide covers grants, subsidies and free programs only. We leave out loans, loan guarantees and anything that takes equity or uses a SAFE, including the Orange Corners Innovation Fund, whose larger track is part loan. Many programs here run in cohorts, so check the status shown next to each one.
1. Egypt
Egypt's support for tech startups comes mainly from ITIDA, the Information Technology Industry Development Agency, and its innovation center TIEC.
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIEC StartIT Incubation ProgramITIDA — Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) | EGP 480,000 equity-free support package (~$10k) + $10,000 AWS credits, 1-year incubation | Early ICT startups at business-plan or prototype stage, operating in Egypt; students can apply. The package is delivered as services (marketing, HR, legal, technical) rather than cash; business plans are assessed quarterly. | 2026-10-23 |
| ITIDA Technology Entrepreneurship Accelerator (TEA)Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) | Free 3-month accelerator (workshops, mentorship, investor pitch); no cash amount stated | Teams only (no solo founders), all Egyptian nationals, with a tech idea or prototype and good English. Runs twice a year; no funding amount stated. | 2026-10-22 |
| Egyptian-Spanish IT Innovation Program (ESITIP) pausedITIDA with CDTI (Spain) | Up to EGP 3M (~$62k) for product development projects (EGP 1.5M for ARPs) + up to EGP 250k for IC fabrication/prototyping | Established Egyptian ICT companies registered in the ITIDA database, with a Spanish private-company partner; one joint proposal through Spain's CDTI. The 10th call ran February to May 2026. | 2026-10-23 |
2. Morocco
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| TATWIR-Startup (Maroc PME)Maroc PME | 30% investment subsidy capped at MAD 2M (~$216k) + 50% of product design/development up to MAD 1.5M; free pre-incubation & incubation | Innovative industrial startups or high-value industry-linked services; pre-incubation and incubation fully covered through partner incubators; selection by a joint public-private committee. | 2026-10 |
| Tech Start (Innov Invest Fund)Tamwilcom | Grant covering up to 80% of the project, capped at MAD 200,000 (~$21k) or MAD 400,000 (~$43k) with a patent | Tech startups past proof of concept, validated by a Tamwilcom-labelled incubator or accelerator, which submits your file. Covers up to 80% of the project (MAD 200,000, or MAD 400,000 with a patent); you fund the rest. | 2026-10 |
| Ignite MoroccoFlat6Labs | Free 6–18 month support program (training, coaching, investor prep, Demo Day); no cash amount stated | Digital startups registered in Morocco for up to 8 years, past proof of concept, with resident Moroccan leaders (or a resident Moroccan partner for foreign companies). Free; no investment terms stated. | 2026-10-22 |
3. Qatar
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| QCB Fintech Development Grant (via Qatar FinTech Hub)Qatar Central Bank / Qatar Development Bank | Co-funding up to QAR 1.5M (~$412k) per company, milestone-linked | Fintechs in Qatar FinTech Hub programs; released against growth milestones. Criteria and dates are not published, so contact QFTH. QDB's separate pre-seed investment is equity and not part of this grant. | 2026-10-23 |
| QRDI Small Business Innovation Grant (SBIG) pausedQRDI Council | Up to QAR 3M (~$824k) over 3 years | Qatari SMEs taking a technology, product or process toward commercialisation; one cycle a year on the Innolight portal. The 2025 window closed on 7 August 2025, and the next cycle is not yet listed. | 2026-10 |
| QSTP XLR8 Accelerator pausedQatar Science & Technology Park (Qatar Foundation) | Free 14-week program; winners get incorporation at QSTP and a paid product-development intern | Teams of up to 5, all Qatar residents, not yet an established company. Winners get incorporation at QSTP and a paid product-development intern. No 2026 cycle announced yet. | 2026-10-23 |
4. Bahrain
Tamkeen, Bahrain's labour fund, pays for programs and software rather than giving startups a lump sum.
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamkeen Riyada Business Accelerator ProgramTamkeen (Bahrain Labour Fund), powered by Salica Investments | 100% of programme cost covered by Tamkeen (free 6-month accelerator); investor access | Bahrain tech startups under 3 years old with an active CR or licence, or pre-CR teams with a prototype and at least one Bahraini founder; one full-time founder for 6 months. | 2026-10-22 |
| Tamkeen Digital Enablement & AI ProgramTamkeen (Bahrain Labour Fund) | Up to 50% reimbursement of eligible software/digital solution costs (BHD cap not published) | MSMEs with an active CR and physical premises (virtual CRs excluded). Reimbursed after implementation and 3 months of use; software only. | 2026-10-22 |
| Tamkeen Digital Tools ProgramTamkeen (Bahrain Labour Fund) | Tamkeen pays for access to partner digital tools for an approved support period (amount not stated) | Virtual, micro, small and medium enterprises with an active CR; only tools from Tamkeen's partner list. | 2026-10-22 |
5. UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria
The two equity-free UAE programs we track are aimed at specific founders: Emirati nationals and women founders in Sharjah. Both are closed until their next cohort.
