GET Compass SME Business Grant 2026: Up to ₦2 Million for Early-Stage Nigerian Entrepreneurs

If you're running a small business in Nigeria and looking for equity-free funding to expand, this one is worth your attention. The Grooming Endowment Trust (GET) has opened applications for Cohort 5 of its flagship GET Compass SME Business Grant, offering up to ₦2,000,000 in non-repayable capital to early-stage entrepreneurs.

What Is the GET Compass Grant?

GET Compass is the flagship enterprise development programme of the Grooming Endowment Trust — a non-profit set up in 2020, seeded by the Grooming Centre, to support sustainable social initiatives in education, health, and enterprise across Nigeria. Rather than simply handing out cash, the programme takes selected entrepreneurs through a structured business development process before funding is disbursed.

The grant is designed to help small and medium-scale businesses:

-Expand operations

-Purchase equipment

-Capitalize business processes

-Beyond the money, participants get:

-Mentorship — one-on-one guidance from industry leaders

-A 2-week intensive business clinic and workshop in Lagos

-Networking with other entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors

-Post-grant mentorship sessions to support long-term growth

Who Is It For?

Eligibility (Nigeria only):

-Applicant must be at least 18 years old

-Business must be registered and actively operating in Nigeria (Local Government or CAC registration counts)

-Business must be no more than 3 years old

-You must be fully available to attend the mandatory 2-week business clinic in Lagos

-You'll need to show documented evidence that your business is an active going concern

-You must be able to clearly explain a specific structural growth problem your business faces and how the grant funds would solve it

-You must commit to post-grant mentorship

This is squarely aimed at Nigerian founders — if your business is registered and operating outside Nigeria, this particular cohort is not for you.

Application Link and Deadline

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevfhRYthH2risCqoQt6vEmOTWGbDnbsgvS9tRFSw58VWidrQ/viewform

Registration opened: July 23, 2026

Deadline: August 20, 2026

You can also visit the official GET Grant Programs portal at getgrantprogram.groomingendowment.org for more details and updates on future cohorts.

Should You Apply?

If you've been running your business for under three years, have CAC or LG registration in place, and can articulate a clear growth bottleneck that ₦2 million would fix, this is a solid opportunity — not just for the funding, but for the structured mentorship and Lagos workshop that comes with it. Just be honest with yourself about the time commitment: the 2-week clinic is mandatory, not optional.

Deadline is August 20, 2026 — don't sit on this one.