| State economic development agency | FloridaCommerce (formerly Enterprise Florida) |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | State program (see below) |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | State program (see below) |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 1 programs |
FloridaCommerce is Florida's primary economic-development agency, consolidated in 2023 from the prior Enterprise Florida and Department of Economic Opportunity structure. The lead competitive cash incentive is the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, which funds workforce training and public infrastructure projects rather than direct business grants. Other tools include the Capital Investment Tax Credit (CITC), the Quick Action Closing Fund (now consolidated), and the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) tax refund (sunset for new awards 2020 but legacy claims continue).
Primary site: FloridaCommerce (formerly Enterprise Florida)
Discretionary fund for public-infrastructure and workforce-training projects that promote economic growth. Applications submitted by local governments and state colleges; businesses benefit indirectly through training pipelines and infrastructure access at qualifying sites.
Florida runs its own certification or preference program for state contracting. Certification can open state set-asides, participation goals or preferences; federal SBA certifications (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB) cover federal contracts.
Florida supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Florida High Tech Corridor Matching Grants Research Program. Check the program page for current rounds and eligibility; the federal award itself is still applied for through the agencies listed at SBIR.gov.
Match amount: up to $150,000 co-investment, paid to a UCF/USF research partner, 23-county Corridor only
Program page: Florida High Tech Corridor Matching Grants Research Program
Florida programs take applications one by one on the administering agency's site; there is no single statewide grants application system. Confirm the application link on each program page before drafting.
Portal: Program-by-program applications
Federal grants reach businesses in Florida through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by FloridaCommerce (formerly Enterprise Florida) that sub-grant to localities for economic development; EDA public-works and economic-adjustment grants, awarded through regional EDA offices to local governments, economic development districts and nonprofits; USDA Rural Development Business and Industry loan guarantees for rural businesses, plus Rural Business Development Grants that go to towns, tribes and nonprofits (not to businesses directly) to support local small businesses; and SBA loan programs (7(a), 504, Microloan) accessed via local lenders, alongside Treasury-certified CDFI lenders. Business eligibility for each channel depends on entity size, location (rural vs urban), and use-of-funds.
CDBG state administrator: FloridaCommerce (formerly Enterprise Florida) (CDBG-state administrator)
EDA regional contact: US EDA regional office
State programs cover one half of the picture. Federal grant opportunities are listed on Grants.gov; the eligibility floor often overlaps with state programs. Use the GrantProbe Grant Map to search open federal opportunities by keyword, category and agency, and read our federal grants for startups primer for the framework behind every match.
Need help beyond business grants? The Florida section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Florida.
Florida's economic development agency administers several grant and incentive programs for businesses, but most flagship programs require either an existing operation, a defined hiring commitment, or capital investment milestones. Pure pre-revenue startups should usually pair federal SBIR/STTR (where R&D-eligible) with Florida's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Florida programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. Florida supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Florida High Tech Corridor Matching Grants Research Program: up to $150,000 co-investment, paid to a UCF/USF research partner, 23-county Corridor only. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Florida's state agency (FloridaCommerce (formerly Enterprise Florida) (CDBG-state administrator)), which sub-grants to localities. Businesses do not apply directly to the state for CDBG dollars; they apply to participating cities or counties for economic development sub-awards (job creation, blight remediation, low-to-moderate-income workforce). Contact your local economic development office for current sub-awards.
There is no single statewide grants application system; Florida programs take applications on the administering agency's site. Confirm the link on each program page.