Small Business Grants in Wyoming
Wyoming has real grant money and its best known one is shut. The Kickstart grant, $5,000 to $50,000 for a startup, is paused until further notice.
Wyoming has real grant money and its best known one is shut. The Kickstart grant, $5,000 to $50,000 for a startup, is paused until further notice. What is open pays for training, safety and selling out of state. Training grants and Market Expansion both need a physical place of business in Wyoming, so a Wyoming LLC run from another state through a registered agent does not qualify. Business Training Grants cover $3,000 a trainee, or $4,000 in a preferred trade, up to $75,000 a year. The Safety Improvement Fund pays up to $10,000. Market Expansion pays back 75 percent of the cost of selling outside Wyoming, up to $4,000. The export grant, STEP, runs to 29 September 2027 and pays up to $5,000. If you hold a federal SBIR or STTR award, the state matches it up to $200,000.
Which Wyoming 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.
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Wyoming Small Business Grant Programs
State-administered funding programs available to Wyoming small businesses. Verify deadlines directly with the granting agency before applying.
SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program
Wyoming Business Council
Up to $100,000 on Phase I, up to $200,000 on Phase II
RollingState money that matches a federal SBIR or STTR award you already hold. The Wyoming Business Council publishes a maximum $100,000 match on a Phase I award and a maximum $200,000 match on a Phase II, with a lifetime limit of four matches per business. You need at least half your employees based in Wyoming and a commitment to raise further funding. Applications run all year. Those that qualify pitch to the Council team, hear back within two weeks, and then enter a contract process that can take 45 days. For three years after an award you file annual reports and keep your Wyoming presence.
State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant
Wyoming Business Council
Up to $5,000
Rolling through the grant period, Jul 1, 2026 to Sep 29, 2027Pays back 75 percent of the cost of an international marketing event. The cap is $5,000 an award and two awards a grant period. You must meet SBA rules and be based in Wyoming. Read the staffing rule with care. The Business Council wants at least one full time employee on top of the owner, so an owner working alone does not qualify. You must hold business to business meetings with buyers at the event. The Council aims to approve applications within five to ten business days.
Market Expansion Grant
Wyoming Business Council
Up to $4,000
RollingA reimbursement grant covering 75% of costs your business incurs while expanding into new markets outside Wyoming. You must be a for-profit business based in Wyoming with annual revenue under $5,000,000 and at least half your workforce in the state. A Wyoming filing held through a registered agent or a virtual address does not count. You need a real place of business in the state.
Business Training Grants (WDTF)
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
$3,000 to $4,000 per trainee, up to $75,000 per business each year
Apply any time, 30 to 110 days before training startsHelps Wyoming businesses close staff skill gaps or lift current skills. It pays $3,000 per trainee each fiscal year. Preferred industries get $4,000. They are construction, manufacturing, health and social care, finance and insurance, tech, and hotels and tourism. The cap is $75,000 per business each fiscal year. You can apply at any time, but the application must land 30 to 110 days before training starts. Approval is not promised. You need a Wyoming based business with a physical address in the state.
Wyoming Safety Improvement Fund
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
Up to $10,000
Apply by the 25th for review the next month, funding year July 1 to June 30Pays for safety training or equipment that goes beyond what your industry must already do. The cap is $10,000 a year. Your match is 10 percent if you are in a Wyoming Workers' Compensation discount plan, and 20 percent if you are not. Apply by the 25th to be reviewed the next month. Money goes first come, first served. You must be in good standing with Workers' Compensation, and with Unemployment Insurance and the Secretary of State where they apply.
Internship Grants (WDTF)
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
Up to $18 an hour, up to 960 hours
Rolling, the start date must be at least 15 days after you applyPays back intern wages at up to $18 an hour for a structured internship at your business. An internship can run up to 960 hours and no longer than six months. You can host up to six internships a fiscal year, or ten if you run a registered apprenticeship. The start date has to be at least 15 days after you apply, and each intern needs a mentor with relevant experience. The internship is for learning, not for covering work your staff would normally do.
Startup: Wyoming Regional Challenge Sponsorship
Wyoming Business Council
Up to $25,000 (dollar-for-dollar match)
RollingMatches money raised locally for a startup challenge, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 an event. It can pay for the event, its marketing and coaching sessions. It backs local startup scenes, not single businesses.