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| MZN x Hub71 Programme (Emirati founders) pausedHub71 & Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development | Equity-free 3-month programme; Demo Day in-kind awards AED 100k / 60k / 40k (~$27k max) | Core founder must be an Emirati national; full-time and in person in Al Ain; no company, MVP or coding background needed. Only the top 3 Demo Day teams get the in-kind awards. | 2026-10-23 |
| Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) pausedSheraa (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center) | Free 6-month fellowship + AED 3,000 (~$800) Sharjah licensing reimbursement | 12 women founders of UAE startups or SMEs with real traction, committed to scaling in Sharjah. No fee and no equity; the 2026 cohort closed on 13 September. | 2026-10-23 |
| StartMashreq Incubation ProgramFlat6Labs | Free incubation: training, 1:1 coaching, mentors, investor/corporate access, pitch nights, international tours; no cash amount stated | MVP-stage startups in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, with a dedicated focus on refugee and displaced founders. Free; no investment terms stated. | 2026-10-22 |
| Berytech ScaleSmartBerytech | Tailored 4-month investment-readiness support, mentoring, workshops and investor introductions; no cash amount stated | AgriFoodTech or CleanTech startups with at least one Lebanese co-founder, an MVP and a clear funding need; five startups per four-month cycle. | 2026-10-22 |
| Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator Project (GGJAP)Flat6Labs with UNDP (Danish-Arab Partnership Program) | Free 5-phase accelerator (training, operational support, digital resources, investor access); no cash amount stated | Revenue-generating green-sector SMEs in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt or Jordan, operating for at least 2 years and led by or involving youth or women. | 2026-10-22 |
| Tunisia Startup Act — Startup Label pausedMinistry of Communication Technologies (Startup Tunisia) | Corporate tax exemption + state-paid social security contributions for label duration, 1-year founder 'bourse' (up to 3 founders), startup leave, patent fees covered; amounts not stated | Tunisian companies under 8 years old with more than two-thirds of capital held by individuals, VC or seed funds, or foreign startups. Labels are granted in periodic sessions; a 6-month pre-label is available before incorporation. | 2026-10-23 |
| Algeria Startup LabelMinistry of Knowledge Economy, Startups & Micro-enterprises | Fiscal and para-fiscal exemptions and access to ASF funding; amounts/durations not stated on official page | Algerian companies up to 8 years old with at most 250 employees and at least 50% of capital held by individuals, approved funds or other labelled startups. Valid 4 years, renewable once. | 2026-10-22 |
Labels are worth getting early. In Tunisia, the label brings a corporate tax exemption, state-paid social contributions and a one-year founder stipend (the "bourse") for up to three founders. In Algeria, it brings tax and social-charge exemptions and access to Algerian Startup Fund financing.
6. Regional and pan-African programs
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBRD Star Venture pausedEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development | 24-month programme: strategy workshops, business advisory, investor access, plus $5,000 AWS credits and up to $150,000 Microsoft Azure credits | Pre-Series A tech startups with product-market fit in EBRD economies, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and the West Bank and Gaza. Calls open country by country; cloud credits need a separate application. | 2026-10-23 |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Middle East, North Africa and Turkey pausedGoogle | Equity-free mentoring and Google product credits, plus Cloud credits of up to $350K in year one (subject to Google Cloud tier eligibility) | Seed to Series A startups across MENA and Turkey; ten weeks, cohorts of 10 to 15. The 2026 window closed on 31 August; next dates not announced. | 2026-10-23 |
| Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme pausedTony Elumelu Foundation | $5,000 non-returnable seed capital, plus training and mentorship | African entrepreneurs, including in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya. The next window is expected from 1 January to 1 March 2027 on TEFConnect. | 2026-10-22 |
7. Rules that sink applications
- Nationality and residence. ITIDA's accelerator is for Egyptian nationals only, MZN x Hub71 needs an Emirati core founder, XLR8 needs every team member to live in Qatar, and Tamkeen Riyada needs a Bahraini founder for pre-CR teams.
- Going through an intermediary. Tech Start files come from a Tamwilcom-labelled structure, and the QCB grant is delivered through Qatar FinTech Hub programs. Join the intermediary first.
- Expecting cash. TIEC's package, Tamkeen's programs and most accelerators here pay for services, not your bank account. Tamkeen's software support is a reimbursement after 3 months of use.
- Co-funding. TATWIR covers 30% of investment and 50% of development costs, and Tech Start up to 80%; you fund the rest.
- Grant vs investment. Several regional funds mix grants with loans or equity. Read the terms of any "fund" carefully; QDB's pre-seed offer, for example, is an equity investment.
FAQ
Are there startup grants in the UAE?
Few equity-free ones. The two we track are the MZN x Hub71 Programme for Emirati founders (in-kind Demo Day awards up to AED 100,000) and the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship. Both are closed until their next cohort. Many other UAE programs take equity or use SAFEs, which this guide leaves out.
What is the biggest startup grant in MENA?
Among non-repayable programs we track, Qatar's QRDI Small Business Innovation Grant (up to QAR 3M over 3 years, currently between cycles) and the QCB Fintech Development Grant (up to QAR 1.5M). In Morocco, TATWIR-Startup can subsidise up to MAD 2M of investment.
Can I get a startup grant in Egypt without giving up equity?
Yes. TIEC StartIT gives ICT startups an EGP 480,000 equity-free support package and $10,000 in AWS credits, ITIDA's accelerator is free, and ESITIP funds R&D projects with a Spanish partner.
Is there a grant for startups in Jordan?
The programs we track for Jordan are free accelerators and incubators rather than cash grants: StartMashreq, the Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator and EBRD Star Venture when a call covers Jordan. Google's MENA accelerator also includes Jordan.
Why are some well-known MENA programs missing?
This guide only lists support you do not pay back and that takes no equity. Loans, loan guarantees, SAFEs and equity investments are left out, even when they come from government funds.
Program terms change often. Every program page linked above shows its official source and the date we last verified it; confirm on the provider's page before you apply. Spotted something out of date? Report a correction.
Related guides
Browse the full lists: Startup programs in Egypt · Startup programs in Morocco · Startup programs in Saudi Arabia · Startup programs in Tunisia · Startup programs in Jordan · Startup programs in Bahrain · Startup programs in Qatar