Small Business Grants in Oregon
Oregon's two biggest state grants are shut. The SBIR match closed in October 2025 and the Sustainability Fund is paused for lack of money, so the money actually moving is in Portland.
Oregon's two biggest state grants are shut. The SBIR match closed in October 2025 and the Sustainability Fund is paused for lack of money, so the money actually moving is in Portland. Prosper Portland opened an $800,000 storefront grant on 17 August and is awarding it first come, first served. The cards below show which programmes still take applications.
Which Oregon grants fit your business?
Answer 7 quick questions and we sort the 13 programs on this page into likely fits and long shots. Nothing personal is asked or stored, and final eligibility is always decided by the granting agency.
Oregon Small Business Grant Programs
State-administered funding programs available to Oregon small businesses. Verify deadlines directly with the granting agency before applying.
Export Promotion Grants (Oregon Trade Promotion Program)
Business Oregon
Up to $7,500, twice a company for pre-approved events and once for ad hoc requests
Pre-approved events September 1, 2026 to September 29, 2027, apply 30 days aheadReimburses export costs, trade show booths, trade missions and export training, through the Oregon Trade Promotion Program. Federal money is tight. Business Oregon is offering only listed events and approving no individual company trips. Pre-approved events cap at $7,500 and you can take two, applying 30 days ahead. Ad hoc requests also cap at $7,500, one a company, need 60 days, and are being wait listed until more funding arrives.
Apply / Learn MoreSBIR/STTR Application Support Grants (Phase 0 and 00)
Business Oregon
Up to $5,000
RollingPays up to $5,000 for proposal help. It covers the cost of writing a federal SBIR or STTR bid, including grant writers, technical reviewers, legal and accounting help tied to the bid, and market research. It is open to Oregon for-profit firms with under 500 staff.
Prosperity Investment Program (PIP)
Prosper Portland
Up to $75,000
RollingA matching, reimbursable grant for tenant and building work inside Portland's TIF districts. It funds up to 75 percent of approved hard and soft costs to a $75,000 ceiling, and you put up the other 25 percent. Soft costs cap at $25,000. Check your district first. Central Eastside, Central Eastside Corridor and Old Town have no money right now, and Central Eastside Corridor is capped at $25,000 when they do. You need three years left on your lease.
Apply / Learn MoreOregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Assistance Program (ORAEA)
Oregon Department of Energy
75% of the assessment cost
RollingPays for most of an energy audit. It covers 75 percent of the assessor's fee for farms, ranches, and rural firms. The money goes to the assessor, not to your account. An assessment is often a required step before a USDA energy grant.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Microenterprise Assistance
Business Oregon
Up to $100,000, awarded to your city or county
Deadline Sep 30, 2026Federal money that Business Oregon passes to rural cities and counties. They then run microenterprise projects for local owners. A business cannot apply on its own. Ask your city or county whether it plans one.
Apply / Learn MoreVacant Storefront Grant
Prosper Portland
Up to $100,000 for a grocery, $50,000 for a restaurant, $25,000 for a retailer
Rolling since August 17, 2026, until the $800,000 runs outProsper Portland pays back up to 75 percent of the cost of moving into an empty Portland storefront. The cap depends on what you open. A grocery store can claim $100,000, a restaurant $50,000, a retailer $25,000. You need a lease signed in the last six months with three years still to run. Nonprofits, cannabis sellers, food carts and online only businesses cannot apply, and anything awarded here counts against the ceiling on the Prosperity Investment Program.
Apply / Learn MoreSBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program
Business Oregon
$50,000–$100,000
Deadline Oct 17, 2025State money that matches a federal award. It is for Oregon firms that already hold an SBIR or STTR grant. Phase I winners could claim up to $50,000. Phase II and Fast Track winners could claim up to $100,000. The round closed in October 2025 and no new one has a date.
Local Small Business Expanded Repair/Restore Grants
Prosper Portland
Up to $25,000
RollingPays back damage from break-ins. It also covers prevention work such as cameras, alarms, and security gates, and insurance rises up to $5,000. You must trade from a ground floor customer-facing site with 50 or fewer staff.
View program pageSmall Business Sustainability Fund (SBSF)
Business Oregon
Up to $75,000
Paused, no applicationsBusiness Oregon's largest small business grant. It is meant to be paired with private lending and business consulting. Priority goes to rural and underrepresented owners, and to projects that lift out-of-state sales. It is paused.
View program pageFederal Grant Programs
These federal programs are available to small businesses in every state.
SBA 7(a) Loan Program
The SBA's primary lending program guarantees loans through participating lenders. This is a loan, not a grant. But the terms favor small businesses that may not qualify for conventional financing.
Learn moreSBA Microloan Program
Loans up to $50,000, not grants. You borrow from a nonprofit lender near you, not from the SBA itself. The money can cover working capital, inventory, supplies or equipment. Most people get far less than the cap. The average microloan is about $13,000.
Learn moreSBIR/STTR Grants
Competitive federal grants for small businesses doing research and development with commercial potential. Eleven federal agencies take part. Phase I funds proof of concept. Phase II funds full development.
Learn moreMinority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Programs
Help for minority owned businesses that need capital, contracts or new markets. MBDA runs business centers around the country. They give advice, help with bids, and point you toward lenders.
Learn moreSize is the strange part. Oregon's largest business grant is shut and one of its two joint second largest is paused. The chart plots the top award for each programme here against whether it takes applications today. The tallest bar is the one you cannot apply for, and the biggest that is open is the $75,000 Prosperity Investment Program in Portland.
Get Grant-Ready
Before you apply, most Oregon grant programs expect these basics to be in place.
Form your business entity
Most Oregon grant programs require applicants to be a registered LLC, corporation, or nonprofit. If you haven't formed yet, that's the first step.
