Small Business Grants in Oregon
Oregon ran out of money first. Its two biggest programmes, worth $100,000 and $75,000, are not taking applications. The cards below show which ones still are.
Which Oregon grants fit your business?
Answer 7 quick questions and we sort the 12 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.
Oregon Small Business Grant Programs
State-administered funding programs available to Oregon small businesses. Verify deadlines directly with the granting agency before applying.
Export Promotion Grants (Oregon Trade Promotion Program)
Business Oregon
Up to $7,500 for ad hoc grants
RollingReimburses export costs such as trade show booths, trade missions, and export training. Federal STEP money is gone. What remains runs through the Oregon Trade Promotion Program, and ad hoc grants now cap at $7,500, one per company.
Status check, Business Oregon states that all federal State Trade Expansion Program funds were allocated as of December 31, 2025 and that federal funding is on hold. Ad hoc export grants are capped at $7,500 with one per company until further notice, and applications must arrive at least 60 days before the activity. Verified July 25, 2026.
Apply / Learn MoreLast verified, Jul 25, 2026
SBIR/STTR Application Support Grants (Phase 0 and 00)
Business Oregon
Up to $5,000
RollingPays up to $5,000 for proposal help. It covers the cost of writing a federal SBIR or STTR bid, including grant writers, technical reviewers, legal and accounting help tied to the bid, and market research. It is open to Oregon for-profit firms with under 500 staff.
Status check, Open with rolling applications, submitted by email under the program guidelines. Business Oregon reports more than $400,000 paid out through its Application Support grants to date. Verified July 25, 2026.
Last verified, Jul 25, 2026
Prosperity Investment Program (PIP)
Prosper Portland
Up to $75,000
RollingA matching, reimbursable grant for tenant and building work inside Portland's TIF districts. It funds up to 75 percent of approved hard and soft costs, and you put up the other 25 percent. Soft costs cap at $25,000.
Status check, Listed as active on Prosper Portland's grants page with a rolling deadline. The program page caps the total grant at $75,000 and requires a 25 percent match. Verified July 25, 2026.
Apply / Learn MoreLast verified, Jul 25, 2026
Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Assistance Program (ORAEA)
Oregon Department of Energy
75% of the assessment cost
RollingPays for most of an energy audit. It covers 75 percent of the assessor's fee for farms, ranches, and rural firms. The money goes to the assessor, not to your account. An assessment is often a required step before a USDA energy grant.
Status check, The Oregon Department of Energy is accepting interest forms. The program is funded by a $100,000 USDA grant, and assessments so far have cost between $4,000 and $8,500. Verified July 25, 2026.
Last verified, Jul 25, 2026
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Microenterprise Assistance
Business Oregon
Up to $100,000, awarded to your city or county
Deadline Sep 30, 2026Federal money that Business Oregon passes to rural cities and counties. They then run microenterprise projects for local owners. A business cannot apply on its own. Ask your city or county whether it plans one.
Status check, Business Oregon is accepting applications for the 2026 fall round through September 30, 2026. Eligible applicants are non-metropolitan cities and counties. Tribes, the 14 named urban cities, and Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington and Marion counties are not eligible. Verified July 25, 2026.
Apply / Learn MoreLast verified, Jul 25, 2026
Local Small Business Expanded Repair/Restore Grants
Prosper Portland
Up to $25,000
RollingPays back damage from break-ins. It also covers prevention work such as cameras, alarms, and security gates, and insurance rises up to $5,000. You must trade from a ground floor customer-facing site with 50 or fewer staff.
Status check, Active with an ongoing deadline. Prosper Portland funds up to $25,000 over the life of the program on a reimbursement basis, covering work done up to 90 days before the application. Verified July 25, 2026.
