Illinois SBIR/STTR State Matching Program
State matching grants for Illinois recipients of federal SBIR/STTR research awards. An NSF or other participating federal award must come first; this is not funding for a startup without an award.
Check an Address — Free Snapshot
Explore location-based incentives alongside Illinois SBIR/STTR State Matching Program. This program requires a separate review of its business or project requirements.
Published criteria — confirm with Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Active qualifying federal award within 12 months
- Illinois principal place of business and phase-specific research commitments
- No duplicate funding for the same purpose
Illinois SBIR/STTR State Matching Program is administered at the state level. Depending on the program, eligibility may depend on the specific location, property type, or business activity rather than a single drawn boundary.
Boundaries are precise and change over time, so whether a specific address falls inside a mapped zone always depends on that exact address. The fastest way to check is to run a free snapshot for the parcel you have in mind — mapped coverage is a location signal, not an eligibility determination.
Range on file · Up to $75,000 for Phase I; up to $250,000 for Phase II
Intake status not established from published sources as of 2026-10-09.
- +Up to $75,000 for Phase I; up to $250,000 for Phase II
- 1Confirm award timing and phase eligibility with DCEO.
- 2Review the matching application and Illinois research commitments.
Confirm award timing and phase eligibility with DCEO.
- Federal award and phase documentation
- DCEO application certifications
This page is a starting point, not eligibility, legal, or tax advice. Verify current requirements, deadlines, and boundaries with the administering agency before applying or spending money — program rules and funding change over time.
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Last verified 2026-10-09
Federal Opportunity Zone incentive: investors who reinvest capital gains through a Qualified Opportunity Fund into a designated zone receive tax reductions scaled to how long the investment is held. Illinois' current zones remain active for investment; a new round of IL-nominated zones takes effect January 1, 2027 under OZ 2.0.
Illinois Enterprise Zones offer state and local tax incentives to stimulate economic growth in economically depressed areas, including sales tax exemptions on building materials, utility tax exemptions, and investment tax credits.
The Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program provides Illinois income tax credits against state withholding for businesses that create or retain jobs. Amended by HB2755 / P.A. 104-0006 (June 2025) to expand withholding-credit elections and require 10-day public posting of EDGE agreement terms.
REV Illinois (Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois) provides project-by-project tax credits for businesses in the electric vehicle and renewable energy supply chain. Negotiated with DCEO across four investment/job tiers.