Small Business Grants in Colorado
Most small business grants in Colorado come from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Right now two can take an application.
Most small business grants in Colorado come from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Right now two can take an application. The Advanced Industries Export Grant repays up to $15,000 of export costs for tech firms. The Rural Jump-Start grant pays up to $15,000 to a new business that opens in a listed rural county. The biggest prize, the Advanced Industries Early-Stage grant of up to $250,000, next opens in January. The Skill Advance job training grant is expected to reopen in fall 2026.
Which Colorado grants fit your business?
Answer 7 quick questions and we sort the 13 programs on this page into likely fits and long shots. Nothing personal is asked or stored, and final eligibility is always decided by the granting agency.
Colorado Small Business Grant Programs
State-administered funding programs available to Colorado small businesses. Verify deadlines directly with the granting agency before applying.
Rural Jump-Start Operating Grant
OEDIT Business Funding and Incentives
Up to $15,000 (up to $25,000 in coal transition communities)
Deadline Jun 30, 2028A matching grant for a new business that opens in one of Colorado's Rural Jump-Start counties. It repays 25% of operating costs such as rent, equipment, salaries and marketing, up to $15,000, or up to $25,000 in six coal transition communities. You must not be selling in Colorado when you apply, you cannot be a sole proprietor, you must sell outside your county, and you cannot compete directly with a business already operating nearby. You need a sponsoring college or development group in the zone, and you must hire one to five full-time staff over three years. Only costs after the state commission approves you count, the last $5,000 is paid after a new job lasts a year, and each county gets at most three new awards.
Advanced Industries Collaborative Infrastructure Grant
OEDIT Global Business Development
Up to $500,000
Closed, the next window opens February 1, 2027Up to $500,000 for a team project that builds shared infrastructure for one or more of Colorado's advanced industries. It cannot pay for one company's own needs, and the team must include several industry partners and a nonprofit. You need $2 in cash from other sources for every $1 of grant. The 2026 window closed in March, and OEDIT says the next one opens on February 1, 2027.
Advanced Industries Export Accelerator Grant
OEDIT Global Business Development
Up to $15,000
RollingRepays up to 50% of international business development and marketing costs, up to $15,000, for Colorado companies in the seven advanced industries. You need fewer than 200 employees worldwide, at least two years of US sales and a product already on the market. Apply at least four to six weeks before the trip or activity, because the grant pays you back after you spend. Applications are reviewed as they arrive until the money runs out, and awards tend to be smaller late in the July to June cycle.
Skill Advance Colorado Job Training Grant
OEDIT and Colorado Community College System
Up to $150,000 per application (2024 to 2025 rules)
Expected to open in fall 2026Pays for custom training for your workers, through Colorado First for net new hires at a company moving to or expanding in Colorado, and Existing Industry for current staff. You apply through your local community college, which helps write the application. The college system that runs it says applications are expected to open in fall 2026. Under the 2024 to 2025 rules, training money was capped at $150,000 per application and $200,000 per business per fiscal year, and the new round's caps are not yet published.
Apply / Learn MoreEnterprise Zone Tax Credits
OEDIT Business Funding and Incentives
$1,100 per net new employee (up to $3,100 in enhanced rural zones)
RollingOffers state income tax credits for businesses in economically distressed areas, including credits for new hires, investment in business property, job training, and R&D expenditures.
Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant
OEDIT Global Business Development
Up to $250,000
Between rounds, the office opens applications twice a yearUp to $250,000 for a Colorado advanced industries company that has a working prototype and needs capital to reach market or stay in the state. The office opens applications twice a year, January to March and July to September. The July window carried a deadline of August 27, 2026 at 5 p.m. Mountain Time, which has passed, so the next chance is the January window. Review takes ten to twelve weeks. You need $2 in cash from other sources for every $1 of grant, so a $250,000 award needs $500,000. A business without the match can still apply, but a conditional award is forfeited if the match is not raised within six months. Revenue must be under $10 million, and a company that leaves Colorado within 24 months of the grant ending must repay it. A past recipient may reapply only for a different technology, never a continuation.