$39 + state fee. Includes registered agent, business address, and more.
Get your EIN
An Employer Identification Number is free from the IRS and required on nearly every grant application. You can apply online and receive it immediately.
Open a business bank account
Grant funds need to go into a dedicated business account, not your personal checking. Most agencies will ask for your banking details on the application.
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.
Grants by Business Type
Targeted programs for specific business owners in Oregon.
Women-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Women Business Enterprises. That certification never expires. It opens state, county, and city contracts, not a cash grant. No Oregon state program pays women-owned firms only.
- ›COBID WBE Certification
- ›Oregon Small Business Enterprise Certification
Minority-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Minority Business Enterprises too. In Portland, the Inclusive Business Resource Network backs BIPOC founders with grants, loans, and advice. Prosper Portland also runs the Reimagine Oregon fund. It is for people harmed by cannabis prohibition, and Prosper Portland lists the next cycle as opening in summer 2026.
- ›COBID MBE Certification
- ›Prosper Portland Inclusive Business Resource Network
Veteran-owned Business Grants
COBID certifies Veteran Business Enterprises. Service-disabled owners are covered, and the certification never expires. It is a contracting door, not a grant. Oregon runs no veteran-only grant today.
- ›COBID VBE Certification
Rural Business Grants
One program pays for an energy audit. It covers 75 percent of the cost. The money goes to the assessor, not to you. Rural cities and counties also draw Community Development Block Grant money. A business reaches that through the local government, never directly.
- ›Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Assistance Program
- ›Community Development Block Grant, through your city or county
Technology/Innovation Business Grants
Application Support pays up to $5,000. It covers the cost of writing a federal SBIR or STTR proposal, and it is open. The bigger match of $50,000 to $100,000 closed in October 2025, with no new round named. Business Oregon also lists a Commercialization Gap Fund for early-stage firms.
- ›SBIR/STTR Application Support Grants
- ›Commercialization Gap Fund
Tips for Applying in Oregon
Increase your chances of approval with these state-specific tips.
- 1Read the program page header first. Business Oregon states a pause or a closed window right at the top. Two of its biggest programs say so today.
- 2Send export requests 60 days early. Staff need that time to review them. The state will not pay for a trip you have already taken.
- 3Get COBID certified if you qualify. The minority, women, and veteran versions never expire. A new one is the Oregon Small Business Enterprise. It is open to any Oregon firm with 50 or fewer staff.
- 4Call your Regional Development Officer first. They know which pots still hold money. The website does not always say.
- 5Book a free hour at an Oregon SBDC center. The network runs 19 of them. Advisers there read grant applications for a living and charge nothing.
State Economic Development Agency
Business Oregon (Oregon Business Development Department)
Business Oregon runs the state's business finance programmes. Most are loans or tax incentives. Only a handful are grants, which is why the open list on this page is short.
Funding While You Wait
Grant applications in Oregon can take weeks or months to process. These options can bridge the gap.
Grants in Other States
All state grant guidesFrequently Asked Questions
Six. Only one is large. Prosper Portland opened an $800,000 Vacant Storefront Grant on 17 August 2026, worth up to $100,000 for a grocery store and $25,000 for a retailer. Application Support pays up to $5,000 toward an SBIR proposal. Export grants cap at $7,500. The energy programme covers 75 percent of a rural assessment. In Portland, the Prosperity Investment Program pays up to $75,000 toward building work in a TIF district, and Repair/Restore up to $25,000. The SBIR match and the Sustainability Fund take nothing.
Yes. Every open state program funds for-profit firms. An Oregon LLC qualifies on structure alone. The rest is what decides it, being based here, trading a year or more for export money, and sitting in the right district for the Portland grants. Nonprofits and sole traders without a registered name hit more walls.
Not as a flat award. The old $10,000 export figure came from federal STEP money, and Business Oregon now says the funding is limited enough that it is offering only listed events and approving no individual company trips. Export grants cap at $7,500. You can take two for pre-approved events, or one ad hoc, and ad hoc requests are being wait listed until more money arrives. The awards above $10,000 are Portland only.
The window closed on October 17, 2025 at 5 p.m. Business Oregon's page still reads Matching Grants (Application Window Closed) and asks people to check back or join the mailing list. No new round has a date. Across both of its state SBIR grants Business Oregon reports more than $400,000 awarded. That helped Oregon firms win close to $13 million in federal awards.
No. Business Oregon takes those applications from non-metropolitan cities and counties. Its 2026 fall round runs to September 30, 2026. Tribes, the 14 named urban cities, and Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Marion counties cannot apply either. Ask your city or county whether it plans a microenterprise project. The cap for one is $100,000.
No, not for the grants. None of the open Oregon programmes on this page asks for COBID certification. What it buys is access to state, county and city contracts and the set-asides that go with them, which for most firms is worth more over time than a single grant. Applying costs nothing. The minority, women and veteran versions never expire once issued.
Plan in months, not weeks. Ad hoc export requests have to land 60 days before the activity starts, pre-approved events 30 days, and Business Oregon reviews them in the order they arrive. The Portland grants pay on reimbursement, so you spend your own money first and claim it back afterwards. The energy money never reaches you at all, it goes straight to the assessor. Nothing here fills a payroll gap.
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Grant programs change frequently. Deadlines, eligibility requirements, and funding amounts listed here may be outdated. Always verify information directly with the granting agency before applying. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice.
Sources & References
- Business Oregon, SBIR and STTR programs
- Business Oregon, Export Promotion Program
- Business Oregon, Small Business Sustainability Fund
- Business Oregon, Community Development Block Grants
- Business Oregon, COBID certification
- Oregon Department of Energy, rural and agricultural energy assistance
- Prosper Portland, grants
- Oregon SBDC Network
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