New Hampshire Small Business Grants 2026: What's Open

New Hampshire small business grants open or recurring in 2026

New Hampshire had one recurring grant program aimed at for-profit small businesses on October 18, 2026, and it's for exporters. That's not a gap in this guide. BEA's grant list is short, and the rest of it funds communities and organizations.

So for most New Hampshire owners, the useful options are below. These are loans, guarantees, and free help, not grants:

Left out on purpose: WorkInvestNH, the employer training program run by New Hampshire Employment Security, whose official page Grantsights couldn't open, so its current terms couldn't be verified; Community Development Block Grant economic development money, which goes to municipalities, and whose latest program page Grantsights found was from 2020; InvestNH, the Northern Border Regional Commission, the Joint Promotional Program, and the broadband grants, all of which fund communities, housing developers, tourism groups, or internet providers; the Economic Revitalization Zone tax credit, whose official pages didn't load; and city programs in Manchester, Nashua, and Concord, none of which Grantsights confirmed on a current official page.

Last updated: 2026-10-18

New Hampshire's small business system is built around credit, not grants. The BFA charges no application fees, and its Capital Access Program can approve a guarantee in about a day. To check which New Hampshire routes fit your business, use the free eligibility checker, or browse current listings in the Grantsights grant database. The small business grants by state hub shows how New Hampshire compares.

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STEP: New Hampshire's one small business grant

STEP is a federal and state export program, and in New Hampshire it's run by BEA's Office of International Commerce. Small businesses can get up to $8,000, which reimburses 80% of the cost of activities that open international markets: trade shows, marketing materials, market research, ISO and other certifications, and similar costs. You pay first and get reimbursed, so on $10,000 of eligible costs you'd recover $8,000 and carry the other $2,000 yourself.

BEA says that in the grant period that ended in September 2024, more than 30 of its clients used $250,000 of STEP money to produce just over $10 million in export sales and create or retain 66 jobs. That's a strong result for a small program. But the page doesn't post dates for the current round, and Grantsights couldn't confirm when the next application window opens. Contact the Office of International Commerce's program manager before you commit to a trade show; spending before approval is a common mistake with every STEP program. The export grants guide covers the federal help that works alongside STEP.

For example, one company in Nashua, a hypothetical 15-person maker of precision parts exhibiting at a European trade fair with $9,000 in booth and travel costs, could recover $7,200 if its application were approved first.

The Business Finance Authority: where New Hampshire's money actually is

The BFA is the state's business lender of record, and almost everything it does runs through banks. Its programs are worth knowing in detail, because the right one depends on your size:

For a business with fewer than 20 employees, CAP is the best bet. The loan guarantees need at least 20 employees, and loan participations exclude start-ups. CAP has no employee minimum, and the BFA says approval is typically 24 hours. The catch is that you can't apply to the BFA yourself. Your bank enrolls the loan, so ask your banker whether it participates.

New Hampshire's SSBCI money also runs through the BFA. According to the Treasury SSBCI program summary, last updated for New Hampshire in April 2024, the state has $61.5 million across three loan participation programs: $5.0 million for direct companion loans, $51.5 million for term loan participations, and $5.0 million for gap loans through nonprofit regional development corporations. On the term program, BFA's share of the loan carries zero interest in the first year and half the bank's rate in the second. Treasury describes typical deals of $1 million to $5 million, which means the SSBCI money mostly serves established, growing companies.

Microloans and free help in New Hampshire

For smaller amounts, New Hampshire has three SBA-linked microlenders. REDC in Raymond lends from $5,000 to $1,000,000, with SBA microloans usually between $20,000 and $50,000 at fixed rates for up to 60 months and no prepayment penalty; you meet with an REDC business advisor before applying. The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund became an SBA microlender in 2025 and lends up to $50,000 for up to 72 months to registered for-profit businesses. Ascendus, a national lender that lists New Hampshire among its states, offers term loans up to $100,000 with no upfront fees. According to SBA, the average microloan is about $13,000.

Strafford Economic Development Corporation in Dover is a nonprofit lender that has served its region since 1997. Ask your regional development corporation first if you're outside the Seacoast; several of them also handle the BFA's gap financing.

The NH SBDC gives confidential advising at no charge across the state. Its LeAF program adds up to five free hours with a lawyer, accountant, or financial professional for very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees that have applied or plan to apply for a government-backed loan. LeAF is paid for by the state's SSBCI technical assistance grant, so it's one of the few free services tied directly to the loan programs above.

Which federal grants reached New Hampshire small businesses in FY2025

New Hampshire small businesses received $18.50 million in federal grant obligations in FY2025, across 60 awards to 30 recipients, according to USAspending.gov data. Those figures come from a Grantsights analysis of USAspending.gov (opens in a new tab) FY2025 grant awards to small-business recipients in New Hampshire, pulled from the public USAspending.gov API (opens in a new tab) on October 18, 2026 (award types 02 through 05, October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, recipient type "small business").

New Hampshire's total is high for a state its size, and it's almost entirely research. Energy research from DOE and a long list of NIH institutes make up nearly all of it. No single recipient dominates; the largest received about 27%. None of this is money an ordinary retailer, contractor, or restaurant can apply for. If you run a research company, the SBIR Phase 1 grant guide explains how to compete.

The limits: recipients choose the "small business" type themselves when they register in SAM.gov (opens in a new tab), and USAspending counts obligations, the money committed in the year, not cash paid out.

What BEA's website doesn't tell you about New Hampshire small business grants

BEA's site is clear about its own grants, but search results for "New Hampshire small business grants" are full of programs that have moved, closed, or never paid businesses directly.

The Job Training Fund moved. Many sites still describe it as a BEA grant. Employer training is now WorkInvestNH at New Hampshire Employment Security, and it no longer appears on BEA's grant list. Confirm current terms with NHES before you plan training around it.

Most "grants" are for towns, not businesses. Community Development Block Grant money, the Northern Border Regional Commission, and InvestNH all fund municipalities, organizations, or housing projects. A business may benefit, but it doesn't apply.

The bigger BFA programs have size floors. Loan guarantees need at least 20 employees, and loan participations exclude start-ups. Owners who apply for the wrong program waste weeks; a five-person shop should start with CAP or a microloan.

Governor and Executive Council approval takes time. BFA loan guarantees and temporary loans need the Council's sign-off, so don't count on them for a closing next week.

Anyone selling access to "free government grants" is a red flag. According to the FTC's grant scam page (opens in a new tab), no government agency will contact you to demand payment for a grant, and the only complete list of federal grants is free at Grants.gov (opens in a new tab). Report suspicious offers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

How to apply, step by step

1. Decide whether you're exporting, training, or borrowing. Exporting points to STEP; training points to NHES; nearly everything else points to a loan.
2. Start with your bank. Ask whether it participates in the BFA's Capital Access Program.
3. Call a microlender for smaller amounts. REDC, the Community Loan Fund, and Ascendus all lend to small businesses and start-ups.
4. Book a free NH SBDC session. If you're planning a government-backed loan and have fewer than 10 employees, ask about LeAF.
5. Get STEP approval before you spend. Reimbursement only covers approved, documented costs.

Owners near the Massachusetts line can compare in the Massachusetts small business grants guide, and the New Hampshire grants guide covers nonprofit, community, and agricultural funding in the state.

Sources

• BEA grant programs (opens in a new tab)
• BEA Office of International Commerce export funding (STEP) (opens in a new tab)
• New Hampshire Business Finance Authority loans (opens in a new tab)
• BFA Capital Access Program (opens in a new tab)
• BFA loan guarantees (opens in a new tab)
• BFA loan participations (opens in a new tab)
• BFA gap financing (opens in a new tab)
• Treasury SSBCI capital program summaries (opens in a new tab)
• REDC financing (opens in a new tab)
• New Hampshire Community Loan Fund microloans (opens in a new tab)
• Ascendus small business loans (opens in a new tab)
• Strafford Economic Development Corporation (opens in a new tab)
• NH SBDC (opens in a new tab)
• NH SBDC LeAF (opens in a new tab)
• SBA microloans (opens in a new tab)
• FTC: government grant scams (opens in a new tab)
• USAspending.gov API (opens in a new tab)