Advanced Industries Proof of Concept Grant
OEDIT Global Business Development
Up to $150,000
Between rounds, and you cannot apply to this one directlyThis one is not open to your business directly. The project must originate from an approved Colorado research institution or federal laboratory, and the application goes in through that institution's technology transfer office rather than from you. If you are a founder with university or national lab research behind your product, contact that technology transfer office and ask to be sponsored. The office runs two windows a year, January to March and July to September, and the July window closed on August 27, 2026.
Small Business Accelerated Growth Program
OEDIT Business Support
$5,000
Programme retired, it is not coming backThis programme has finished. It was built with pandemic recovery money and made its last awards in early 2024, 326 grants totalling about $1.78 million. The office has taken its page down. It is listed here only so that a founder who finds it in an old article or a grant directory can see that it is gone rather than keep hunting for the application.
Business Foundations Technical Assistance Program
OEDIT Minority Business Office
Up to $1,200
Programme retired, it no longer appears on the office siteThis programme has finished. It paid up to $1,200 to businesses that completed the Minority Business Office training, and it no longer appears anywhere on that office's site or in any current listing. The office itself is very much running and still offers free consulting and certification help, so it is worth contacting for that even though this grant has gone.
Federal Grant Programs
These federal programs are available to small businesses in every state.
SBA 7(a) Loan Program
The SBA's primary lending program guarantees loans through participating lenders. This is a loan, not a grant. But the terms favor small businesses that may not qualify for conventional financing.
Learn moreSBA Microloan Program
Loans up to $50,000, not grants. You borrow from a nonprofit lender near you, not from the SBA itself. The money can cover working capital, inventory, supplies or equipment. Most people get far less than the cap. The average microloan is about $13,000.
Learn moreSBIR/STTR Grants
Competitive federal grants for small businesses doing research and development with commercial potential. Eleven federal agencies take part. Phase I funds proof of concept. Phase II funds full development.
Learn moreMinority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Programs
Help for minority owned businesses that need capital, contracts or new markets. MBDA runs business centers around the country. They give advice, help with bids, and point you toward lenders.
Learn moreGet Grant-Ready
Before you apply, most Colorado grant programs expect these basics to be in place.
Form your business entity
Most Colorado grant programs require applicants to be a registered LLC, corporation, or nonprofit. If you haven't formed yet, that's the first step.
$39 + state fee. Includes registered agent, business address, and more.
Get your EIN
An Employer Identification Number is free from the IRS and required on nearly every grant application. You can apply online and receive it immediately.
Open a business bank account
Grant funds need to go into a dedicated business account, not your personal checking. Most agencies will ask for your banking details on the application.
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.
Grants by Business Type
Targeted programs for specific business owners in Colorado.
Women-owned Business Grants
Colorado's Minority Business Office provides free consulting and certification help for women-owned businesses, but it has no grant of its own open today. The grant it used to run alongside that support, the Small Business Accelerated Growth Program, made its last awards in early 2024, so the office is now worth approaching for the consulting and certification help rather than for money.
- ›Minority Business Office
- ›Small Business Accelerated Growth Program
- ›Pathway to Certifications
Minority-owned Business Grants
OEDIT's Minority Business Office works to increase economic opportunity for minority entrepreneurs through consulting, and the Bid Advance Response Program for government contracting, though its Business Foundations grant has been retired. The Minority Business Directory helps connect certified businesses with contract opportunities.
- ›Minority Business Office
- ›Business Foundations Technical Assistance Program
- ›Minority Business Directory
Veteran-owned Business Grants
Veteran-owned businesses in Colorado can access resources through OEDIT's Minority Business Office, which serves minority, women, and veteran entrepreneurs. The Veterans Business Outreach Center provides entrepreneurial development services including training and counseling.
- ›Minority Business Office
- ›Veterans Business Outreach Center
Rural Business Grants
More than 30 rural Colorado counties are Rural Jump-Start zones. A new business that opens in one can get a matching grant of up to $15,000, or up to $25,000 in a coal transition community, plus relief from state income and sales tax. You must not be selling yet when you apply, and you must hire. Enterprise Zone credits add tax breaks in designated distressed areas, including an extra $2,000 per new hire in enhanced rural zones.