Apply / Learn MoreLast verified, Jul 25, 2026
SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program
Business Oregon
$50,000–$100,000
Deadline Oct 17, 2025State money that matches a federal award. It is for Oregon firms that already hold an SBIR or STTR grant. Phase I winners could claim up to $50,000. Phase II and Fast Track winners could claim up to $100,000. The round closed in October 2025 and no new one has a date.
Status check, Business Oregon's page is headed Matching Grants (Application Window Closed). The window shut on October 17, 2025 at 5 p.m. and the page asks people to check back or join the mailing list. Verified July 25, 2026.
Last verified, Jul 25, 2026
Small Business Sustainability Fund (SBSF)
Business Oregon
Up to $75,000
Paused, no applicationsBusiness Oregon's largest small business grant. It is meant to be paired with private lending and business consulting. Priority goes to rural and underrepresented owners, and to projects that lift out-of-state sales. It is paused.
Status check, Business Oregon's program page carries a banner reading Small Business Sustainability Fund Temporarily Paused, currently paused until further notice due to lack of available funding. Verified July 25, 2026.
View program pageLast verified, Aug 4, 2026
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.
Status check, This is a loan program, not a grant. The 7(a) Loan Program provides loan guarantees to lenders for small business loans up to $5 million. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis through participating SBA lenders.
Learn moreLast verified, Aug 3, 2026
SBA 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.
Status check, Verified July 30, 2026 at sba.gov. Rates run 8 to 13 percent. The longest term allowed is seven years. Your lender sets both, not the SBA, so two owners can be quoted very different deals. There is no deadline. You apply through an SBA approved lender in your area.
Learn moreLast verified, Jul 30, 2026
SBIR/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.
Status check, Verified July 30, 2026 at sbir.gov. Two different figures get quoted for this program and both are real. As of April 2026 an agency may award up to $323,090 at Phase I and up to $2,153,927 at Phase II without SBA approval, and anything above that needs a waiver. Those are ceilings, not typical awards. Each agency sets its own amounts in its own solicitation, and the sbir.gov agency table currently runs from $50,000 to $300,000 at Phase I and $400,000 to $1.83 million at Phase II. There is no single deadline. You apply through a participating agency.
Learn moreLast verified, Jul 30, 2026
Minority 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.
Status check, The business centers still run. The grants are a different story. Those windows are short, and they fund groups rather than single businesses. The last one we could find closed in February 2025. We found no open MBDA grant that a small business can apply for today.
View program pageLast verified, Jul 29, 2026
Size is the strange part. In Oregon, the bigger the grant, the more likely it is shut. The chart plots the top award for each program here against whether it takes applications today. The two tallest bars are the two you cannot apply for.
Get Grant-Ready
Before you apply, most Oregon grant programs expect these basics to be in place.
Form your business entity
Most Oregon 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 Oregon.
Women-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Women Business Enterprises. That certification never expires. It opens state, county, and city contracts, not a cash grant. No Oregon state program pays women-owned firms only.
- ›COBID WBE Certification
- ›Oregon Small Business Enterprise Certification
Minority-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Minority Business Enterprises too. In Portland, the Inclusive Business Resource Network backs BIPOC founders with grants, loans, and advice. Prosper Portland also runs the Reimagine Oregon fund. It is for people harmed by cannabis prohibition, and Prosper Portland lists the next cycle as opening in summer 2026.
- ›COBID MBE Certification
- ›Prosper Portland Inclusive Business Resource Network
Veteran-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Veteran Business Enterprises. Service-disabled owners are covered, and the certification never expires. It is a contracting door, not a grant. Oregon runs no veteran-only grant today.
- ›COBID VBE Certification
Rural Business Grants
One program pays for an energy audit. It covers 75 percent of the cost. The money goes to the assessor, not to you. Rural cities and counties also draw Community Development Block Grant money. A business reaches that through the local government, never directly.
