The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has officially opened the application window for Round Three (2026-2027) of the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program. With an additional $10 million in funding secured for this cycle, this program helps farmers and agricultural businesses implement new technologies, conservation practices, and renewable energy innovations. The deadline to submit an application is September 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

Eligibility & Eligible Projects

This reimbursement grant is open to a variety of agricultural stakeholders, including farmers with anticipated sales over $2,000 per year, processors with over $10,000 in expected sales, and technical assistance providers.

Funding is specifically geared toward projects that address modern environmental and sustainability goals. Applicants can seek reimbursement for implementing innovations that produce energy from agricultural sources (like manure, biomass, or food waste), provide low-carbon or no-carbon energy, improve water quality, or address solid waste and odor concerns.

Funding Opportunities

The program operates as a reimbursement grant, requiring a percentage of non-state matching funds. Applicants can apply under three distinct categories:

Grant Category	Funding Range	Match Required	Project Purpose
Innovation Planning	$7,500 – $50,000	30%	Develop a strategic innovation plan for a specific business or geographic area.
Onsite Project	$5,000 – $200,000	50%	Implement innovative practices or technologies on an individual farm or property.
Regional Impact	$100,000 – $2,000,000	50%	Address challenges or promote efficiencies that impact multiple agricultural businesses.

How EMAP Can Help

Implementing these innovative technologies — especially those involving manure digesters, biomass energy production, or solid waste management — often triggers specific environmental regulatory requirements. If your proposed project requires new air quality permits, waste management approvals, or water quality compliance strategies, you don’t have to navigate the PA DEP regulations alone.

As a specialized service housed within the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (SBDC), EMAP provides free, confidential technical assistance to help your small, agricultural business understand its compliance obligations before, during, and after your grant project is implemented.

Ready to Apply?

• Learn more: Resource Guide

• Submit your application: PA Agricultural Innovation Grant Portal

• Need Compliance Help? Contact EMAP at 877-ASK-EMAP (877-275-3627) or visit askemap.org.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has launched a centralized grant discovery tool to help businesses, non-profits, schools, local governments, and individuals easily find and apply for state grant opportunities. Previously, grant information was spread out across dozens of agency websites, creating a major barrier for small businesses without dedicated grant-writing or research staff.

Each year, Pennsylvania distributes billions of dollars in funding through more than 300 grant programs. These programs support everything from workforce development to environmental upgrades, but many small business owners never know they exist.

This new tool, available on PA.gov/grants, offers a user-friendly search interface that allows users to filter available grants by:

• Type of applicant (e.g., business, non-profit, school)

• Location

• Deadline

• Category (such as environment, energy, or workforce)

Each search result provides a summary of the grant, who it’s for, how to apply, and where to get more details — saving hours of time and guesswork.

Why This Matters for PA Small Businesses

At EMAP, we know how challenging it can be for small businesses, manufacturers and entrepreneurs to find financial support for things like energy efficiency projects, pollution prevention upgrades, or sustainability innovations. This tool is a game-changer, especially for small businesses that may not have the time or resources to track down opportunities scattered across the web.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is excited to announce the launch of the Pennsylvania Agriculture Innovation Grant Program for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025. This program is designed to support and promote agricultural innovation across the state, benefiting a diverse range of applicants, including small businesses, farmers, and agricultural service providers.

As one of the Commonwealth’s legacy industries, agriculture is vital for ensuring food security and economic stability. This new grant program highlights the state’s commitment to fostering innovation within the agricultural sector, providing resources to enhance competitiveness, resiliency, and sustainability.

Program Objectives

The General Assembly aims to offer reimbursement grants to support agricultural innovation. These grants will help enhance the competitiveness, environmental stewardship, and vitality of farms, agribusinesses, and agricultural support services throughout Pennsylvania.

Eligible Applicants

The program is open to a wide range of applicants, including:

• Individuals who grow or process agricultural commodities with anticipated sales exceeding $2,000 and $10,000 per year, respectively.
• Providers of technical assistance or services to farmers, such as conservation, engineering, veterinary care, and farm management.
• Cooperative associations that utilize agricultural commodities to create products or energy.

Eligible Projects

Projects eligible for funding must demonstrate innovation in areas such as:

• Improving energy efficiency, water quality, and waste management.
• Enhancing production, processing, and commercialization of agricultural commodities.
• Producing energy from agricultural sources like manure, food waste, or biomass.
• Implementing low-carbon or no-carbon energy solutions.
• Utilizing technology for farm management, biosecurity, and data analytics.

Reimbursement Grant Program

The program offers three types of reimbursement grants:

1. Innovation Planning Project Grant: Grants ranging from $7,500 to $50,000 for developing strategic plans to improve agricultural practices and technologies. Applicants must provide matching funds equal to at least 30% of the grant amount.
2. Onsite Project Grant: Grants ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 for implementing innovative practices on individual farms or properties. Applicants must provide matching funds equal to at least 50% of the grant amount.
3. Regional Impact Project Grant: Grants ranging from $100,000 to $2 million for projects addressing regional challenges and promoting efficiencies. These projects must impact multiple applicants or cooperative associations and require matching funds equal to at least 50% of the grant amount.

