The Best Business Grants in Louisiana
July 30, 2026
Updated:
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 Louisiana.
Louisiana's business grant landscape is heavily concentrated in New Orleans, with a clear focus on targeted commercial corridor revitalization and neighborhood stabilization. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) runs the state's largest single grant program, the Façade RENEW Plus Program, which offers up to $100,000 in matching reimbursement grants for commercial property improvements along priority corridors throughout the city. The City of New Orleans complements NORA with two additional programs: the Activate Downtown Grant supporting build-outs of long-vacant ground-floor spaces in Downtown New Orleans, and the French Quarter Business Stabilization Fund, an unusual program providing direct financial assistance to lower French Quarter small businesses that have experienced demonstrated hardship. At the state level, Louisiana Economic Development runs the High Impact Jobs Program, which reimburses employers up to $25,000 per qualifying job for creating positions that pay above the parish average wage. Award sizes range from $2,500 stabilization payments up to $100,000 for major facade renovations, with a mix of rolling and fixed deadlines depending on the program.
Beyond New Orleans, Baton Rouge runs one substantial program through Build East Baton Rouge: the Front Door Refresh Grant, which provides up to $10,000 for storefront and facade improvements along the Plank Road Corridor. Louisiana's grant landscape is otherwise concentrated at the state level through Louisiana Economic Development. At the time of this writing there are no city-specific programs available in Lafayette, Shreveport, and other Louisiana communities (though that can always change as new grants are announced).
Louisiana 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 Louisiana Economic Development, STEP supports export development activities like trade missions, international marketing, and translation services for Louisiana-based small businesses pursuing overseas markets. STEP is one of the more meaningful funding options available to Louisiana businesses outside the dedicated state and local programs, particularly given the international trade activity flowing through the Port of New Orleans and other Louisiana Gulf Coast ports. For more information and details on where to apply, check out our grant page for the State Trade Expansion Program.
While Louisiana's state and local grant landscape is more limited than some larger states, Louisiana 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 Louisiana grants delivered to your inbox as soon as they open.
LOUISIANA GRANTS
French Quarter Business Stabilization Fund
City of New Orleans
The Business Stabilization Fund for French Quarter Businesses provides financial assistance grants of up to $2,500 (for businesses with fewer than 8 employees) or up to $5,000 (for businesses with 8 or more employees) to small businesses in New Orleans' lower French Quarter that have experienced demonstrable revenue losses due to prolonged infrastructure construction. Administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation through its 501(c)(3) subsidiary the New Orleans Community Support Foundation, with support and assistance from the City of New Orleans, the pilot program is designed to stabilize the French Quarter's commercial corridors during a period of major infrastructure improvement, maintain sales tax revenue from threatened businesses, protect jobs at impacted businesses, and prevent urban decay along construction-disrupted blocks.
Eligibility is geographically limited to active, public-facing businesses fronting the 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1300 blocks of Decatur Street or the 600 block of St. Peter Street. To qualify, applicants must have continuously owned and operated a business at a qualifying address since January 1, 2025, demonstrate a revenue decrease reasonably attributed to the construction project, be registered and in good standing with the Louisiana Secretary of State, hold an active City of New Orleans Occupational License, and have sales tax remittance equal to or exceeding the assistance amount requested. Businesses that consist entirely or primarily of property ownership, management, or rent collection within the project boundaries are not eligible, as the program is focused on supporting active, public-facing businesses rather than commercial landlords. Nonprofits without commercial activity that generates sales tax for the City of New Orleans, corporate-owned franchises, and businesses owned by employees (or immediate family of employees) of the City of New Orleans or the French Quarter Management District are also ineligible. Final award amounts may be lower than the maximums depending on funding availability and the total number of eligible applicants.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$5,000
NOLA Activate Downtown Grant
City of New Orleans
The Activate Downtown Grant Program (formally known as the Ground Floor Tenant Build-Out Matching Grant Program) provides property owners and business tenants in Downtown New Orleans with matching grants of up to $20,000 (covering 50 percent of eligible project costs) to activate long-vacant ground-floor commercial storefronts. Administered by the Downtown Development District (DDD) of New Orleans, the program is designed to reduce a common barrier to opening a brick-and-mortar business (the upfront cost of preparing a vacant commercial space for a new tenant) while revitalizing commercial corridors, promoting natural surveillance, and increasing pedestrian activity throughout downtown.
Eligible improvements include interior build-outs, demolition and shell reconstruction, ADA accessibility improvements, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and lighting upgrades, storefront entryways, doors, and display windows, signage, exterior storefront lighting, security improvements (alarms, cameras, security glazing, and DDD-approved exterior lighting), permits, materials, and contracted labor. To qualify, the project must involve a ground-floor tenant space located within the Downtown Development District boundary with direct frontage on and pedestrian access from public rights-of-way, and the space must have been vacant for at least one year. Tenants may occupy no more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor area, and applicants must demonstrate site control through a proposed lease, executed letter of intent, purchase agreement, act of sale, or option agreement.
National credit tenants and franchise concepts are not eligible, defined as any business that is publicly traded, holds an investment-grade credit rating, operates more than 10 locations across multiple states, or is a subsidiary or affiliate of a company meeting any of these criteria. A wide range of business types are also ineligible, including tattoo parlors, check cashing, bail bonds, sexually oriented businesses, churches, convenience stores, locksmiths, pawnbrokers, smoke shops, wedding chapels, shooting ranges, self-storage, private clubs, and membership-driven enterprises. Ineligible expenses include furniture and equipment not permanently affixed to the space, inventory, business operations costs, property acquisition, working capital, and professional fees.
Grants are awarded through a competitive scoring process that weighs vacancy duration, Canal Street corridor location, safety and crime prevention features, project readiness, and small business impact, and are disbursed on a reimbursement basis after project completion, verification, and issuance of an occupational license. Tenants must sign a lease of at least 24 months and remain open and operating for at least 12 continuous months following project completion.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$20,000
NORA Façade RENEW Program
City of New Orleans
The NORA Façade RENEW Plus Program provides commercial property owners and business tenants located along priority commercial corridors in New Orleans with matching reimbursement grants to fund high-quality exterior façade improvements that reduce visible blight and align properties with current design standards. Administered by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the grant covers 85 percent of total eligible project costs, with the applicant responsible for the remaining 15 percent.
Grant amounts scale with the size of the property: NORA funds up to $50,000 per 50 linear feet of eligible ground-floor commercial frontage, meaning larger properties can qualify for substantially higher reimbursements (for example, a property with 74 linear feet of frontage may qualify for up to $100,000 in reimbursable improvements). Eligible applicants include commercial property owners and business tenants with property owner consent, all of whom must be in good standing with the City of New Orleans and the Louisiana Secretary of State, have no outstanding taxes, liens, or municipal debts, and must not be debarred from receiving federal assistance.
The program is geographically targeted to specific corridors in the Lower Ninth Ward (St. Claude Avenue from the Industrial Canal to the Parish Line) and New Orleans East (designated stretches of Bullard Avenue, Crowder Boulevard, Downman Road, Lake Forest Boulevard, and Read Boulevard). Funded improvements must be exterior façade work that follows HDLC Commercial Design Guidelines, and selected applicants are required to work with a NORA-designated architect to develop the project design, obtain two detailed construction estimates from licensed contractors, and provide proof of funds for the required match before construction begins. The grant is reimbursement-based, with NORA verifying completed work through inspection before disbursing approved costs. All projects carry a minimum five-year compliance period, during which funded improvements must be maintained in good condition and the project location must remain in active commercial use.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$100,000
Baton Rouge Front Door Refresh Grant
Build East Baton Rouge
The Front Door Refresh Grant provides small businesses and commercial property owners along Baton Rouge's Plank Road Corridor with grants of up to $10,000 per storefront to fund exterior façade and site improvements that make storefronts more attractive, accessible, and inviting. Administered by Build East Baton Rouge (Build EBR), the East Baton Rouge Parish Redevelopment Authority, the program was launched through the JPMorgan Chase AdvancingCities initiative and advances the vision of the Reimagine Plank Road Master Plan. Grants may cover up to 100 percent of eligible façade improvement costs, subject to program caps, design approval, and funding availability, with award amounts varying based on corridor priority, project impact, and alignment with redevelopment goals. Shopping centers or multi-tenant buildings may receive multiple awards for improvements to distinct storefronts.
To qualify, applicants must be either the owner of a commercial building or a small business owner occupying a storefront within an eligible building (with written authorization from the property owner). Small businesses are defined as independently owned with fewer than 100 employees. Properties must be located within designated Target Areas, with the current initial phase focused on properties between North 22nd Street and Clayton Street along Plank Road, and broader eligibility extending to Build EBR's emphasized redevelopment corridors including Plank Road, Scenic Highway, Florida Boulevard, and the Cortana Corridor Economic Development District (CCEDD). Property taxes must be current, applicants must have no past-due debts to the City-Parish, and buildings must meet applicable City-Parish health and safety standards. Eligible expenses include signage (removal, design, fabrication, installation, or renovation), awnings and canopies, building façade improvements (masonry cleaning, painting, woodwork restoration, window and door replacement, and other exterior repairs), walls, screening, fencing, and landscaping (to soften or conceal storage areas, workspaces, or dumpsters), removal of inappropriate façade coverings (vinyl or aluminum cladding, boarded windows), cladding removal and restoration, permanent site and parking area improvements (landscaping, limited paving repairs, restriping), exterior accessibility improvements (ADA entrances, ramps, door modifications), and reasonable architectural or design fees (contracted after the grant award date).
Grantees must agree to a five-year maintenance commitment as a condition of funding, and Build EBR may record a lien or restrictive covenant against the property to secure compliance, with a prorated repayment required if improvements are removed, altered, or neglected within the five-year period. Grant funds are typically issued directly to qualified contractors, and applicants must submit three cost estimates from separate qualified construction companies as part of the application process. Labor performed by the business or property owner themselves is not eligible for reimbursement.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$10,000
Louisiana High Impact Jobs Grant
Louisiana Economic Development
Louisiana’s High-Impact Jobs Program (HIP) offers qualifying companies reimbursable grants for the creation of new jobs that pay above the parish (county) average wage. Companies of all sizes can benefit from grants administered directly by Louisiana Economic Development, with higher wages yielding higher grants.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$25,000
Don't stop at state-level funding
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