Pennsylvania small business grants, loans and training funds (2026)

Pennsylvania’s $267.8 million SSBCI share: loans and venture capital

DCED did not lend the SSBCI money directly. In July and August 2022 it took applications from Certified Economic Development Organizations (CEDOs), community development financial institutions (CDFIs), the Pennsylvania CDFI Network, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and the Life Sciences Greenhouses, which now lend or invest it ⁠². A business applies to its local economic development organization, not to DCED ⁠².

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Sources: Treasury program summary ⁠¹ and DCED ⁠².

Each lender sets its own loan sizes, rates and purposes within the Revolving Loan Fund rules, and neither DCED nor Treasury publishes one statewide rate or maximum ⁠¹⁠². Ask the CEDO or CDFI for your county whether it is lending SSBCI money and on what terms. Under the Diverse Leaders program, the state’s loan cannot exceed 20% of a fund, and each fund must raise at least $10 million ⁠¹.

PIDA through your county’s CEDO: the state’s direct lender

PIDA makes low-interest loans and working-capital lines to businesses that commit to creating or keeping full-time jobs in Pennsylvania. Your county’s CEDO packages and underwrites the application ⁠³. The August 2022 program guidelines set these caps ⁠³:

The total cannot exceed $75,000 for each job created or retained within three years of closing ⁠³. Agricultural producers, service enterprises and some project types are exempt from that test. Real estate loans run up to 15 years and equipment loans up to 10. The rate is set when the loan is approved, so ask PIDA for the current rate. Loans over $400,000 carry a 1% commitment fee ⁠³. A firm with 100 or fewer employees can count land, building and equipment spending from the previous 12 months toward the 50% match ⁠³.

Pennsylvania’s minority business lender, the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority (PMBDA), offers 2% fixed-rate loans of up to $250,000 or 90% of project costs, whichever is less. It is not accepting applications because funds are limited ⁠⁴.

The few grants Pennsylvania pays to businesses in 2026-27

These are the only state grants that put money toward a business’s own costs this year. All of them reimburse you after you spend.

Small Business Advantage Grant (DEP). The 2026-27 round opened September 11, 2026 and closes March 19, 2027, or earlier if funds run out ⁠⁵. It reimburses 50% to 80% of projects that cut energy use, pollution or waste, or reduce runoff, such as lighting, HVAC and boiler upgrades. The maximum grant is $7,500 to $12,000, depending on the environmental impact and whether the site is in an Environmental Justice Area ⁠⁵. You need 100 or fewer full-time employees, and the project must save at least $500 a year and cut energy or pollution-prevention costs by at least 20%. Project work must take place between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027 ⁠⁵.

PA CDFI Network microgrants (HDBA). On February 24, 2026, DCED awarded $15 million under its Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance Program to ten organizations that run microgrant programs, including $8,450,000 to the Pennsylvania CDFI Network for all 67 counties ⁠⁶. The Network’s grants of $7,500 to $20,000 do not have to be repaid. They are for for-profit businesses with fewer than 100 employees, at least 51% owned by socially or economically disadvantaged Pennsylvania residents, and earning at least 51% of revenue in the state ⁠⁷. The 2026 window ran July 9 to August 10, 2026 and is closed. Applications were scored, and meeting the criteria did not guarantee an award ⁠⁷. The other nine organizations (for example Lehigh University, Seton Hill University and the Greater Erie Economic Development Corporation) cover specific counties ⁠⁶.

Farm Vitality Planning Grant (Department of Agriculture). For 2026-27, the department has up to $500,000 for grants of up to $15,000 covering 75% of the cost of accountants, consultants and other professionals who write business, transition or expansion plans for a farm. It has accepted applications since August 8, 2026 and will keep accepting them until funds are exhausted ⁠¹¹.

WEDnetPA: training dollars for employers in five industries

WEDnetPA Guaranteed Free Training reimburses up to $2,000 per eligible employee, up to $50,000 per company. It is taking 2026-27 applications from August 1, 2026 ⁠⁸. It is limited to businesses in manufacturing, life sciences, agriculture, energy, and robotics and technology. Retail, construction, architecture and engineering firms, staffing agencies and most nonprofits are excluded ⁠⁹. You pick the trainer, and you file for reimbursement after the training ends ⁠⁸.

