Financing a new business is one of the most stressful experiences an entrepreneur will ever have. Yet coming up with funding is critical for developing your goods or services, employing workers, finding premises, and all the day-to-day tasks that come with starting and running a small business.
Small business grants can make the whole process less stressful. Much like a loan, they help you find funding in the early stages. This is often critical to new business owners who operate on slim margins.
In Massachusetts, getting funding for your small business is as important as any other state or country in the world. Happily, there is lots of support for new and existing ventures in the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts is a thriving hub for small businesses, in fact. The state currently operates nearly 700,000 of them, according to the most recently available statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration. This comprises 99.5% of all Massachusetts businesses and nearly 45% of Massachusetts employees. In total, small businesses employ 1.5 million people in the state.
The reason you should consider grants is because you don’t have to pay the money back. They can provide that critical boost your business needs, both in the early stages and further down the road.
In this post, we will explore how grants fit into the overall business ecosystem. We will also explore the main small business grants 2025 is likely to offer, even if the application windows are not open yet. We will explore a range of small business grants, including state, federal, industry-specific, and corporate or private foundation grants.
Ready to take a look at small business grants in Massachusetts? Let’s dive in.
A small business grant is a lump of money that entrepreneurs can use to further their business goals.
Funding opportunities vary, some of them for specific purposes, and some of them unrestricted. For instance, some grants are earmarked for upgrading the technology at your small business. Others are nonspecific, so you can use the money for any activity, as long as it is legitimately related to your business.
Grants are different from loans and venture capital in one key way: The money is yours with no strings attached.
Unlike loans, you do not have to pay them back. Unlike venture capital investment, you do not have to surrender an ownership share in your company, nor do you have to share a specific percentage of the profits with an investor later.
This means that you can expand your new or early-stage business more easily, without risking debt that may come back to bite you. Plus, you will be able to:
The grant opportunities Massachusetts offers are significant. Whether you’re looking for startup grant opportunities or money to help your existing small business along, you will find that when it comes to funding opportunities Massachusetts is quite generous.
First and foremost, when looking for small business grants in Massachusetts, check out Massachusetts grant program opportunities. These are unique to the state, so you won’t be competing with as wide an audience.
Note that while the following list is a great starting place for some of the most lucrative grants, it hardly represents everything that might apply to your business. Make sure to do your research about small business grants in Massachusetts and don’t confine your search to the ones on this list.
As far as small business grants go, this one is pretty flexible. The Community Compact IT Grant Program is available to businesses of any kind that want to update their technology. Note that you do not have to be a tech company; you just have to use technology at your company, which is every business these days.
With award money of up to $200,000, this is a potential game-changer for many small businesses.
The 2025 grant program opens on January 6. Check the above link then to make sure you don’t miss it.
Offered through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, the Community One Stop for Growth is an application portal that enables you to apply for a number of small business grants available through the state.
To apply, visit the link above and read more about the types of grants you can apply for, what 2025 will bring in its application round, and the steps you need to take in order to apply. Note that they offer virtual office hours for those who need help before filling out their application, so don’t be afraid to use them.
Some of the small business grants 2025 is likely to offer are confined to specific industries or niches. Technology and agriculture are a few of the most common.
However, it is very likely that you will find small business grants in Massachusetts that apply to your own industry as well. Again, make sure to do that research so you don’t miss out on anything that might apply to you.
A self-described seed company for “deep tech startups,” Mass Ventures’ Capital Investment program is the place to look if your focus is on driving extreme innovation.
The application process is different if you’re still in the research stage versus if you have launched your company. Make sure to fill out the correct application.
If you work in the agriculture or food industries and are curious about small business grants 2025 has a lot to offer you. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources offers grant money for farm improvement, food safety, environmentalism, and more.
Check out the link above and click on the specific category into which you fall. There, take note of what’s available in 2025. Not all grants listed on the page are still active, so check that before putting in significant time.
Small business grants in Massachusetts may also take the form of federal funding. That means your grant will come from institutions at the federal level, where you may be able to secure significant funding.
Don’t miss out on these grants, most of which are available on a rolling basis. That means they are very likely to be among the small business grants 2025 will offer.
The SBIR grant is available to businesses that advance the causes of science and technology. The federal government believes that small Business Innovation is core to maintaining a strong economy and a technologically advanced society.
For that reason, the Small Business Administration offers significant grant money through America’s Seed Fund. This money will allow you to develop, test, and market your idea. The funding is non-dilutive, which means accepting it does not require you to give up an ownership share.
Because the SBIR grant is not one single grant, there is not one single application process. Explore the rules for each agency or get help from a local assistant if needed.
Similar to the SBIR, the STTR is a grant that also helps you develop and mark it a scientific or technological idea. The only difference is that you need to find a nonprofit partner, like a federal organization or a research university.
Department of Defense grants come via a variety of avenues. The Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) and the Rapid Integrated Scalable Enterprise (RISE) initiative are two examples of funding types you can find if your business contributes to national defense.
There is no single DoD grant on an annual timeline. Instead, they offer multiple funding paths through different departments and throughout the year. Read through the page carefully.
If your business falls in energy-related sectors (such as nuclear, renewables, carbon, and so forth), then you may get grant money from the Department of Energy. As with other federal and state grants, these often represent a number of different opportunities rather than just one.
Again, read through the page carefully. Choose your area and click “View More” to see opportunities and application details.
Businesses in the health and sciences sectors should check out the National Institutes of Health for grant money. They also offer contracts, and all funding is non-dilutive, so you don’t need to give up an ownership share in your company.
To apply for small business grants through the NIH, check out the available funding opportunities using the link above. Timelines and award amounts vary.
Small business grants in Massachusetts are also available on the corporate and private foundation level. The following are common and ongoing small business grants for which you should consider applying.
The well-known global credit card company likes to give back in the form of grant money. Specific grants vary from year to year, tending to focus on women, minorities, and underserved communities.
If you believe you qualify as any of the above groups, keep an eye on the Visa Foundation in 2025.
A FedEx small business grant is a big deal. The company offers annual awards to the tune of $50,000 for the grand prize winner and $20,000 for each of the nine other winners in the top ten.
To be notified when the 2025 grant application window opens, watch the link above. Make sure to focus more on why you have a compelling story and business idea and less on corporate lingo.
The NASE offers what they call growth grants. These are available to all business owners for any type of business activity, helping you to launch a new business or expand an existing one.
You can submit applications any time and they will be reviewed once a quarter. The website indicates that current NASE members may have a better shot at getting grants, so consider that when applying.
Founded in honor of a young woman, the Amber Grant offers $10,000 a month to one lucky female entrepreneur. The past 36 winners are eligible for an additional grant of $25,000, of which there are three annually.
As with any grant, make sure to fill out the grant to the best of your ability. The website advises telling your story with heart rather than focusing on details or numbers as you would in a corporate report.
The above list is a great place to start when looking for small business grants. They are rich funding opportunities and are all small business grants 2025 is likely to offer.
Remember when you are searching for small business grants in Massachusetts that you won’t get them all, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you should stop trying. Your business is worth keeping the faith, so good luck!
This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness. It also does not indicate any affiliation between Tailor Brands and any other brands, services or logos.
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