The State of Missouri has many resources to enhance the quality of life in your community and create a stable, supportive environment for economic development to thrive.
The cornerstone of building better communities and maintaining or attracting business development is the availability of innovative programs designed to help shape and sustain strong and safe environments for all residents to thrive. Our diverse and easy-to-use portfolio of programs are specifically tailored to meet each individual community’s needs. Whether you are looking to build a youth activity center, start a childhood education program, or find a volunteer partner, the department has a program to help your community achieve its goals and be in a position for business growth. Get started building a stronger foundation of citizen engagement, growing a smarter workforce, and realizing a safer, more productive community today! Print our Community Development Program Guide.
Resources:
Certified Work Ready Communities
A voluntary initiative led by community leaders that seeks to strengthen and grow local businesses by aligning the economic development needs of communities.
Youth Opportunity Program (YOP)
Provides assistance to organizations administering positive youth development or crime prevention projects.
Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP)
Provides assistance to community-based organizations that enables them to implement community or neighborhood projects in the areas of community service, education, crime prevention, job training and physical revitalization.
START SMART Early Childhood Education
Provides resources to support the development of new or the expansion of existing high-quality early childhood and pre-kindergarten educational opportunities for children of low or moderate income families.
Innovation Campus Program
Provides assistance to educational partnership to advance learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while reducing the time and cost required for Missouri students to obtain a college degree.
Community Development Block Grants
From addressing local health and safety concerns to improving local facilities such as senior centers and community centers, CDBG programs are designed to support your community's wellbeing and greater capacity for growth. Grants are available in a variety of categories and can be utilized for a variety of community development initiatives.
AmeriCorps
Also known as “the domestic Peace Corps,” this National Service program engages Americans of all ages and backgrounds in team-based, results-driven service. The Missouri Community Service Commission (MCSC) also provides grants to eligible organizations interested in operating AmeriCorps programs, an initiative that helps strengthen local communities through national service. Eligible organizations include public or private nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, and state or local government entities.
Missouri Arts Council Grants
Provides funding to nonprofit organizations to increase participation in Missouri arts, strengthen arts education, and grow the economy through the arts by financing costs to pay local artists or bring in outside talent.
Division of Tourism Marketing Webinars
Free eLearning University online marketing webinars presented by leading experts in tourism marketing to help communities and tourism-related businesses promote their events and activities to tourists.
Tax Credit for Contributions (MDFB)
Provides local or state agencies (or local political subdivisions) tax credits to fund public infrastructure facility projects such as highways, water supply and distribution systems, mass transportation equipment/facilities, telecommunications facilities, jails and prisons, sewage facilities, airports, railroads, reservoirs, and more as well as to acquire blighted real estate or demolish structures to make way for future development.
Cultural Facility Revenue Bond Program
Provides tax-exempt bonds to finance cultural facilities for charitable organizations that are qualified 501(c)(3) entities.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
Provides a federal tax credit to investors for the construction, or acquisition and rehabilitation of an affordable housing development.
Affordable Housing Assistance Program
Provides tax credits to non-profit, community-based organizations for the purpose of providing affordable housing assistance activities or market rate housing in distressed communities.
Federal HOME Program
Provides a financing source for eligible activities that increase the supply of affordable housing for low or very low income persons.
Rental Production and Preservation Program
A tax credit for developers to rehabilitate or construct rental housing for low and moderate income families.
Home Repair Opportunity (HeRO) Program
Provides funding to eligible Sub-Grantees (community action agencies, regional planning commissions, municipalities and nonprofit organizations) to meet the need for home repair, modification and maintenance for low and moderate income homeowners in non-metropolitan areas.
Business Development for Communities
Business Specialists
Missouri’s business incentive programs can help communities attract new business as well as retain their current companies that are crucial to sustaining the local economy. From retention programs to expansions and attraction, our business specialists can help your community utilize state tools in the overall proposal when negotiating business projects.
Community Development Block Grants
From helping an important local business access short-term cash flow relief, to promote small business development, to constructing or revitalization public infrastructure that would make way for new industry development or attraction, our programs are designed to support business growth in your community.
Missouri Building Entrepreneurial Capacity
The Missouri Technology Corporation makes strategic investments in public and private non-profit research institutions (including higher-ed) and non-profit entrepreneurial support organizations to expand the state’s innovation ecosystem that help entrepreneurs commercialize new technologies and create next-generation jobs.
Missouri Certified Sites Program
Help lure new business to your community by having your commercial or industrial development sites pre-qualified by an established Review Team. By having your site certified, information can be readily available to potential buyers and businesses.
Family Development Account Tax Credit Program
Community-based organizations can access financing to administer a family Development Account project to help low-income residents participate in matched savings programs. These savings programs will help families in your community pay for school, purchase a new house, make home improvements, or start up a small business.
Small Business Incubator Tax Credit Program
This program helps small business incubators leverage funds to use for working capital and other non-operating expenditures that support new business creation in communities.
Additional Government Resources:
- Missouri Development Finance Board
- Missouri Housing Development Commission
- Missouri Community Service Commission
- Delta Regional Authority
- Office of Administration (OA)
- Dept. of Agriculture (MDA
- Dept. of Conservation (MDC)
- Dept. of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration (DIFP)
- Dept. of Labor & Industrial Relations
- Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR)
- Dept. of Revenue (DOR)
- Secretary of State
- Department of Transportation (MoDOT)
