Opportunity Overview
Open now. The Kansas Department of Commerce is accepting applications for the 2026 Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) 5.0 Grant. SEED supports tangible economic-revitalization and quality-of-life projects in eligible Kansas communities with populations of no more than 5,000.
Funding and Deadline
Kansas Commerce has $250,000 available for this round. Awards range from $10,000 to $25,000, with approximately 10 to 12 awards expected. One application may contain up to three projects, but the total request may not exceed $25,000.
Applications must be submitted by October 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The current official SEED 5.0 guidelines and program page do not state a deadline time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Who Can Apply
Projects must occur in an eligible Kansas community with a population of no more than 5,000 in one of the counties listed in the official guidelines. Eligible applicant entities include county or municipal governments, economic development organizations, local chambers of commerce, 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations, and tribal organizations. Communities that received a SEED 4.0 grant are not eligible for this round.
Eligible Project Categories
Projects must fit one or more of the program’s quality-of-life categories: childcare and senior programming, community vibrancy, food retail, or libraries. Eligible childcare costs include educational and developmental materials, safe-sleep and nutrition supplies, play and recreation items, curriculum, developmental health screenings and materials, breastfeeding supports, and family-engagement materials. Eligible senior-programming costs include health, wellness and nutritional materials, equipment and resources, recreation equipment and resources, technology, and art materials and equipment.
For libraries, Kansas Commerce expressly identifies books and reading materials, physical facility improvements, furniture, and laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hot spots and other equipment that can help patrons connect to employment, education, general information and essential telehealth services as eligible uses.
Match and Key Restrictions
A 10% cash match is required. Proof of match must demonstrate that funds are in hand through a signed bank letter, grant award letter or agreement, or another signed official document. The program does not support temporary or one-time initiatives such as speaker honorariums, event admission fees, temporary staffing or salaries, and projects may not rely primarily on consumable goods such as food, paper products or cleaning supplies.
Required Attachments and Submission
Required attachments include a signed State Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment Acknowledgment Form, a complete signed W-9, a signed OPC Form, project photos, and at least one letter of support. Optional supporting materials include architectural or engineering reports, bids and estimates, and business or marketing plans. Applications must be submitted through the Kansas Commerce Salesforce portal under the SEED 5.0 funding opportunity. Late applications are not accepted under the ordinary process.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 85/100. This is a strong rural Kansas opportunity because it expressly supports childcare and senior health/wellness equipment, developmental health screening materials, and library technology used to connect patrons to essential telehealth services. The modest $25,000 maximum means projects should be tightly scoped, implementation-ready, and clearly tied to one of the enumerated SEED categories.
N9+ Fit: 58/100 conditional applicant-led fit. This is not a direct Dr. Miltie or QC Healthcare procurement. A defensible N9+ concept may exist where an eligible applicant ties remote physical examination capability directly to an allowable senior-programming health/wellness project or library telehealth-access project, and Kansas Commerce confirms the specific equipment, technology, implementation and related costs are allowable. N9+ should not be forced into childcare, placemaking, food-retail, or ordinary library-modernization projects without a documented clinical use case.
QC Healthcare Fit: 45/100 conditional applicant-partner fit; Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare may be relevant only where an eligible applicant has a credible allowable health, screening, wellness or telehealth-access project and applicable procurement requirements permit the proposed equipment or services. Ordinary initial outreach must not introduce or sell N9+.
Official Sources
Kansas Department of Commerce SEED Grants
SEED 5.0 Application Guidelines