- ›Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Assistance Program
- ›Community Development Block Grant, through your city or county
Technology/Innovation Business Grants
Application Support pays up to $5,000. It covers the cost of writing a federal SBIR or STTR proposal, and it is open. The bigger match of $50,000 to $100,000 closed in October 2025, with no new round named. Business Oregon also lists a Commercialization Gap Fund for early-stage firms.
- ›SBIR/STTR Application Support Grants
- ›Commercialization Gap Fund
Tips for Applying in Oregon
Increase your chances of approval with these state-specific tips.
- 1Read the program page header first. Business Oregon states a pause or a closed window right at the top. Two of its biggest programs say so today.
- 2Send export requests 60 days early. Staff need that time to review them. The state will not pay for a trip you have already taken.
- 3Get COBID certified if you qualify. The minority, women, and veteran versions never expire. A new one is the Oregon Small Business Enterprise. It is open to any Oregon firm with 50 or fewer staff.
- 4Call your Regional Development Officer first. They know which pots still hold money. The website does not always say.
- 5Book a free hour at an Oregon SBDC center. The network runs 19 of them. Advisers there read grant applications for a living and charge nothing.
State Economic Development Agency
Business Oregon (Oregon Business Development Department)
Business Oregon administers around 90 grant, loan, tax incentive, and other programs for businesses and communities across the state. Most of them are loans or incentives rather than grants.
Funding While You Wait
Grant applications in Oregon can take weeks or months to process. These options can bridge the gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Five. Application Support pays up to $5,000 toward an SBIR or STTR proposal. Ad hoc export grants run through the Oregon Trade Promotion Program and cap at $7,500, one per firm. The energy program covers 75 percent of a rural assessment. In Portland, the Prosperity Investment Program pays up to $75,000 toward building work in a TIF district. Repair/Restore pays up to $25,000 after a break-in. The $100,000 match and the Sustainability Fund take nothing today.
Yes. Every open state program funds for-profit firms. An Oregon LLC qualifies on structure alone. The rest is what decides it, being based here, trading a year or more for export money, and sitting in the right district for the Portland grants. Nonprofits and sole traders without a registered name hit more walls.
Not as a flat award. The old $10,000 export figure came from federal STEP money. That money was fully allocated by December 31, 2025. What replaced it caps ad hoc export grants at $7,500, one per firm, until further notice. The awards above $10,000 are Portland only.
The window closed on October 17, 2025 at 5 p.m. Business Oregon's page now reads "Matching Grants (Application Window Closed)" and asks people to check back or join the mailing list. No new round has a date. Business Oregon reports more than $400,000 paid out through its Application Support grants. That helped Oregon firms win close to $13 million in federal awards.
No. Business Oregon takes those applications from non-metropolitan cities and counties. Its 2026 fall round runs to September 30, 2026. Tribes, the 14 named urban cities, and Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Marion counties cannot apply either. Ask your city or county whether it plans a microenterprise project. The cap for one is $100,000.
No. Open Oregon grants do not ask for it. It buys access to government contracts and set-asides instead. That is often worth more than a one-off grant. Applying is free, and the minority, women, and veteran versions never expire.
Plan in months, not weeks. Export requests must land 60 days ahead. They are reviewed in the order they arrive. Portland grants pay on reimbursement, so you spend first and claim after. Nothing here fills a payroll gap.
About the Author
Senior Finance & Banking Editor
Richard is the veteran anchor of the site's financial content. Raised in the Midwest and starting his career in Chicago's commercial banking sector, he spent over a decade underwriting small business loans before moving into financial journalism. He doesn't get swept up in startup hype; he cares about unit economics, APYs, and fee structures.
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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.
Sources & References
- Business Oregon, SBIR and STTR programs
- Business Oregon, Export Promotion Program
- Business Oregon, Small Business Sustainability Fund
- Business Oregon, Community Development Block Grants
- Business Oregon, COBID certification
- Oregon Department of Energy, rural and agricultural energy assistance
- Prosper Portland, grants
- Oregon SBDC Network
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