The Best Business Grants in Idaho

Securing capital is often the biggest hurdle for any founder. While loans and credit cards are common, they come with the weight of repayment and interest. Grants are the ideal alternative because they generally don't have to be paid back. However, there is a catch: grants are highly competitive and can be very difficult to find. We've built this guide to help you understand the grant landscape in Idaho.

Idaho takes an unusually focused approach to business grants, with the state's entire grant portfolio concentrated on a single priority: workforce development. All of Idaho's state-administered grants flow through the Idaho Workforce Development Council, which runs four distinct programs supporting employer-led training, apprenticeship programs, industry sector consortiums, and workforce innovation. The Industry Sector Grant is the flagship program, offering up to $1 million for multi-employer partnerships developing training solutions for shared workforce challenges, while the Employer Grant supports individual businesses training new hires or re-training existing employees. Award sizes range from $10,000 apprenticeship incentives up to $1 million for major industry sector training projects, with all programs operating on rolling deadlines and quarterly review cycles.

Idaho businesses with international expansion goals should also explore the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), the state-administered version of the federal STEP grant program. Administered by the Idaho Department of Commerce, STEP supports export development activities like trade missions, international marketing, and translation services for Idaho-based small businesses pursuing overseas markets. STEP is one of the more meaningful funding options available to Idaho businesses outside the state's workforce-focused grant programs. For more information and details on where to apply, check out our grant page for the State Trade Expansion Program.

While Idaho's state and local grant landscape is more limited than some larger states, Idaho businesses are eligible for hundreds of national grant programs from federal agencies, corporations, and foundations that often offer larger award sizes and broader eligibility. Those programs aren't covered on this page, but you can search our complete grant database to see every state and national grant your business qualifies for. You can also join our free weekly newsletter to get new Idaho grants delivered to your inbox as soon as they open.