Manresa opens the call for grants for merchants' associations

The Manresa City Council has opened the call for grants for the city’s merchant associations, intended to finance activities carried out during the year 2026. The call, approved by resolution on August 17, 2026, by the delegated councillor for Business, Tourism and Knowledge, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona (BOPB) on August 24, 2026, with the official reference CVE 202610134842.

The competition, registered in the National Grants Database under number BDNS 925454, has a total budget of up to 59,000 euros and is structured into two lines of aid. The objective is to support the actions of merchant associations and contribute to the promotion of urban and local commerce, as well as to foster cooperation between entities that share a territorial area to drive collective activities.

Two lines of aid

Line 1 is aimed at merchant associations with a partial territorial scope, with an allocation of 18,000 euros. Line 2 is reserved for professionalized associations with a territorial scope covering the entire city, with an allocation of 41,000 euros. In the event that one of the lines is not exhausted, the remaining credit may increase the allocation of the other to optimize resources.

• Line 1: minimum amount of 1,200 euros per entity, with a minimum of 30 points in the evaluation criteria; the grant cannot exceed 75% of the project cost.
• Line 2: minimum of 60 points; the grant cannot exceed 50% of the project cost.

The grants will be made effective against budget application 4314 48900 of the current municipal budget and will be granted until the allocation is exhausted.

Who can apply

Legally constituted merchant associations, domiciled in Manresa and registered in the Municipal Registry of Entities, may be beneficiaries, provided they are within the consolidated urban fabric delimited in Annex 1 of the regulatory bases. For line 2, it is necessary to have professionalized management and a territorial scope covering the entire city, which is considered when the entity represents the interests of more than 3 streets in at least 3 different neighborhoods or a minimum of 100 establishments.

Territorial associations outside the consolidated urban fabric, those representing commercial concentrations outside this area, and associations of municipal market stallholders, guilds, or any other sectoral association are excluded.

Deadlines and justification

The deadline for submitting applications runs from the day after the publication of the call in the BOPB until September 30, 2026 (inclusive). Applications must be formalized by electronic means through the electronic office of the Manresa City Council, in accordance with Article 14 of Law 39/2015.

Once the grant has been awarded, an advance of the total amount will be granted, justified by the cash flow needs of the associations. The supporting documentation must be submitted no later than February 15, 2027, and the grants must be allocated to actions carried out between January 1 and December 31, 2026.

The evaluation of the applications will be the responsibility of a qualifying commission composed of Tania Infante Martínez, delegated councillor for Commerce, as president; Anna Gasulla Sabaté, head of the Local Development Service; Aleix Solé Sellarés, mid-level specialized management technician; and Raquel Aranda Magnet, general administration technician, as secretary. The resolution is signed by the acting mayor, Mariona Homs Alsina.

This call represents a direct boost to the commercial fabric of Manresa, at a time when local commerce faces challenges such as digitalization and competition from large retail stores. The aid will allow associations to finance customer services, innovative projects, communication actions, and Christmas decorations, and reinforces cooperation between entities to revitalize neighborhoods and keep the city’s commercial continuity alive.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona, no. August 24, 2026, local administration section, pp. 1-12 (official reference: CVE 202610134842).