| State economic development agency | New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) |
| State SBIR/STTR phase-zero match | NH Office of Strategic Initiatives Phase 0 SBIR Assistance |
| Formal small-business set-aside program | Federal-only |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 1 programs |
The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs are concentrated in the Economic Revitalization Zone Tax Credit (ERZ), the Job Training Fund, the R&D Tax Credit, and CDBG-state pass-throughs administered by the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA).
Primary site: New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA)
State matching grant for workforce training at New Hampshire businesses. 50/50 match; rolling applications administered by NHES.
The state primarily relies on federal small-business certifications (SBA 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB/EDWOSB, SDVOSB/VOSB) for set-aside eligibility. State agency procurement may apply these certifications where federal funds pass through, but no state-administered formal small-business set-aside program operates beyond the standard MBE/WBE/DBE registries.
New Hampshire has historically provided SBIR proposal-preparation support through state innovation programs. Verify current program line and award level with NH BEA before assuming a cash-match component.
Match amount: Proposal-preparation support; cash-grant component cycle-dependent
Program page: NH Office of Strategic Initiatives Phase 0 SBIR Assistance
New Hampshire state-administered grant programs typically use program-specific application portals on individual agency sites rather than a single statewide grants portal. Federal pass-through funds (HUD CDBG, EDA, USDA Rural Development) route through Grants.gov for the federal half, then through the state sub-recipient process. Always confirm the application URL on the agency page for the specific program before drafting.
Federal grants reach businesses in New Hampshire through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) 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: New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) (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.
New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. New Hampshire operates NH Office of Strategic Initiatives Phase 0 SBIR Assistance, which provides Proposal-preparation support; cash-grant component cycle-dependent to small businesses receiving federal SBIR/STTR awards. See the SBIR/STTR match section above for eligibility, application timing, and program contact.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to New Hampshire's state agency (New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) (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.
New Hampshire uses Grants.gov + 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.