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Grants for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses: What's Really Open
As of October 2026, 1 national grant exclusively for veteran-owned small businesses is open in WinAGrant's registry, with published awards up to $25,000: Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program ($10,000 to $25,000, closes December 15, 2026). That number is small because we only count programs still standing, not closed cycles, not loans. Some funders accept applications only during set windows, so the funder's own page, linked on every row, is the authority on whether it is taking them today. Below: the veteran-only list, the verified programs worth preparing for, and 4 open private national grants with no industry or ownership restriction, where a veteran-owned business competes on equal footing.
Key takeaways
- 1 national grant exclusively for veteran-owned businesses is open now, each with its closing date or rolling status listed. Published awards run up to $25,000. Long lists that say otherwise reach their number by counting closed cycles, loans, or contracting programs.
- The soonest veteran-only deadline is the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program on Dec 15, 2026. Check its page for when the application window opens.
- The Veteran Shark Tank ($50,000 to the winner) is between cycles. Its next window is the one to have an application ready for.
- 8 of the 315 verified private and state programs in WinAGrant's registry are tagged for veteran-owned businesses.
- Grants are not loans. The money is never paid back.
Veteran-only grants standing right now
Every program in this table exists specifically for veteran business owners, is open now, and links to a real application. The Status column shows a closing date where there is one and marks a program as rolling where there is not. Each row shows the date we last checked it against the funder's own page, and because some funders open and close applications in set windows during the year, that page is the authority on whether it is taking them the day you read this.
| Program | Amount | Status | Who it's for | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hiring Our Heroes (U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation) Verified Oct 16, 2026 | $10,000–$25,000 | Closes Dec 15, 2026 | Veteran- and military-spouse-owned businesses: five awards each cycle |
Worth getting ready for
These veteran programs are between application windows right now. The date is the funder's own signal for the next cycle, and the owners who win are the ones whose applications are ready the week a window opens, not the ones who find out it existed the week it closed.
Open to any owner, veterans included
Nothing in this table is veteran-only. These are private national programs open to any industry, with no ownership restriction, no demographic requirement in the rules at all, which means a veteran-owned business competes for them the same as anyone, today. Most veteran owners never look here, because most lists never show them.
| Program | Amount | Status | Who it's for | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Shophand $5K Small Business Boost Grant Shophand, Inc. Verified Oct 17, 2026 | $2,500 cash plus $2,500 in Shophand services | Closes Nov 30, 2026 | Shophand awards its Small Business Boost twice… | |
Verizon (with LISC) Verified Oct 3, 2026 | $10,000 | Closes Dec 7, 2026 | Verizon awards $10,000 grants to small business… | |
Freed Fellowship Funder's application fee: $19 Verified Oct 10, 2026 | $500 monthly (+ $2,500 year-end) | Rolling: apply anytime | Any US micro or small business owner: monthly winners eligible for a $2,500 year-end award | |
National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Verified Oct 17, 2026 | up to $4,000 | Rolling: apply anytime | NASE members (self-employed people and micro-businesses): marketing, hiring, equipment, or expansion |
Why the honest list is short
Search "veteran business grants" and you'll find lists of fifteen or twenty programs. Read the dates on them. Most long lists get there by counting programs that are between cycles, cycles that closed last year, loan programs dressed in grant language, and contracting certifications that never send a check. A veteran who spends a weekend applying to a closed program doesn't get that weekend back.
That's the part we fixed. We check funder pages for changes daily. When a page changes, we verify the grant again. That keeps the tables above honest: when a deadline passes or a program closes, it drops off this page automatically. Right now 8 of the 315 verified private and state programs we track (of 513 curated in total) are tagged for veteran-owned businesses, and the median published maximum award among the 7 that state one is $25,000. When one of them opens a window we've verified, it shows up here.
