Massachusetts Technology Grants for Small Businesses in 2026, Plus Loans and Free Help

TL;DR: Few Massachusetts technology grants simply pay for a small business's equipment or software. What exists is narrower: a state grant toward managed cybersecurity, matching grants for equipment, an export grant that covers website localization, city forgivable loans, SBA loans that allow AI and equipment costs, and free advising and training. Terms change, so confirm with each program.

Searches for Massachusetts technology grants usually end in long lists of programs that closed years ago or never paid for technology at all. I checked every program below on its official page on October 22, 2026, and kept only what loaded. The honest picture is smaller than the lists suggest, and more useful once you know where each dollar can go.

One note before the list. Terms, caps and deadlines for Massachusetts technology grants change, sometimes mid-year, and several of these changed in 2026. Treat every figure here as a dated snapshot and confirm it with the program before you plan around it.

Are there Massachusetts technology grants for small businesses?

A few, and none of them is a general "technology grant." The federal answer is the plainest. The U.S. Small Business Administration says on its grants page that "SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business." Its grants go to nonprofits, resource partners and research programs instead. (U.S. Small Business Administration, Grants)

The Massachusetts technology grants and programs that do exist are each built for one purpose: cybersecurity monitoring, exporting, equipment for very small firms, or storefront space in one city. That shapes the strategy. You rarely find a grant and then decide what to buy. You decide what the business needs, then look for the one program whose purpose matches it.

In practice the money comes in four shapes:

• Targeted grants that pay part of a specific kind of cost, usually after you spend it.
• Matching grants where you put up a share first and prove you have it.
• Low-interest or forgivable loans from the SBA's lenders or from a city.
• Free help: advising, training and published baselines that cost nothing but time.

What are the best Massachusetts technology grants for small businesses?

"Best" depends on what you are paying for. These are the Massachusetts technology grants I could verify on official pages today, with who qualifies and where each one stands.

Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program

• Run by: the MassCyberCenter at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech).
• Who qualifies: Massachusetts municipalities, nonprofits and small businesses that meet the SBA's size standards for their industry.
• What it pays for: up to one-third of the cost of security operations center services from CyberTrust Massachusetts, a nonprofit that works with the MassCyberCenter, including managed detection and response, plus an onboarding fee if there is one, for up to three years. The one-third rule replaced a $50,000 maximum award on July 28, 2026.
• How it pays: small businesses and nonprofits are reimbursed, and "grants may only fund expenses incurred after an application is submitted to MassTech." You need a scope of work from CyberTrust Massachusetts before you apply.
• Status: the notice was issued March 18, 2026, amended July 28, 2026, and applications are rolling "until all program funds are expended." The program's FAQ was updated September 18, 2026.

(MassCyberCenter, Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program)

Two details matter more than the headline. The grant pays only toward CyberTrust Massachusetts services, not toward any other provider. And the FAQ says grantees must cover the remaining two-thirds with non-MassTech funds, so it lowers the bill rather than replacing it. (MassCyberCenter, FAQ, updated September 18, 2026) If you want to understand what managed detection actually covers before you request a scope, our threat detection page explains it in plain terms.

Biz-M-Power Matching Grant Program

• Run by: the Growth Capital Division of MassDevelopment, which now runs the programs that used to sit at the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.
• Who qualifies: Massachusetts businesses with a physical location, fewer than 20 full-time-equivalent employees, annual revenue of $2.5 million or less, at least three months in operation, and at least one owner who is low or moderate income under HUD guidelines.
• What it pays for: matching grants of up to $50,000 toward facility costs, buying or leasing equipment, and "other capital needs." Payroll, inventory and working capital are not eligible.
• The match: you must show 20% of the requested amount already in the business bank account when you apply.
• Status: MassDevelopment's grant page says "The deadline to submit an application has passed." The most recent guidelines posted cover an application window of May 12 to June 15, 2025, with $1,000,000 allocated for that fiscal year.

(MassDevelopment, Grant Programs; Biz-M-Power Program Guidelines, June 2025)

It is closed today, but it has run in rounds, and it is one of the few Massachusetts technology grants that lists buying or leasing equipment as a use. Whether a particular computer or register qualifies is the program's call. Watch the page if your business fits the size and income rules.

Massachusetts State Trade Expansion Program (STEP)

• Run by: the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center and the Massachusetts Export Center, funded by an SBA grant.
• Who qualifies: export-ready Massachusetts small businesses selling goods or services with at least 51% U.S. content.
• What it pays for: international marketing and business development, including "localization of websites for target export markets," which the program describes as translation, technical localization, e-commerce fees and search engine optimization for those markets.
• Amounts: $6,000 to $20,000 per business, reimbursing pre-approved activities from June 30, 2026 to July 31, 2027, with a match of at least 10% for first-time firms and 20% for everyone else.
• Status: the 2026 application deadline was Friday, October 9, 2026, so this round is closed.

(Massachusetts Export Center, 2026 STEP Program) The SBA's own STEP description confirms that the program can "support website globalization and e-commerce capabilities." (SBA, Grants) Of the Massachusetts technology grants I checked, it is the closest thing to a website grant for a business that sells outside the country.

City of Worcester Small Business Grant Program

• Who qualifies: new businesses moving into vacant space, or existing ones expanding, in a first-floor storefront in Worcester's targeted commercial corridors, with an emphasis on the creative economy. Each project has to meet a federal Community Development Block Grant objective, such as benefiting low and moderate income people.
• What it pays for: furniture and fixtures, interior renovations, merchandising equipment, and retail or food service equipment, as forgivable loans.
• Amounts: up to 25% of total project cost, capped at $25,000, $50,000 or $75,000 depending on square footage.
• Status: the city's page lists no application deadline.

