| State economic development agency | Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) + MassDevelopment |
| State SBIR/STTR phase-zero match | No statewide match |
| Formal small-business set-aside program | Yes (DBE/MBE/WBE/VOSB) |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 2 programs |
Massachusetts' lead economic-development functions are split between the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) within the Executive Office of Economic Development and the quasi-public MassDevelopment finance and development authority. Strategic grant programs flow through Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) for small-business grants and loans, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) for biotech, and MassTech for innovation programs.
Primary site: Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) + MassDevelopment
The SBTA grant program funds Massachusetts community-based organizations that deliver no-cost technical assistance, training, and capital-access support to underserved Massachusetts small businesses. Businesses receive services at no cost from grantee organizations.
State training-cost reimbursement for Massachusetts employers (both new and incumbent worker training). Two tracks: General Program for larger customized projects; Express Program for off-the-shelf training from approved vendors.
Massachusetts SDO operates one of the broader state certification programs (seven distinct designations).
SDO certifies Minority-Owned (MBE), Women-Owned (WBE), Veteran-Owned (VBE), Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned (SDVOBE), LGBT-Owned (LGBTBE), Disability-Owned (DOBE), and Portuguese-Owned (POBE) businesses. State agency procurement applies aspirational participation goals using SDO certifications.
Massachusetts does not currently operate a statewide SBIR/STTR Phase 0 or Phase I match program. Eligible small businesses still apply directly to federal SBIR/STTR through the participating federal agencies (DoD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, etc.) via SBIR.gov.
Massachusetts uses COMMBUYS as its statewide procurement portal for state contracting and SDO certification. Grant programs use program-specific application portals on agency sites (MGCC, MassDev, MassTech, MLSC).
Federal grants reach businesses in Massachusetts through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) + MassDevelopment that sub-grant to localities for economic development; EDA public-works and economic-adjustment grants flowing through regional EDA offices; USDA Rural Development Business and Industry loan guarantees and Rural Business Development Grants for rural-county operations; and SBA programs (7(a), 504, Microloan, CDFI) accessed via local lenders. Business eligibility for each channel depends on entity size, location (rural vs urban), and use-of-funds.
CDBG state administrator: Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) + MassDevelopment (CDBG-state administrator)
EDA regional contact: US EDA regional office
State programs cover one half of the picture. Federal grants flow through 26 federal agencies via Grants.gov; the eligibility floor often overlaps with state programs. Use the GrantProbe Grant Finder to filter federal grants by entity type, sector, and award size, and read our federal grants for startups primer for the framework behind every match.
Massachusetts'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 state innovation match programs (if available) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Massachusetts programs and their eligibility thresholds.
No. Massachusetts does not currently operate a statewide SBIR/STTR Phase 0 or Phase I match program. Eligible small businesses apply directly to federal SBIR/STTR through participating agencies at SBIR.gov. Some Massachusetts regional or university-based innovation programs may provide application support; check the state economic development agency for current partnerships.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Massachusetts's state agency (Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) + MassDevelopment (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.
Massachusetts uses COMMBUYS + program-specific portals. See the application portal section above for the portal URL and pattern. Most state-administered programs require pre-registration with a state vendor identification number before an application can be submitted.