VetCert: the SBA certifies veteran businesses now
Since January 1, 2023, the SBA, not the VA, certifies veteran-owned (VOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) businesses through its Veteran Small Business Certification program. Veterans must own and control at least 51% of the business. For SDVOSB, those owners must have a service-connected disability rated by the VA. It is a contracting program, not a grant: the federal government aims to send at least 5% of contracting dollars to SDVOSBs. Whether a grant asks for the certification is its own question, answered in Do I need SDVOSB or VOSB certification to get veteran business grants?
Help that isn't a grant: VBOCs and SCORE
The SBA lists Veterans Business Outreach Centers, which offer resources to veterans, service members, and military spouses who want to start or grow a business. Its page says 31 organizations serve as VBOCs. The same page lists SCORE, whose mentors give area-specific advice at no cost, per the SBA. Neither one sends you a check, but both are worth a call while you wait for a window to open.
Beyond the veteran-only list
Veteran-only programs are the start, not the whole picture. The registry holds 315 verified private and state programs, and most are open to any qualifying small business. A veteran-owned machine shop competes for those the same as anyone. State programs are their own lane: we track them on dedicated pages for Virginia, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, with more states coming. And the full, always-current list of grants built for veteran-owned businesses lives on our grants for veteran-owned businesses page, refreshed as each window opens and closes.
A lot of veteran owners qualify under another category too. If your business is women-owned or minority-owned, those lists run the same checks on the same registry. Running a nonprofit instead? Start with grants for nonprofits.
If you fit one of those categories, its own guide runs as deep as this one. Read grants for women-owned businesses or grants for minority-owned businesses, each built from the same registry and the same checks.
Grants found is only half of it. When you're ready to write, see what a grant writer costs and the grant tools worth using so you go in knowing your options.
Every verified grant deadline in the next 90 days is on one page: the live deadlines list.
Straight answers
Do veteran business grants have to be paid back?
No. A grant is not a loan. You never pay it back. Most small-business awards just ask for a short report on how the money was used. Larger federal grants can carry more formal reporting and compliance terms, so read the award conditions before you accept. Anything that has to be paid back is a loan, whatever the headline calls it.
What proof of veteran status do I need to apply?
Every funder sets its own proof-of-service requirement and states it on its official application page. Check that page before you apply. Requirements differ program to program.
Are there federal grants specifically for veteran-owned businesses?
Direct federal grants awarded for being veteran-owned are rare. Federal support for veteran-owned businesses mostly takes the form of government contracting set-asides (VOSB and SDVOSB certification) and training programs rather than grant checks. The veteran-only grant money on this page comes from private funders.
Do I need SDVOSB or VOSB certification to get a veteran business grant?
Usually not for private grants. Each funder sets its own proof of veteran status, stated on its official page. VOSB and SDVOSB certification through the SBA matters for federal contracting set-asides, which is a different kind of program from a grant.
Can I get a grant to start a business as a veteran?
Some funders accept applicants who have not launched yet and some require an operating business, so the funder's official page decides. Each row on this page links to it.
What are the odds of actually winning one?
Most funders don't publish a win rate. What you can check is on the funder's official page, linked on every row: the application format, any fee, and the number of awards if the funder states it.
Where can I get help with a grant application as a veteran?
The SBA lists Veterans Business Outreach Centers, which offer resources to veterans, service members and military spouses who want to start or grow a business. It also lists SCORE, whose mentors give advice at no cost, per the SBA. Both are on the SBA's resource partners page. The SBA's page doesn't list a cost for the VBOCs, so ask when you call. Neither one is a grant.
My spouse served. Can a military-spouse-owned business apply?
Sometimes. The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program is open to both veteran- and military-spouse-owned businesses. Eligibility is funder-by-funder, so check the official page of any program on this list, and the programs in the open-to-everyone section have no ownership requirement at all.
How do I find grants that match my specific business?
This page lists national programs. WinAGrant's 3-minute quiz matches your industry, state, and ownership against the full verified registry plus live federal grants from Grants.gov, and shows you where you stand.
Related reading
Somewhere, a veteran who qualifies for one of these will never hear about it.
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