Small Business Grants in Kansas

Subordinated companion loans matching private capital, funded from the $69 million Kansas received under the Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative. That allocation split into a $42M loan fund and a $27M equity fund. Rates run 4 percent on one to five year loans and 6 percent on six to ten year loans. This is a loan program, not a grant.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026 at NetWork Kansas. Open, with loan applications reviewed bi-monthly by a statewide committee and rolling review only for authorised eCommunity starter loans. Eligibility is a Kansas small business under 500 employees with bank funding already in the project, and owners of 20 percent or more must personally guarantee. Every applicant has to be introduced by a NetWork Kansas approved resource partner on 1-877-521-8600.

Last verified, Jul 29, 2026

Proof of concept funding delivered through KU Innovation Park in Lawrence and Groover Labs in Wichita. Up to $25,000, no match required and no equity taken. Money cannot cover salaries, rent, travel or general operating costs. At least 30 percent of projects must sit in a rural Kansas county.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026. KU Innovation Park states applications are now closed. The Commerce page for this URL now describes ACCEL-KS rather than the older R and D Acceleration Grants, whose 50/50 match terms survive only in that page stale meta description. The state grants calendar lists $200,000 with a 25 percent match for this line, but that award goes to incubators bidding to run the network, not to a founder. The founder ceiling is $25,000.

Last verified, Aug 2, 2026

State money that sits on top of a federal SBIR or STTR award. Phase 0 pays up to $3,000 toward writing the federal proposal at a 50 percent match. Win the federal Phase I and Kansas adds up to $25,000. Paid on a reimbursement basis, with indirect costs capped at 15 percent.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026 at the Kansas Department of Commerce. Phase 0 is rolling until funds run out. Phase I ran two fixed rounds, one closing November 7, 2025 and one running April 1 to May 8, 2026, and both have passed, though the page still shows an Apply Now link. The state grants calendar lists $250,000 for this program, a figure that appears nowhere on the program page itself. Eligibility is a for-profit Kansas headquartered business under 500 employees performing at least 51 percent of the work in Kansas.

Last verified, Jul 29, 2026

A job creation incentive letting a company retain or reclaim 95 percent of the payroll withholding tax on qualified new jobs. Basic projects need at least 10 new jobs in metro areas or 5 outside them within two years, for up to seven years of savings. Projects creating 100 or more jobs can run ten years. The application fee is $750 per entity and it is not refundable.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026 at the Kansas Department of Commerce. Accepted year round, and the application must be filed before you locate, relocate or hire. Beyond the job counts, you must pay at or above the county median wage and cover at least 50 percent of employee health insurance premiums.

Last verified, Aug 2, 2026

A 10 percent income tax credit on capital investment of at least $50,000, rising to $1 million in the metro counties of Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte. Also carries a sales tax exemption on that investment, a training credit up to $50,000 and a 16 year carryforward. Most local service businesses cannot qualify.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026 at the Kansas Department of Commerce. Accepted year round. The hard gate is the business model, you must be a manufacturer, or document that most sales go to Kansas manufacturers, out of state businesses or government agencies, or be the headquarters or back office of a national corporation. Fees are $1,000 for a first certification, $500 to recertify and $0 for a carryforward only filing.

Last verified, Aug 2, 2026

A tax credit of up to 50 percent that goes to the angel investor, never to the business. Your job is to get approved as a Kansas qualified company first, which is what makes an investment in you creditable. The qualified business application costs $250 and investors pay $150 to register.

Status check, Verified July 22, 2026 at the Kansas Department of Commerce. The 2026 qualified business window closes September 30, 2026 and investor registration closes November 30, 2026. To qualify a company needs its headquarters in Kansas, 60 percent of employees or 80 percent of operations in state, gross revenue under $5,000,000 in the last tax year, and fewer than five years of trading, ten for bioscience. Only equity or SAFE investments count, not convertible notes or crowdfunding. Any investment made before written approval is ineligible.

Last verified, Aug 2, 2026

Provides information, referrals, procurement assistance, and statewide certification for disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses in Kansas. Administers the DBE, MBE, WBE, and ACDBE certification programs.

Status check, The Office of Minority and Women Business Development is listed as an active ongoing service on the Kansas Department of Commerce Business Incentives and Financing page, with no application deadline, closure notice, or discontinuation indicated.

Last verified, Aug 2, 2026