| State economic development agency | Empire State Development (ESD) |
| 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 | 2 programs |
Empire State Development (ESD) is New York's lead economic-development agency, structured as a public-benefit corporation. ESD administers the Excelsior Jobs Program, the Empire State Apprenticeship Tax Credit, the Restore New York Communities Initiative, the NY Forward downtown revitalization grants, the NYS Innovation Hot Spots, and a large portfolio of regional and sector-specific programs through the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs). The annual Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) is the unified application channel for many of these programs.
Primary site: Empire State Development (ESD)
The state's lead jobs-creation incentive, providing refundable tax credits over 10 years to companies in strategic industries (high-tech, biotech, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, distribution, music, software). Three credit components (jobs, investment, R&D).
The annual CFA is the unified application channel for ~30 ESD and partner-agency funding programs distributed through the ten REDCs. Single application opens roughly mid-year with a multi-month cycle.
New York 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.
New York supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the ESD/NYSTAR Innovation Matching Grants (IMG). 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 $100,000 (Phase I) and $200,000 (Phase II), never more than 50% of the federal award; rounds open in October and April
Program page: ESD/NYSTAR Innovation Matching Grants (IMG)
Consolidated Funding Application handles applications for many New York state programs. Some programs still use their own application pages, so confirm the link on each program page before drafting.
Portal: Consolidated Funding Application
Federal grants reach businesses in New York through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Empire State Development (ESD) 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: Empire State Development (ESD) (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 New York section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for New York.
New York'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 New York's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named New York programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. New York supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the ESD/NYSTAR Innovation Matching Grants (IMG): up to $100,000 (Phase I) and $200,000 (Phase II), never more than 50% of the federal award; rounds open in October and April. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to New York's state agency (Empire State Development (ESD) (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.
Consolidated Funding Application handles applications for many state programs. Some programs still use their own pages, so confirm the link on each program page.