Trainees must be Pennsylvania residents working full time in the state, earn at least $17.31 an hour excluding benefits, and be eligible for full-time benefits that include health coverage ⁠⁹. Training must start and finish between July 1 and June 30. New-hire orientation and on-the-job training are not covered. A company cannot be funded more than two years in a row or three years out of any five, and firms with 25% or higher turnover are ineligible ⁠⁹.

Export reimbursement through the Global Access Program

The Global Access Program (GAP) is Pennsylvania’s version of the SBA-funded State Trade Expansion Program. Under the STEP 13 guidelines dated May 27, 2026, it reimburses 75% of eligible export-promotion costs, up to $10,000 per company per award period. A company can file at most two applications in a period, each for one activity ⁠¹⁰. The current federal award period began July 1, 2026. Funds are limited, and a committee reviews applications in the order received ⁠¹⁰.

Covered costs include trade show and trade mission fees, lodging up to federal rates, interpreters, compliance testing, website translation, e-commerce fees and export credit insurance. Airfare, meals, wages and product samples are not covered ⁠¹⁰. You must have been in business at least one year. Your application goes to your Regional Export Network partner before the activity, and receipts are due within 30 days after it ends ⁠¹⁰.

Technology firms: SSBCI equity, SBIR help and Philadelphia’s match

We found no statewide SBIR/STTR matching grant in Pennsylvania as of October 2026. Tech startups have three other places to go. The first is the SSBCI Direct Venture Investment Program, an equity investment you give ownership or repayment rights for, through the Ben Franklin regional partners and the Life Sciences Greenhouses ⁠¹. The second is the Ben Franklin-run Innovation Partnership (IPart), which offers free written reviews of SBIR/STTR proposal ideas, proposal-preparation help and travel and training awards of up to $1,000 ⁠¹⁴. The third is city money: on January 9, 2026, Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce gave $450,000 in SBIR/STTR matching grants to 21 life sciences companies that had won federal Phase I or II awards since 2022. The city has not announced another round ⁠¹³.

Local money that is significant: Philadelphia storefronts

Philadelphia’s Storefront Improvement Program reimburses up to 50% of exterior improvement costs, up to $20,000 for a single commercial property or $30,000 for a corner or multiple-address property. The property must be on an approved commercial corridor ⁠¹². The program takes applications on a rolling basis. Do not start work or buy materials until the city gives written approval ⁠¹².

Getting help from a Pennsylvania SBDC, step by step

The Pennsylvania SBDC network has 15 centers and more than 50 outreach locations. Its consulting is free and confidential, and it has specialists for SSBCI financing, international trade and technology commercialization ⁠¹⁵.

1. Book a no-cost SBDC consultation

   Request consulting at pasbdc.org or call 877-472-7232 ⁠¹⁵. Bring your business plan or projections, recent tax returns and the dollar amount you need, and ask which of the programs above fits.

2. Call your county’s CEDO about financing

   Use DCED’s CEDO locator. Ask whether it lends PA-SSBCI Revolving Loan Fund money and whether your project fits PIDA’s caps and its $75,000-per-job test ⁠²⁠³. The CEDO packages the PIDA application with you.

3. Line up the bank or equity match

   PIDA usually covers at most half of a land, building or equipment project, and the SSBCI share of a revolving fund loan is capped at 50% ⁠³⁠¹. Get a lender’s commitment, or document your own equity, before the CEDO submits.

4. Apply for the DEP grant before you buy equipment

   Get contractor quotes and an estimate of yearly savings showing at least $500 and 20%, then apply through DCED’s Single Application for Assistance by March 19, 2027. Questions go to [email protected] or 717-783-9640 ⁠⁵.

5. File WEDnetPA before training starts

   Confirm your industry code is eligible, list each trainee’s wage (at least $17.31 an hour) and full-time status, and submit the training plan online. Invoice after each course ends ⁠⁸⁠⁹.

6. Exporters: contact a Regional Export Network partner

   Ask for the SBA eligibility form, the debarment certification and the STEP client application, all dated July 1, 2026 or later, and file before the trade show or trip ⁠¹⁰.

7. If you are turned down, ask why and try the next round

   A credit decision from one CEDO or CDFI does not bind another. The CDFI Network microgrant and GAP are competitive, so ask the administrator how your application scored, and watch for the 2027 microgrant window ⁠⁷⁠¹⁰.

For other Pennsylvania help, see the Pennsylvania overview, or compare states on the small business grants hub.