Kansas Department of Commerce Announces New Grant Opportunity to Support Economic Development in Smaller Communities

Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland this week announced a new grant opportunity that will help support economic development and revitalization efforts in smaller communities across Kansas through investments in quality-of-life initiatives.

The brand-new Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) program will make grants between $5,000 and $50,000 available to communities in 78 designated counties with a population of 5,000 or less.

Local governments, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, and other organizations are eligible to apply in communities with populations of not more than 5,000 people located in Clay, Cloud, Jewell, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic and Washington Counties.

CloudCorp Executive Director Nicole Reed says grants will be available to offer communities a boost in quality-of-life investments.

Funding for the SEED program, which is administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, is provided through the Technology Enabled Fiduciary Financial Institutions (TEFFI) Development and Expansion Fund.  The TEFFI Act was enacted in 2021 through bipartisan legislation to promote economic development throughout the state.

Applicants must provide a minimum 10 percent match and complete the project within 12 months of receiving grant funds.  Funds will be distributed half at the beginning of the grant cycle and the balance upon successful completion of the project.

SEED grant applications will open Monday, August 29th, and close at 11:59 pm Friday, September 30th.  Grant awardees will be announced in October.

An informational webinar on the SEED grant will be available to the public at 10 am Monday, August 29th.  Registration for the webinar, guidelines for the grant application, and a list of eligible counties can be found at www.kansascommerce.gov/seedgrants.