Financial Assistance & Incentives
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GURA Small Business Support Grant
Learn MoreGolden Urban Renewal Authority (GURA) Small Business Support Grant - opportunity for businesses in Urban Renewal Areas. Learn more about eligibility requirements and application details below.
Enterprise Zone Program
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim tax credits for new hires, equipment purchases, and more. Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool!
Enterprise Zone Investment Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim the EZ Investment Tax Credit. This credit allows businesses to claim a 3% tax credit for business personal property purchases.
Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool by clicking on the link below!
Enterprise Zone New Employee Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim the EZ New Employee Tax Credit. This credit allows businesses to claim a $1,100 per net employee hired during the tax year.
Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool by clicking on the link below!
Enterprise Zone Investment Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim the EZ Investment Tax Credit. This credit allows businesses to claim a 3% tax credit for business personal property purchases.
Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool by clicking on the link below!
Business Data Services
Get access to business and demographic databases by becoming a Jeffco Public Library member.
Enterprise Zone Research and Development Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim the EZ Research and Development Tax Credit. This credit allows businesses to claim a 3% tax credit on increased R&D expenditures.
Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool by clicking on the link below!
Enterprise Zone Commercial Vehicle Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program is a state tax incentive program administered at the county level by Jeffco EDC. Businesses located in these “Enterprise Zones” are able to claim the EZ Commercial Vehicle Tax Credit. This credit allows businesses to claim a 1.5% tax credit on commercial vehicle purchases.
Find out if your located in an Enterprise Zone today by using our Interactive Address Look-Up Tool by clicking on the link below!
Colorado Start-up Loan Fund
Learn MoreThe Colorado Startup Loan Fund provides loan capital to mission-based lenders to provide loans to Colorado entrepreneurs and small business owners needing capital to start, restart, or restructure a business, and those who are not able to obtain a loan from traditional lenders. This is a revolving loan fund, meaning the dollars will be used to continue supporting new entrepreneurs as loans are repaid.
OEDIT has partnered with eight mission-driven lenders to provide micro loans under $150,000 to small business owners and entrepreneurs with capital from the Colorado Startup Loan Fund. By offering smaller-than-average loans with favorable terms and interest rates, the program seeks to make financing a possibility for entrepreneurs who might not qualify for or require a larger loan. These lenders have been selected for their abilities to work with business owners who are located in rural areas, may not be native English-speakers, have never carried a loan, lack the traditional assets required to secure financing, or have been previously unable to obtain a loan.
The fund will focus on:
- Loan opportunities for existing businesses that are unable to qualify for traditional financing
- Loan opportunities for new businesses that are unable to qualify for traditional financing
- Loan opportunities for existing businesses who experienced financial losses or other impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic that may inhibit their obtaining capital through traditional sources
- Increasing access to capital for underserved communities
Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program
Learn MoreThe Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) Program provides funding that promotes economic development through the management of materials that would otherwise be landfilled. Funds are available to support recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, source reduction, and beneficial use/reuse. Grants and rebates are overseen by the Pollution Prevention Advisory Board and its corresponding Assistance Committee.
Employee Ownership Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Employee Ownership Tax Credit is available to current Colorado-headquartered businesses and their employees to provide an incentive to establish employee stock ownership plans, worker-owned cooperatives, and employee ownership trusts. The tax credit covers up to 50% of a qualified business’ conversion costs for use on their state income taxes. To participate in the program, the applying business must be existing in Colorado for at least one year prior to starting their employee-ownership conversion and applying for the tax credit.
In June 2021, Governor Polis signed into law HB 21-1311, (PDF). The bill provides $10 million annually in tax credits to fund professional service costs of conversion to employee ownership. The program makes employee ownership conversions more accessible for businesses throughout Colorado. The program and funding are available for the next 5 years, closing on January 1, 2027.
Venture Capital Authority
Learn MoreThe Venture Capital Authority (VCA) supports access to venture capital for Colorado's entrepreneurs and startup businesses. The VCA is a political subdivision of the state and a Special Purpose Authority like the Public Employees' Retirement Association. The VCA is neither an agency of the state nor subject to administrative direction by any agency or department of the state. The VCA is governed by a board of directors that partners with professional fund managers to deploy its capital and OEDIT staff provides administrative support to the VCA.
Colorado Credit Reserve
Learn MoreThe Colorado Credit Reserve program helps businesses that typically struggle to get access to a bank loan. The program helps lenders make loans by establishing a loan loss reserve account with the lender as additional security.
To get a loan through this program, the borrower pays a fee of 1% of loan principal, which we match. Borrower and program fees fund the loan loss reserve.