(City of Worcester, Small Business Grant Program) Software and services are not on its list of eligible uses. It belongs on this list of Massachusetts technology grants only because a storefront fit-out can include retail or food service equipment.

A note on training grants

The state's Workforce Training Fund, run by Commonwealth Corporation, funds training for current and new employees through its Express, General and FAST AI programs, under terms that expanded on April 1, 2026. (Commonwealth Corporation, Workforce Training Fund Program) It pays for training, not for the technology itself, so it is not one of the Massachusetts technology grants. I mention it here and leave the details to the program. Brian covered how the Massachusetts AI training grant for employers works.

What is MASSGrant?

MASSGrant is not a business grant. It is need-based financial aid for undergraduate students, funded by the Legislature and run by the state's Office of Student Financial Assistance, and students apply through the FAFSA or the state's own aid form, with a June 30, 2026 filing deadline for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, MASSGrant) If it shows up when you search for Massachusetts technology grants, you can skip it.

Which loans and free programs can cover technology?

When none of the Massachusetts technology grants fits, the next layer is loans and help that costs nothing. Several are open right now.

• SBA 7(a) loans. The SBA's primary business loan program lists "Purchasing and installation of machinery and equipment, including AI-related expenses" among its uses, up to $5 million. You apply through a participating lender, not the SBA. (SBA, 7(a) loans)
• SBA microloans. Loans of up to $50,000 through nonprofit intermediary lenders; the SBA says the average is about $13,000, with a maximum term of seven years. (SBA, Microloans)
• City of Worcester Microloan Program. $5,000 to $75,000, with terms of one to ten years, for new or existing Worcester businesses. Eligible uses include equipment and working capital. (City of Worcester, Microloan Program)
• Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. "No-cost, confidential business advising, technical assistance, and training." Its Central Region office is at Clark University in Worcester and serves Worcester County. (Massachusetts SBDC, Network)
• MassDevelopment's Small Business Resource Directory. Nonprofit partners funded through its Small Business Technical Assistance program offer hands-on help to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and under $2.5 million in revenue. (MassDevelopment, Resource Guide)
• Free AI training. On February 26, 2026, the state announced free Grow with Google AI and career certificate training for every resident and small business, led by the Massachusetts AI Hub at MassTech. (MassTech, February 26, 2026)
• A free security baseline. The MassCyberCenter publishes a Minimum Baseline of Cybersecurity for Small Business, which organizes the CIS 18 Critical Security Controls into nine steps. (MassCyberCenter, Minimum Baseline for Small Business)

A loan is still a cost, and I would not borrow for software you are not sure you will use. But a 7(a) lender who sees a written plan for equipment and systems is having a very different conversation than one who sees a wish list.

How does a Central Massachusetts business decide which program fits?

Start with size, because most Massachusetts technology grants are written for very small firms. In Worcester County, 16,335 of the 19,181 businesses with employees in 2023, about 85%, had fewer than 20 people. (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023) Fewer than 20 employees is exactly the line Biz-M-Power and MassDevelopment's advising partners use.

Put those two facts next to each other and the map gets simpler. Most businesses here are small enough for the small business programs. The question is which grant, loan or free program has a purpose that matches the problem.

• A print shop in Leominster with nine people wants managed security monitoring after a scare. The Cyber Resilient Massachusetts grant could cover up to a third of CyberTrust Massachusetts services, but only for costs after it applies. The order is scope of work, application, then contract.
• A small bakery in Spencer wants a new point-of-sale system and an online ordering page. None of the Massachusetts technology grants I could verify covers that software. If Biz-M-Power reopens and the owners meet its income rule, the hardware might qualify as equipment; a microloan could cover it now; and the Central Region SBDC can help with the numbers at no cost.

Neither example needs a big grant to work. Both need the purchase defined before anyone applies, because every program above asks for quotes, invoices or a scope of work.

What do Massachusetts technology grants have in common?

Read enough guidelines for Massachusetts technology grants and the same rules repeat.

1. You usually pay first. The cyber grant and STEP reimburse. Biz-M-Power asks for proof of your 20% before it pays anything.
2. Timing matters. The cyber grant only funds expenses after you apply. Buying first can make a cost ineligible.
3. Quotes are required. Biz-M-Power asks for "all invoices, quotes, and contracts" for the proposed uses. The cyber grant needs a scope of work. STEP's page says applications for vague or ineligible activities will be "automatically disqualified."
4. Purposes are narrow. Equipment yes, payroll no. Export marketing yes, domestic trade shows no. Read the eligible uses list before you build a budget around a program.
5. Funding runs out. Rolling programs pay until funds are spent, and some programs open for only a few weeks a year.

There is one more pattern I see often. The grant covers the purchase, and the business forgets the years after it. A security service, a new system or a website keeps costing money long after the grant is spent. I wrote about why the sticker price is the smallest line item in technology adoption, and it is worth reading before you count a grant as savings. Brian built a small business IT budget line by line that includes those running costs.

What should you do before you apply for Massachusetts technology grants?

1. Write down the problem first. What is slow, risky or missing? One paragraph is enough.
2. Price the full cost. Setup plus at least two years of running it. That number decides whether a one-third grant or a microloan actually helps.
3. Match the program to the purpose. Security monitoring, export marketing, equipment and storefront space each have one home, as listed above.
4. Get quotes and a scope in writing. Every program asks for them.
5. Check the dates on the official page. Confirm the deadline, the cap and the eligible uses with the program itself on the day you apply.
6. Use the free help. The SBDC and MassDevelopment's partners will review a plan at no cost.

Some things do not need funding at all. If your business only needs a simple web presence, kiefstud.io gives you a free website for your business. Spend the effort on Massachusetts technology grants where the cost is real.