| State economic development agency | Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) |
| 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 |
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is the state's lead economic-development agency, structured as a public-private partnership. Major programs include the Commonwealth's Development Opportunity Fund (COF) closing fund, the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) workforce training, the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, and the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) through the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) supporting SBIR/STTR alignment.
Primary site: Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP)
The Governor's discretionary closing-assistance fund. Used for project-specific needs (infrastructure, site preparation, training) on major economic-development projects in active site-selection.
Customized recruitment, training development, and post-hire onboarding for qualifying VA projects, delivered through partnership with Virginia Community College System. Functions as substantial in-kind grant.
Virginia 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.
Virginia supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the VIPC Commonwealth Commercialization Fund SBIR/STTR matching. 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: amounts not confirmed
Program page: VIPC Commonwealth Commercialization Fund SBIR/STTR matching
Virginia 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 Virginia through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) 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: Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) (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 Virginia section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Virginia.
Virginia'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 Virginia's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Virginia programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. Virginia supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the VIPC Commonwealth Commercialization Fund SBIR/STTR matching: amounts not confirmed. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Virginia's state agency (Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) (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; Virginia programs take applications on the administering agency's site. Confirm the link on each program page.