Application Window

The application window for the Pennsylvania Agriculture Innovation Grant Program opens September 28th. Applications must be submitted through the Single Application for Assistance online application system between 8 a.m. on September 28, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2024. Applications received outside of that application window will not be considered or reviewed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has opened applications for the 2024-2025 Small Business Advantage Grant program as of September 20, 2024. This program aims to support small businesses in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing pollution. Grants can cover between 50% and 80% of approved project costs, depending on the total project cost:

• Up to 50% for projects costing $7,500 or less
• Up to 65% for projects costing $9,750 or less
• Up to 80% for projects costing $12,000 or less

Additional funding may be available for projects that demonstrate significant environmental savings or are located in environmental justice areas.

Application Process

Businesses can apply online at grants.pa.gov. The application requires the most recent and accurate information about the business and the proposed project. Applicants must follow all steps of the application review, award process, project period, and project completion period.

What’s New?

• Funding Tiers: Updated to reflect the new grant percentages.
• Non-Agricultural Natural Resource Protection Checklist: Projects must meet all requirements to ensure watershed protection.
• Updated Locator Tool: For identifying environmental justice locations.
• Eligible Projects: Now includes new coin, token, or credit-operated machines that meet minimum savings requirements.
• Multiple Applications: Businesses can submit multiple project applications, but combined project costs will only be funded up to the maximum amount.

Savings Requirements

• Projects must save the business at least $500 annually.
• Projects must reduce energy use or pollution-related expenses by at least 20%.
• Upgrades to existing equipment must meet Energy Star ratings.
• Significant Savings: For energy savings projects, this means reducing at least 20 tons of CO2e. For pollution reduction projects, the total pounds of pollutants reduced or eliminated must meet specific thresholds, which vary by pollutant. These thresholds are built into the grant calculator and will automatically adjust the funding if the project qualifies.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a Pennsylvania-based business.
• Must be registered to do business in Pennsylvania.
• Must have 100 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.

Program Guidelines

• The project period runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
• Businesses can pay vendors and suppliers up to 50% of the estimated total project costs during the project period.
• To apply, businesses need to complete the Grant Calculator first and have a Keystone login and SAP Vendor Number.

For more detailed information, refer to the program guidelines document.

Per the Pennsylvania DEP Small Business Ombudsman’s Office website, projects for the 2024 Small Business Advantage Grant can begin.  This means that project work for eligible projects and applicants may begin as of July 1, 2024, but applications will not be able to be submitted until the application documents are posted later in the month.

Pennsylvania-based small businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees are eligible. Eligible applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Stay tuned for additional eligibility requirements.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially opened the 2024-2025 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation. This program is a good opportunity for small businesses to advance and commercialize their innovative environmental technologies.

About the SBIR Program

The SBIR Program was established by the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982. The EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR Program. The program issues an annual solicitation for proposals from U.S. small businesses to develop and commercialize innovative technologies that align with the Agency’s mission.

The 2024-2025 Solicitation

The 2024-2025 EPA SBIR Solicitation/Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) opened on June 26, 2024, and will close on August 21, 2024. The solicitation supports eligible small businesses in the development and commercialization of innovative environmental technologies. The solicitation is seeking proposals for novel environmental technologies in several topic areas. These include clean and safe water, homeland security, circular economy/sustainable materials, and safer chemicals.

Focus on Air Quality & Climate

This year, the EPA has a particular interest in technologies and tools to monitor and reduce air toxics exposures and air pollution control technologies for small sources. These topics fall under the broader category of Air Quality & Climate. Small businesses with innovative solutions in these areas are strongly encouraged to apply. Small businesses are invited to submit their proposals by the deadline for a chance to receive Phase I SBIR awards of up to $100,000.

How to Apply

Proposals must be submitted through FedConnect. Multiple registrations are required prior to submitting an EPA SBIR proposal. The registration process may take 6 – 8 weeks, so it’s important to start early. Learn more about how to apply. The EPA’s SBIR Program is a significant opportunity for small businesses to contribute to environmental innovation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is now accepting applications for the Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, which provides funding to agricultural producers to help them purchase energy-efficient equipment.

The program offers rebates for the purchase of LED lighting systems, efficient ventilation equipment, and efficient milk pumping and cooling equipment. Rebates are also available for installation costs.

The maximum rebate is $7,500 per technology category, up to 50% of the equipment purchase costs.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Pennsylvania agricultural producer
• Own or lease a farm in Pennsylvania
• Install the eligible equipment on a Pennsylvania farm

Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until December 31, 2023. Approved applicants will be issued a voucher, which they can then use to purchase the eligible equipment. Once the equipment is installed, the applicant can submit a payment request form with required documentation to the DEP to receive the rebate moneys.

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program website.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), through its Energy Programs Office, has announced an exciting funding opportunity for small businesses in Pennsylvania. The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program aims to improve air quality, reduce reliance on imported oil, and promote the use of homegrown alternative fuels. This program not only benefits the economy but also aligns with the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals outlined in the 2021 Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan.

