Economic Development Grants

The Economic Development Grants offered by the City of Houston aim to stimulate business and commercial activity by providing financial assistance to eligible public, private, and nonprofit organizations. This program facilitates a structured application process, involving multiple stages of assessment and collaboration with city departments to ensure alignment with local initiatives. By investing public funds into viable projects, the city fosters economic growth and development, ultimately benefiting the community and enhancing local infrastructure.

Houston provides economic grants to qualifying public, private, and nonprofit organizations. The city provides these grants to stimulate business and commercial activity within Houston. Houston receives authority to choose and negotiate these grants from Chapter 380 of Texas’ Local Government Code.
The Process:

• Stage 1
• A group reaches out to the Economic Development Division (EDD) via our "contacts us" form (on the new website), briefly explaining their project

EDD emails a response: either explaining project does not align with priorities or invites the developer to present the project to EDD and fill out a Business Information Form (BIF)
Stage 2
Developer presents the project to individuals within the EDD
The division scores the development using a matrix and the BIF
Stage 3
Qualifying developments are asked to discuss ways to layer their investments with other city initiatives and plans; this phase may involve several discussions and meetings across city departments, such as:

• The Department of Public Works and Engineering
• The Planning Department
• The Department of Housing and Community Development
• Stage 4
• The group submits a formal application (original application)

If the city finds application (including financial pro-forma) aligns with city initiatives and agrees with financial assumptions then the division begins to draft an economic development agreement with the City of Houston's Legal Department
The agreement is presented to the council for approval
What is the Purpose?
A city may establish programs to deliver loans or grants of public money, financing state and local economic development.

Eligibility

Non-profit organizations or development corporations (created by the city).