| State economic development agency | Texas Economic Development & Tourism (within the Governor's Office) |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | None found |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | State program (see below) |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 3 programs |
Texas Economic Development & Tourism (EDT), within the Office of the Governor, is the state's lead economic-development coordinating function. Major programs include the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) (the lead "deal-closing" fund), the Skills Development Fund (customized workforce training through TX community/technical colleges), the Self-Sufficiency Fund, the Spaceport Trust Fund, and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund.
Primary site: Texas Economic Development & Tourism (within the Governor's Office)
TEF is Texas's lead deal-closing performance grant for major projects. Awards conditional on meeting job-creation, capital-investment, and wage milestones. Used when TX is in active competitive site-selection against other states.
State customized workforce-training grant awarded to TX community/technical colleges partnering with employers. Funds curriculum development and training delivery for net new or incumbent workers.
Established 2023 to attract semiconductor manufacturing and R&D investment to TX. Matching grants for projects aligned with the federal CHIPS Act ecosystem.
Texas 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 found no state-funded SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant in Texas when we checked in September 2026 (SB 209 stalled May 2025; Texas-FAST offers free advising). Small businesses apply directly to the federal agencies listed at SBIR.gov; the state's Small Business Development Center can help with proposals.
Texas programs take applications one by one on the administering agency's site; there is no single statewide grants application system. Confirm the application link on each program page before drafting.
Portal: Program-by-program applications
Federal grants reach businesses in Texas through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Texas Economic Development & Tourism (within the Governor's Office) 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: Texas Economic Development & Tourism (within the Governor's Office) (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 Texas section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Texas.
Texas'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 Texas programs and their eligibility thresholds.
We found no state-funded SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant in Texas as of September 2026. Small businesses apply directly to the federal agencies listed at SBIR.gov.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Texas's state agency (Texas Economic Development & Tourism (within the Governor's Office) (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.
There is no single statewide grants application system; Texas programs take applications on the administering agency's site. Confirm the link on each program page.