A shopkeeper asks us the question, a website quote in hand: "can the region pay for part of it?" Yes, it's possible, and it's a real opportunity. But not for everyone, and not for any project.
Here's the honest how-to: who's entitled to what, on what conditions, and the pitfalls to avoid before ordering. The amounts below are those in force in mid-2026 and change as council decisions are made: take them as a benchmark, and confirm on the official page (the links are further down).
The Pass Occitanie, the best-known grant
The Pass Occitanie is the region's flagship investment scheme. It funds growth and transformation projects (equipment, consultancy, digital and commercial transformation), in the form of a grant.
The key figures: the region covers 50% of eligible expenses (up to 70% for innovation expenses), with a grant capped at €10,000 and a minimum spend of €5,000 excluding VAT (the total expenditure below which you're entitled to nothing). The project must fit within 24 months, and the grant can't exceed your own funds, meaning the money you've invested in the business yourself.
An example to anchor things: an eligible business commits €8,000 excluding VAT in expenses (building the site and commercial support). At 50%, it can aim for a €4,000 grant. Conversely, a €3,000 pre-tax project falls below the €5,000 threshold and gives no entitlement at all. Hence the value of either folding the site into a slightly broader project, or aiming instead for a digital voucher.
It's appealing, but there are access conditions that rule out some smaller businesses:
- your business must have at least one employee (the owner alone isn't enough);
- fewer than 50 employees and a turnover under €10 million;
- the liberal professions are excluded, as are financial services, agri-food and tourism (which fall under schemes like the Pass Tourisme or Agroviti, for instance);
- the application is made online on the region's Hub Entreprendre portal, where you'll also find the full up-to-date rules.
In other words, the Pass Occitanie is aimed more at an already-established small business, with at least one employee and a genuine investment project. If that's you, it's a grant worth studying seriously, and Pixel Prisme can provide you with a clear, detailed website quote to include in your application.
Is your site fundable through the Pass Occitanie?
This is the point no one states clearly. The Pass Occitanie rules do not mention website creation as an eligible expense as such.
That doesn't mean it's impossible. A site can be covered as an external service within a broader project: a digital transformation, a push into new markets, a commercial overhaul. Building the site then becomes a means to an end, not an end in itself.
The consequence is concrete: the decision is made case by case, when the region reviews the application. An application that says "I want a website" stands less chance than one that explains "I'm transforming my business to reach new customers, and the site is the central tool for it".
In practical terms, link the site to a measurable goal: selling online, reaching a new clientele, automating quote requests, cutting down on travel. It's this language of growth, not that of a simple online presence, that speaks to funders. A purely static showcase, presented as such, will be harder to get through than a site tied to a real commercial ambition.
This is exactly where our support counts. Pixel Prisme designs your site as a lever for commercial growth, not a mere showcase, which helps frame the project in the logic this kind of scheme expects. But let's be clear: we build the site and the quote, the decision to award the grant belongs to the region, never to us.
Solo, liberal profession, micro-enterprise: the other doors
If you work alone, in a liberal profession or as a micro-entrepreneur, the Pass Occitanie is closed to you. Good news: it isn't the only option, and the others are often more direct for a website.
Digital vouchers (chèques numériques) are grants offered by various local authorities (the region, departments, inter-municipal bodies) and listed nationally. Their appeal: they explicitly fund the creation or overhaul of a website, SEO or a digital audit, generally up to 50% of the amount excluding VAT, for a project of two years maximum. And they're often open to micro-enterprises and the self-employed, sometimes to the liberal professions. The amounts vary a great deal from one area to another: often from a few hundred to a few thousand euros. For a simple showcase site, one of these vouchers is usually a better fit than a Pass.
The right move: go to the public France Num portal, which lists the existing grants, and filter by your area (town, inter-municipal body, department) and by project type ("website"). The France Num Occitanie page gathers the region's resources. It's the most reliable source for finding out what exists near you, because these local grants change often.
Other targeted regional schemes (local retail, crafts, ecological transition) may also include a digital component, but they change fast: check their current status on Hub Entreprendre. Whichever grant you're after, Pixel Prisme gives you a compliant, readable quote for your application.
The golden rules to know before ordering
Whatever the scheme, the same rules come up, and ignoring them means losing the grant.
Order nothing before approval. This is mistake number one. Most grants reject any expense already committed (a signed quote, an order placed, a deposit paid) before submission or the decision. You submit the application, wait for the green light, and only then order the site.
Everything starts with a quote. The application almost always requires a detailed quote from the provider, matching the eligible expense categories. A clear, well-structured quote speeds up the review.
The amounts are excluding VAT. VAT is not subsidised. And if you're under the VAT exemption scheme (the case for many micro-entrepreneurs), bear in mind that the grant is calculated on the pre-tax amount: the VAT you pay the provider stays your responsibility. Some categories are also excluded (office equipment such as a computer, for example, doesn't fall under the Pass Occitanie).
You have to front the cash. The grant is paid after the fact, on a receipted invoice (an invoice marked as paid). You pay for the site, then you're reimbursed, often several months later, sometimes more depending on the scheme.
Watch out for combining grants. You can sometimes combine several grants, but never to fund the same invoice twice, and the Pass Occitanie limits the number of Passes over five years.
None of these rules is insurmountable, but they do demand planning ahead, especially since some grants are permanent while others open in rounds or until the annual budget runs out.
How to go about it, step by step
Here are the steps to follow, in order, to give yourself the best chance.
- Identify the right grant for your profile (size, status) and your area, on France Num and Hub Entreprendre.
- Check the up-to-date conditions on the official page: eligibility, rate, cap, deadline. These parameters shift.
- Ask your provider for a detailed quote, linking the site to your growth project.
- Submit the application and wait for the decision before committing to anything.
- Carry out the project, pay the invoice, then send the receipted invoice to receive the payment.
Need a hand putting the application together? Your chamber of commerce (CCI), your chamber of trades (CMA) or a France Num adviser can point you, free of charge, to the right grant and the documents to provide.
This administrative rigour is part of the game. On our side, Pixel Prisme supports you in Toulouse and across Occitania for the part that's ours to handle: a solid site and a watertight quote to build your application on.
In short
Yes, you can get part of your website funded in Occitania, but not just any way. The Pass Occitanie (50% of expenses, up to €10,000, a minimum spend of €5,000 excluding VAT) is aimed at businesses with at least one employee and excludes the liberal professions; it doesn't name the website, which has to fit into a broader transformation project, approved case by case. For sole traders working alone, the liberal professions and micro-enterprises, the digital vouchers listed on France Num often fund website creation, at around 50% of the pre-tax amount. In every case, three habits: order nothing before approval, start from a detailed quote, and plan your cash flow because the grant arrives after the fact. And since the schemes change, always check the up-to-date official page.
At Pixel Prisme, we don't hand out the grants, but we give you the right foundation: a site designed as a growth tool and a clear quote, ready for your application. To talk it through, let's have a 30-minute chat, no strings attached.