Kickstart Grant Program
Wyoming Business Council
$5,000-$50,000
Paused until further noticeNon-dilutive grant funding for growth-oriented Wyoming startups. Your business must be founded in Wyoming, have no more than 25 employees, and demonstrate potential for high-growth markets outside the state. When the programme is running, three grants are awarded each calendar quarter through a competitive pitch process. The Wyoming Business Council has paused it until further notice.
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 Wyoming grant programs expect these basics to be in place.
Form your business entity
Most Wyoming 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 Wyoming.
Women-owned Business Grants
No Wyoming grant on this page is limited to women owners. The Wyoming Women's Business Center is the extra route, with microloans, coaching and training. It is a lender and an adviser, not a grant maker.
- ›Wyoming Women's Business Center
- ›SBA Women's Business Centers
Rural Business Grants
Nearly all of Wyoming counts as rural, so USDA rural programmes are open to you. Business Ready Community money pays a city or a county to build what a business needs. Your business gains but does not apply. Start with your Wyoming Business Council regional director.
- ›Wyoming Business Council
- ›USDA Rural Development
- ›Business Ready Community Program
Technology/Innovation Business Grants
Wyoming matches a federal research award. A first Phase I award draws up to $100,000 and a Phase II up to $200,000, and applications are taken all year. You need a live federal SBIR or STTR award and half your staff in Wyoming. The Wyoming SBDC Network helps write the federal bid for free.
- ›SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program
- ›Wyoming SBDC Network WSSI
Tips for Applying in Wyoming
Increase your chances of approval with these state-specific tips.
- 1Register before you apply. Training and internship grants run through the Grant Management System. That one time sign up takes one to two weeks. HireWYO takes one to two weeks more.
- 2Be in good standing with the Secretary of State, Unemployment Insurance and Workers' Compensation. All three are checked again every time you submit.
- 3File a training grant 30 to 110 days before the training starts. Earlier is not allowed and later is not accepted. Reviews take up to two weeks.
- 4Use the free Wyoming Grant Assistance Program for help finding and managing grants. Email [email protected].
- 5The Kickstart grant is paused with no reopening date. Do not build a plan around it. Check the Wyoming Business Council grants page before you count on it.
State Economic Development Agency
Wyoming Business Council
The Wyoming Business Council cannot grant state money straight to a business except in named cases. Those are the SBIR match, Market Expansion, STEP and Kickstart. Its regional directors are the way in.
Funding While You Wait
Grant applications in Wyoming can take weeks or months to process. These options can bridge the gap.
Grants in Other States
All state grant guidesFrequently Asked Questions
Business Training Grants pay $3,000 a trainee, or $4,000 in a preferred trade, capped at $75,000 a year. Internship grants pay up to $18 an hour for up to 960 hours. The Safety Improvement Fund pays up to $10,000 against a 10 or 20 percent match. Market Expansion pays back 75 percent of out of state selling costs, up to $4,000. STEP pays 75 percent of export event costs, up to $5,000, to 29 September 2027. The SBIR match is open if you hold a federal award.
No. The Wyoming Business Council says it is paused until further notice and gives no reopening date. When it runs it pays $5,000 to $50,000 and asks for no equity. You need to be founded in Wyoming, have no more than 25 staff, and have half of them living in the state.
$3,000 per trainee per fiscal year, and $4,000 if you are in a preferred trade. Preferred trades are construction, making things, health and social care, finance, insurance, tech, and hotels and tourism. The cap is $75,000 a business a year.
Up to $100,000 on a first Phase I federal award and up to $200,000 on a Phase II. Applications are taken all year on a rolling basis. You need a live federal SBIR or STTR award and half your employees in Wyoming. The Wyoming SBDC Network will help you write the federal bid at no cost.
No. None of the Wyoming programmes on this page asks you to be certified as minority or women owned. The Wyoming Women's Business Center adds microloans, coaching and training on top of that. Some federal programmes do reward a formal certification, so it can still be worth having.
Usually yes. The IRS says a government grant to a business generally is not excluded from gross income, so it is taxable. Wyoming has no state income tax, so the bill is federal. Most of these grants pay you back for training, safety or travel costs you have already met, and those costs are usually deductible, so the two often cancel out. That is not a rule, so ask your accountant.
About the Author
Business Formation Researcher
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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