| State economic development agency | South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | State program (see below) |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | Not confirmed |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 2 programs |
The South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs include the Reinvestment Payment Program (the lead cash incentive, based on sales/use-tax rebate), the Workforce Development Program training grants, the Future Fund, and the Dakota Seeds internship program.
Primary site: South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Refund of state sales/use tax paid on qualifying project costs (construction materials, equipment) for projects above $20M (manufacturing/processing) or $2M (agricultural/livestock). Functions as a substantial back-end cash grant.
State workforce-training reimbursement administered by GOED in partnership with SD technical colleges.
We could not confirm whether South Dakota runs its own small-business or supplier-diversity certification for state contracts. Check the state procurement office; federal SBA certifications (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB) apply to federal contracts.
South Dakota supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the GOED Proof of Concept: SBIR/STTR Supplement. 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 $25,000 with a 10% company match; may convert to a loan or equity
Program page: GOED Proof of Concept: SBIR/STTR Supplement
Check the administering agency's page for each program's application link; we have not confirmed whether South Dakota uses a single statewide grants system.
Portal: See each program page
Federal grants reach businesses in South Dakota through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) 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: South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) (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 South Dakota section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for South Dakota.
South Dakota'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 South Dakota's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named South Dakota programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. South Dakota supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the GOED Proof of Concept: SBIR/STTR Supplement: up to $25,000 with a 10% company match; may convert to a loan or equity. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to South Dakota's state agency (South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) (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 South Dakota uses a single statewide grants system.