Business Funding and Incentives
Business Funding and Incentives
The Business Funding and Incentives (BF&I) division works closely with the Global Business Development (GBD) division and the Colorado Economic Development Commission (EDC) to provide the funding and performance-based incentives needed to create and retain jobs in Colorado.
The division manages:
- grants
- tax credits
- debt and equity financing
- referrals to local, state, federal, and private financing options
- assistance with finding available programs that best fit business operations and goals
Programs and Funding
Advanced Industries Investment Tax Credit
Improves access to capital for Colorado’s early-stage advanced industries businesses by reducing investor risk.
The 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 CLIMBER (Colorado Loans to Increase Mainstreet Business Economic Resiliency) Loan Fund provides working capital loans to Colorado small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic and ongoing economic struggles.
The Colorado APEX Accelerator helps Colorado businesses sell products and services to the federal, state, and local governments. Counselors provide free, confidential counseling and education about government contracts.
The 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.
The Colorado Revolving Loan Fund provides loans that help small to medium-sized Colorado businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans are intended to provide startup and working capital that will help create and retain jobs across the state of Colorado.
The 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.
Colorado State Small Business Credit Initiative
As a part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the federal government passed the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) bill to fund small business credit support and investment programs.
Community Development Block Grant Business Loan
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Business Loan helps businesses in rural areas by giving loans and loan guarantees.
Community Development Block Grant Planning and Feasibility Studies Grant
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Planning and Feasibility Study Grant helps Colorado communities plan economic development projects that create or retain permanent jobs.
OEDIT manages multiple programs that support the development of affordable housing and the off-site housing construction industry.
Supports business expansion in economically distressed areas throughout the state through a variety of tax credits that help economic development.
Just Transition Community Funding
The Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) and the Office of Just Transition (OJT), within the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, are partnering to make a new phase of grants available to Tier One & Tier Two Just Transition communities to support their economic and workforce development activities.
Provides relief to new businesses and employees when they locate in economically distressed areas of rural Colorado.
Provides federal tax incentives for investors of low-income urban and rural communities.
Invests in early-stage startups headquartered in Colorado outside of the front range.
Quantum Programs and Funding
Colorado Quantum Fund (CQF) for Innovative Lending
The Colorado Quantum Fund (CQF) for Innovative Lending improves access to capital for quantum companies in Colorado by encouraging lenders to make favorable loans to companies by registering up to 15% of the loan in a pooled loan loss reserve. The reserve is accessible with a 100% refundable tax credit should the lender incur losses associated with those loans.
Colorado Quantum Fund (CQF) for Shared Facilities
The Colorado Quantum Fund (CQF) for Shared Facilities supports the creation of a hub of shared quantum facilities via refundable tax credits for applicants that make investments in qualifying fixed capital assets.