| State economic development agency | Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | Not confirmed |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | State program (see below) |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 2 programs |
The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs include the Missouri Works program (the lead jobs-creation incentive), the Missouri Works Training program for workforce, the Missouri One Start workforce-training program, the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act credits, and the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) portfolio of innovation programs.
Primary site: Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED)
The state's lead jobs-creation incentive, providing withholding-tax retention or refundable credits to Missouri businesses creating qualifying jobs. Multiple program zones (statewide, rural, high-impact) with varying job and wage thresholds.
Missouri One Start delivers no-cost recruitment, screening, and customized training to qualifying Missouri employers. Functions as a substantial in-kind grant.
Missouri 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 could not confirm whether Missouri currently runs a state SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant. Ask the state economic development agency or the Missouri Small Business Development Center; the federal award itself is applied for through SBIR.gov.
Check the administering agency's page for each program's application link; we have not confirmed whether Missouri uses a single statewide grants system.
Portal: See each program page
Federal grants reach businesses in Missouri through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) 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: Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) (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 Missouri section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Missouri.
Missouri'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 Missouri programs and their eligibility thresholds.
We could not confirm a current Missouri SBIR/STTR match program. Ask the state economic development agency or SBDC, and apply for the federal award through SBIR.gov.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Missouri's state agency (Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) (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 Missouri uses a single statewide grants system.