| State economic development agency | Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) |
| 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 | 2 programs |
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's lead agency for business recruitment and expansion. Georgia's primary cash incentives include the REBA (Regional Economic Business Assistance) grant for closing assistance on major projects and OneGeorgia Authority grants for rural development. The Job Tax Credit and Quality Jobs Tax Credit are statutory rather than discretionary. Georgia operates one of the most active state film-and-television production grant/credit ecosystems.
Primary site: Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD)
Discretionary grant fund used for site preparation, infrastructure, and other closing assistance on major economic-development projects. Negotiated through GDEcD project managers; not broadly available as a small-business grant.
OneGeorgia Authority grants fund infrastructure projects supporting business expansion or location in rural Georgia counties. Applications submitted by local governments; businesses benefit through site readiness at qualifying locations.
Georgia 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.
Georgia supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Georgia FAST Grant (Phase 0, via UGA). 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 $2,450 toward a grant-writing consultant (SBA FAST funded); no state match found
Program page: Georgia FAST Grant (Phase 0, via UGA)
Check the administering agency's page for each program's application link; we have not confirmed whether Georgia uses a single statewide grants system.
Portal: See each program page
Federal grants reach businesses in Georgia through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) 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: Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) (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 Georgia section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Georgia.
Georgia'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 Georgia's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Georgia programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. Georgia supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Georgia FAST Grant (Phase 0, via UGA): up to $2,450 toward a grant-writing consultant (SBA FAST funded); no state match found. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Georgia's state agency (Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) (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.
Check the administering agency's page for each program; we have not confirmed whether Georgia uses a single statewide grants system.