- ›Rural Jump-Start Tax Credit
- ›Enterprise Zone Program
- ›OEDIT Rural Opportunity Office
Technology/Innovation Business Grants
Colorado's Advanced Industries Accelerator Program offers four grants for businesses in aerospace, bioscience, advanced manufacturing, electronics, energy, infrastructure engineering, and technology. Awards run from $15,000 to $500,000. The SBDC TechSource program helps tech businesses access SBIR/STTR federal grants.
- ›Advanced Industries Accelerator Program
- ›SBDC TechSource
- ›Venture Capital Authority
Tips for Applying in Colorado
Increase your chances of approval with these state-specific tips.
- 1Visit OEDIT's Programs and Funding page at oedit.colorado.gov/programs-and-funding and filter by your business type, industry, and location to find matching programs.
- 2For Advanced Industries grants, create an account on OEDIT's application portal early since new user activation can take several days.
- 3Connect with your local Colorado SBDC advisor for free, confidential one-on-one guidance. The SBDC website has a tool to find your nearest center.
- 4If you are a minority, woman, or veteran business owner, contact the Minority Business Office through the OEDIT website to learn about Certify Colorado and help with government contracts.
- 5For Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital grants, prepare matching funds documentation. You need $2 in non-state matching funds for every $1 in grant funding requested.
- 6For a Rural Jump-Start grant, meet the sponsoring college or development group in your county before you start selling, because a business already selling in Colorado cannot apply.
State Economic Development Agency
Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
OEDIT promotes economic growth and long-term job creation by supporting small businesses, providing grants and incentives, and encouraging business expansion across Colorado.
Funding While You Wait
Grant applications in Colorado can take weeks or months to process. These options can bridge the gap.
Grants in Other States
All state grant guidesFrequently Asked Questions
Yes. A grant is not a loan, so you do not pay it back if you follow its rules. The Advanced Industries programme pays up to $250,000 to technology firms in fields like aerospace, bioscience and energy. A new business in a listed rural county can get up to $15,000 through the Rural Jump-Start grant. Be careful with older lists. The Small Business Accelerated Growth Program made its last awards in early 2024, and the Business Foundations Technical Assistance Program no longer appears on the Minority Business Office site.
The Advanced Industries programme, which is the state flagship and the one still running. It opens twice a year, January to March and July to September, and the Early-Stage Capital and Retention grant inside it pays up to $250,000. The programme most articles name, the Small Business Accelerated Growth Program, closed after its final round in early 2024, so treat any page that still recommends it as out of date.
Most Colorado grant programs do not require minority or women-owned certification. The Advanced Industries grants, the Rural Jump-Start grant and the Skill Advance training grants do not ask for it. However, getting certified through OEDIT's Minority Business Office Pathway to Certifications can help you access government contracting opportunities and specialized programs like the Bid Advance Response Program.
Timelines vary by program. For Advanced Industries grants, applications go through a multi-stage expert review process, with final recommendations approved by the Economic Development Commission. OEDIT says review of an Early-Stage application typically takes 10 to 12 weeks. For the Export Grant, apply at least four to six weeks before the trip or trade show you want covered. A Rural Jump-Start application usually takes six to eight weeks to reach the commission. Contact your local Colorado SBDC office for help planning your application timeline.
About the Author
Editor, StartupOwl
Eliot leads StartupOwl's state data research. He maintains the site's fifty state records of LLC filing fees, annual costs, processing times, and small business grant programs, checking each figure against the state office that publishes it and logging the date it was verified. Based in New Jersey, he has spent his working life in and around small businesses, and he writes for the founder who wants the real number rather than the advertised one. Every figure under his byline traces to a named source, and when a state proves a number wrong, the correction is published, not buried.
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Grant programs change frequently. Deadlines, eligibility requirements, and funding amounts listed here may be outdated. Always verify information directly with the granting agency before applying. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice.
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