Business Resources

The Employee Ownership Tax Credit is available to Colorado-headquartered businesses to cover up to 50% of a qualified business’ conversion costs for use on their state income taxes. This program provides an incentive to establish employee stock ownership plans, worker-owned cooperatives, and employee ownership trusts. The goal of the program is to make employee ownership conversions more accessible for businesses throughout Colorado.

Contact Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center for a FREE consultation: email or call 303-351-2003.

Loans & Grants

Loans

Colorado Startup Loan Fund: Provides loans and small grants to Colorado entrepreneurs and small business owners needing capital to start, restart, or restructure a business, and those who are not able to obtain a loan from traditional lenders. This is a revolving loan fund, meaning the dollars will be used to continue supporting new entrepreneurs as loans are repaid. Learn more.

Colorado Microloans: These range from $5,000 to $50,000 to help start-ups and entrepreneurial small businesses that are underserved by traditional debt markets. Preference is given to businesses in rural areas. These small, character-based loans have terms up to eight years. The maximum interest rate is the prime rate plus 2%. Learn more.

Community Development Block Grant Business Loan Funds: A locally-driven program involving 14 regions, providing funding used to stimulate economic development initiatives by providing loans and loan guarantees to businesses. Learn more. 

Enterprise Zone Vacant Building Rehab: A program that encourages the rehabilitation for commercial use of buildings that are at least 20 years old and vacant for at least 2 years, by providing a 25 percent tax credit on the hard costs of rehabilitation up to $50,000. Learn more.

Grants

Amber Grant Foundation: Awards $2,000 to a different women-owned business every month. At the end of each year, one of the 12 grant winners is awarded an additional $25,000. The application is relatively simple: Explain your business, describe what you’d do with the grant money and pay a $15 application fee. Learn more.

Business Foundations Technical Assistance Program: This is through the CO Office of Economic Development & International Trade and provides technical assistance and small grants to Colorado small businesses to help businesses legally establish themselves. The program provides three training sessions and a small reimbursable grant of up to $1,200 per business to help apply the training. Learn more.

Business Investment Opportunity (BIO) Fund: This is a pilot program offered through the Mile High United Way, in partnership with Denver Economic Development & Opportunity and the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, for small businesses in the Globeville, Elyria, Swansea and Northeast Park Hill neighborhoods that are challenged by changing neighborhood conditions, such as major public construction projects. The program intends to help impacted businesses stabilize and assists them toward achieving long-term sustainability through a combination of financial (grants up to $5000) and technical assistance. Priority will be given to businesses directly adjacent to active construction, minority/woman/veteran-owned, focused on retail/hospitality/small manufacturing, neighborhood-serving and legacy, with annual gross revenue of $500,000 or less, and with fewer than 25 employees. To see if you're eligible, please send an e-mail or call 303-561-2301 to make an appointment with a business advisor.

FedEx Small Business Grant: This annual grant contest by FedEx awards 10 small businesses with grants of up to $25,000. Since 2013, FedEx has awarded more than $375,000 in grants to entrepreneurs. A for-profit small business that has been operating for at least six months is eligible to enter. Learn more.

Girlboss Foundation: Launched in 2014 by entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso, the Girlboss Foundation awards grants twice a year to female and female-identifying entrepreneurs. Each grant recipient receives funding of $15,000. Grants are exclusive to female business owners working in design, fashion, music and the arts. Selections are judged by creativity and innovation, business acumen and planning, and demonstration of a financial need. Learn more.