Each participating lender:
- Makes the underwriting decisions
- Sets the terms
- Services the loan
Cash Collateral Support
Learn MoreThe Cash Collateral Support program helps small and medium-sized businesses in Colorado access loans that they would otherwise not get because they do not have enough collateral. This credit enhancement uses small amounts of public resources to encourage private lenders to loan money to businesses. The program provides a cash deposit as collateral for a business loan or credit facility when the business cannot meet the lender’s collateral requirements.
Lenders can apply for up to 25% of the loan amount or $250,000, whichever is less, in collateral to support business loan applications. The maximum loan size for this loan is $10 million.
Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit
Learn MoreThe Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit is an eight-year job creation incentive to support competitive, multi-state, or country relocation and expansion projects. The tax credit gives businesses a Colorado state income tax credit equal to 50% of the FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) tax paid by the business per net new job for each calendar year in the credit period.
Colorado Revolving Loan Fund
Learn MoreThe Colorado Revolving Loan Fund provides loans that help small to medium-sized Colorado businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans range from $5,000 to $750,000. These loans are intended to provide startup and working capital that will help create and retain jobs across the state of Colorado.
The maximum interest rate is 10%, and the expected average interest rate of these loans is 4%. Loans may be character-based and may have terms up to 20 years based on the type of loan.
This fund prioritizes socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and non-profits. We will work with community-based organizations to reach people, and extend effort to assist and qualify these types of businesses including using non-traditional underwriting criteria such as character-based lending and providing bi-lingual support where possible.
Advanced Industries Export Grant
Learn MoreThe Advanced Industries Export Grant helps Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses who want to export or are currently exporting. This grant is for small- and medium-sized businesses. It reimburses for international business development and marketing costs. Businesses can apply for up to $15,000 and up to 50% of the approved expenses.
Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant
Learn MoreThe Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant helps Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses develop and commercialize advanced technologies that will be created or manufactured in Colorado. Projects can receive up to $250,000. This grant award maximum can be lifted for projects that impact more than one advanced industry.
Employee Ownership Grant
Learn MoreEmployee Ownership is a pathway to attract and retain top talent and create a built in succession plan for your business. The Colorado Employee Ownership Grant is available to Colorado-headquartered small businesses interested in adding a broad-based employee ownership structure to their business. The grant reimburses fees paid for professional services required to transition the business to a Colorado Employee-Owned Business. The professional services covered by this grant include accounting, legal, business valuation, and business transition services.
Skill Advance Colorado Job Training Grant
Learn MoreThe Skill Advance Colorado Job Training Grant (formerly the Colorado First and Existing Industry Grant) helps businesses and nonprofits create customized job training for employees.
This training:
- Develops Colorado’s workforce
- Builds workers’ transferable skills
- Improves workers’ resumes and long-term employment opportunities
- Helps Colorado businesses remain competitive
The funds are broken down into Colorado First funds and Existing Industry funds. Colorado First grant funds customized training only for net new hires at companies relocating to or expanding in Colorado. Existing Industry grant funds customized training to help established Colorado companies and nonprofits remain competitive in their industry, adapt to new technology, and prevent layoffs.
Strategic Fund Job Growth Incentive
Learn MoreThe Strategic Fund Job Growth Incentive is for business expansion or relocation projects for which Colorado is in competition with at least one other state and the company has received a commitment of local government funding that matches any requested state government incentives. The incentive provides a cash payment over five years to companies that create and maintain new permanent jobs in Colorado.
Business Safety & Security Program
Learn MoreThe Business Safety & Security Program provides grant funding to help business owners create or update safety features on the business property. Goals of this program are to create safe environments for business owners and their customers and to reduce calls for service. The program opens on an annual basis and grants are awarded as funding allows.
Adaptive Reuse Program
Learn MoreThe Adaptive Reuse Program provides grant funding to business and property owners in order to overcome barriers in the redevelopment of vacant buildings. The goal is to create activation and eliminate blight through the reuse of vacant buildings. The program opens on an annual basis and grants are awarded as funding allows.
Business Grant Program (Capital Improvement Projects)
Learn More- 50% match up to $15,000 grant funding for business improvements
- Eligible projects include (but are not limited to):
- Facade Improvements
- Exterior Lighting
- Blight Improvement
- Exterior Painting
Business Grant Program (Professional Services Grant)
Learn More- 50% match up to $4,000 per grant
- Eligible projects include (but are not limited to):
- Energy Audits
- Website Design
- Marketing Consulting
- Architectural Consulting
Arvada Loan Fund
Learn MoreThis fund was created to provide an affordable, flexible loan solution for those not able to obtain traditional loan financing to start or grow their small businesses within the city and community limits of Arvada.
Urban Renewal Authority
Learn MoreWheat Ridge has five Urban Renewal Plan area providing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assistance to new and existing businesses.
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