Entrepreneur Employment Grant Program

Grants to help small businesses grow and create jobs for Low- and Moderate-Income (LMI) Persons

The Ulster County Entrepreneur Employment Grant Program helps small, local businesses with five or fewer employees (including the owner) cover expenses — payroll, equipment, rent, and more — so they can grow and hire. Half of the available funding is set aside for start-up businesses. Applications open in mid-November.

What This Program Does

This competitive program helps Ulster County's local microenterprises grow and stay strong. We offer grants between $5,000 and $35,000 to a limited number of for-profit businesses in Ulster County. Grants are open both to established small businesses and to start-ups that have been operating for 6 months or less at the time they apply.

Please note that this is a grant program that requires you to spend the money upfront and then submit receipts to get reimbursed.

Entrepreneur Development 

One of the eligibility requirements for this program is the completion of an approved entrepreneurial training program — at no cost to the business.

The Ulster County Entrepreneur & Small Business Training Program is a series of four free virtual training sessions for existing and prospective business owners and entrepreneurs.

Offered in partnership with the Mid-Hudson/Catskills Small Business Development Center (MH-SBDC), the program will run Wednesday evenings in January 2027. For each applicant, at least one of the owners must attend all four sessions or provide proof of having completed a similar training program within the last 2 years (please contact our office ahead of time to determine equivalency).

Learn more & register

Note that the training program is scheduled after the submission deadline for this grant program. 

 

Job Creation 

This program is funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Every CDBG-funded grant must meet US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Objectives — and there are two ways to meet it: 

  • Create jobs for low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals, as defined by HUD, or
  • Grant funds to business owners who are themselves low- or moderate-income, as defined by HUD (see LMI table). 

Every recipient of the Entrepreneur Employment Grant Program must meet one of these two criteria. 

Get Started

Applications will open in mid-November of 2026. The Department of Economic Development will announce the opening of the program and program guidelines and via our department newsletter — sign up now to get an update on this grant opportunity!

Step 1.Check your eligibility

Make sure you can answer "yes" to all six questions under eligibility. That's the baseline for applying.

Step 2.Sign up for the department newsletter

Get an update once applications open.

 

Step 3.Register with SAM.gov - start today

Registration is free, but getting your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI#) can take up to 15 business days, and an active SAM.gov registration is required to apply. The earlier you start, the smoother your application will go.

Register at SAM.gov

Step 4.Join an info session for prospective applicants

We're hosting a webinar in early December to walk through the program and answer questions. Date to be announced soon!

Can't make it live? A recording will be posted on this page afterward.

Step 5.Review the guidelines and start gathering your documents

Read through the full application guidelines so you know what's expected. You'll also be asked to write a description of your project (maximum word count: 500).

Step 6.Apply online

Applications are accepted between mid-November and mid-December (dates to be announced here soon!)

Applying early does not give applicants an advantage, but we will send out eligibility confirmations within a few business days after an application has been submitted (if applicable), which may help you with your planning and signing up for the entrepreneurial training program.

Step 7.Attend the mandatory free entrepreneur training program

Ulster County has partnered with the Mid-Hudson/Catskills Small Business Development Center (MH-SBDC) to lead a free entrepreneur and small business training program. At least one of the owners of your business must attend all four sessions, which will run on Wednesday evenings in January.

Register Now

Step 8.Application review & scoring

Eligible applicants who complete the training will have their applications scored.

Step 9.Awards & contracts 

Awards will be made in February and then formalized in the contract process. 

Step 10.Complete work & get reimbursed

Work should be completed between approximately March – October 2027, pending state approval. Receipts and other documentation must be submitted for reimbursement.  

Eligibility

Do You Qualify?

Answer these six questions. If you can answer "yes" to all six, you meet the basic requirements to apply: 

Step 1.Size

Is your business a microenterprise — a new or existing company with 5 or fewer employees, including you as owner/principal, who owns the business at the time you apply? 

Step 2.Structure

Is your business a private, for-profit entity — a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation? 

Step 3.Location

Is your business operation located, or planned to be located, within Ulster County? 

Step 4.Match funding

Can you commit to contributing 10% of your total project cost in cash? 

Step 5.Training Attendance

Are you willing and available to attend the entrepreneur development training program?

Step 6.Job creation or LMI ownership

Do you have a plan to create at least one full-time job during the grant term for someone from a low-to-moderate income household — or do you, as the owner, qualify as low-to-moderate income under HUD's 2025 income limits?

Need Help?

Not sure if you qualify? That's normal — the rules can be technical. Contact our team and we'll walk through it with you.

To qualify as Low- to Moderate- Income (LMI), your household income must be at or below the HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) income limits based on household size for Ulster County:

Household Size Income Limit
1 $65,700
2 $75,100
3 $84,500
4 $93,850
5 $101,400
6 $108,900
7 $116,400
8 $123,900

Source: FY 2026 HUD Income Limits

 

News

Key Info

Contact

dedprograms@ulstercountyny.gov
(845) 340-3556

 

Important Dates

Back to top