Funding Categories:

Approximately $3 million in grants will be available through the AFIG Program to support various initiatives related to alternative fuel transportation. Small businesses, as well as school districts, municipal authorities, political subdivisions, nonprofit entities, and corporations registered in Pennsylvania, are eligible to apply for funding under the following categories:

1. Retrofitting Vehicles: Grants will cover incremental costs associated with retrofitting vehicles to operate on alternative fuels, promoting cleaner transportation options.
2. Purchasing Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Funding can be utilized to offset incremental costs for purchasing new alternative fuel vehicles, encouraging the adoption of advanced vehicle technologies.
3. Refueling Equipment: Grants will cover the cost of purchasing and installing refueling equipment that services alternative fuel vehicles, facilitating the growth of refueling infrastructure.
4. Research and Development: Funding is available for research, training, development, and demonstration projects focused on new applications or next-phase technology related to alternative fuel vehicles, promoting innovation in the sector.

Priority Areas for 2023:

The AFIG Program gives priority to specific projects and entities for the 2023 funding cycle. The following areas will receive special attention:

• Zero Emission Vehicle Projects: Initiatives that promote the use of zero-emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles, will be prioritized.
• Renewable Natural Gas Vehicle and Infrastructure Projects: Funding will support projects related to renewable natural gas vehicle adoption and the development of associated infrastructure.
• Medium-Duty and Light-Duty Fleet Refueling Infrastructure Projects: Emphasis will be placed on projects that focus on refueling infrastructure for medium-duty fleets (class 3-6 vehicles) and light-duty fleets (class 1-2 vehicles).
• Environmental Justice Areas: Projects located in or predominantly serving environmental justice areas will receive priority attention. Environmental justice areas are communities disproportionately affected by environmental challenges.
• Minority, Veteran, or Woman-Owned Businesses: Applications from minority-owned, veteran-owned, or woman-owned businesses will be given special consideration.

Application Process and Timeline:

Small businesses interested in applying for the AFIG Program can access the program guidelines and application instructions on the Department’s AFIG website. Applications must be submitted online through the Commonwealth’s eGrants system. The application period opens on June 30, 2023, and the Department will collect and review applications received by specific deadlines:

• First Deadline: 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 25, 2023.
• Second Deadline: 4 p.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023.

Please note that hard copy applications will not be accepted.

Opportunities for Small Businesses:

The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program presents a significant opportunity for small businesses in Pennsylvania to access funding for projects related to alternative fuel transportation. By incentivizing the use of alternative fuels, this program supports the state’s goals of improving air quality, reducing reliance on imported oil, and advancing the Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan. Small businesses can explore the available funding categories and align their initiatives with the priority areas for 2023. By participating in the AFIG Program, small businesses can contribute to a cleaner environment while enjoying the benefits of innovation and financial support.

The deadline for grant applications in the Driving PA Forward Initiative’s Medium and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Pilot Grant Program has been extended by DEP. Instead of March 1, the new deadline is March 31, 2023. The main goal of the program is to swap out old diesel vehicles with new zero-emission vehicles. This initiative aims to reduce air pollution and enhance air quality in Pennsylvania. Local freight trucks in the Class 4-8 range, manufactured between 1992 and 2009, and primarily operating within Pennsylvania, are eligible for replacement. The replacement vehicles must be new zero-emission trucks that belong to the same class and serve a similar purpose. To learn more, visit the Driving PA Forward MHD-ZEV Fleet webpage.

DEP announced the extension of the Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program which provides funding to eligible agricultural producers for agricultural energy efficiency projects in Pennsylvania. The program provides rebates to assist agricultural producers with the purchase of light emitting diode (LED) lighting systems, efficient ventilation equipment and efficient milk pumping and cooling equipment. The application deadline is being extended from March 31, 2023, to June 30, 2023.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for grants through the Driving PA Forward Initiative’s Medium and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Pilot Grant Program.  The deadline for applications is March 1. The intent of the program is to replace aging diesel vehicles with new zero-emission vehicles to reduce air emissions and improve air quality in Pennsylvania.  Model year 1992–2009 Class 4–8 local freight trucks that operate predominantly in Pennsylvania are eligible for replacement. Eligible project vehicles must be replaced with new zero-emission trucks of similar class and vocation. For more information, visit the Driving PA Forward MHD-ZEV Fleet webpage.

Pennsylvania DEP officially opened the Small Business Advantage Grant Program on October 8, 2022.

This grant assists small businesses who are looking to make pollution prevention, energy efficiency, or natural resource conservation projects. Here are some important details on the grant:

• • The grant program operates on a first-come, first-served basis and provides matching grants which range from a maximum of 50% or $5,000 up to 80% or $8,000. The variation in grant funding amount is determined by whether the project is located in an environmental justice area, it results in significant environmental savings, or both.

• • Eligible projects must save the small businesses with a minimum of $500 per year and at least 20% in annual energy consumption or pollution-related expenses.

• • Applications must be submitted online through the Commonwealth’s Electronic Single Application website. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted.