| State economic development agency | Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | None found |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | State program (see below) |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 2 programs |
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs include the Minnesota Job Creation Fund, the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF), the Job Skills Partnership (JSP) training grants, the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, and the Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants (a more recent technology commercialization program).
Primary site: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Performance-based grant for companies making capital investment and creating qualifying full-time jobs in Minnesota. Awards conditional on meeting job-creation and capital-investment milestones.
State financing tool awarded to local governments on behalf of business projects. Used for equipment, working capital, real estate, or infrastructure supporting expansion/relocation.
Minnesota 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.
We found no state-funded SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant in Minnesota when we checked in September 2026 (the Launch MN SBIR/STTR matching grant was discontinued at the end of fiscal 2025). Small businesses apply directly to the federal agencies listed at SBIR.gov; the state's Small Business Development Center can help with proposals.
Minnesota 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 Minnesota through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) 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: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) (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 Minnesota section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Minnesota.
Minnesota'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 any state or local innovation programs and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Minnesota programs and their eligibility thresholds.
We found no state-funded SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant in Minnesota as of September 2026. Small businesses apply directly to the federal agencies listed at SBIR.gov.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Minnesota's state agency (Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) (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; Minnesota programs take applications on the administering agency's site. Confirm the link on each program page.