| State economic development agency | Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) |
| 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 |
The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs include the ACE (Advantage Jobs) rebate, the Mississippi Job Protection Act incentives, statutory tax incentives (income, sales, property), and CDBG-state pass-throughs for economic development infrastructure. Direct cash-grant programs are concentrated in workforce-training reimbursement and rural infrastructure.
Primary site: Mississippi Development Authority (MDA)
Workforce training reimbursement for Mississippi employers, administered through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security in partnership with the Mississippi Community College Board. Awarded as part of broader MDA project package.
Mississippi 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.
Mississippi supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the MS-FAST Phase 0 Program (Innovate Mississippi). 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 $3,000 reimbursable proposal costs, year-round
Program page: MS-FAST Phase 0 Program (Innovate Mississippi)
Check the administering agency's page for each program's application link; we have not confirmed whether Mississippi uses a single statewide grants system.
Portal: See each program page
Federal grants reach businesses in Mississippi through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) 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: Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) (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 Mississippi section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Mississippi.
Mississippi'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 Mississippi's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Mississippi programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. Mississippi supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the MS-FAST Phase 0 Program (Innovate Mississippi): up to $3,000 reimbursable proposal costs, year-round. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Mississippi's state agency (Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) (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 Mississippi uses a single statewide grants system.