Verification Pending - core statutory and current DEED program controls verified; current account-issued application packet and submission mechanics require applicant-level retrieval before package or submission workAtlas Opportunity Score 48/100
Minnesota Paid Leave Small Employer Assistance Grants — 2026
FundingUp to $3,000 per qualifying leave; maximum $6,000 per eligible employer per calendar year. Program funding is capped at $5,000,000 per calendar year unless additional funds are appropriated.
DeadlineRolling; employer must apply within 90 days after the employee's qualifying leave ends. Funding is available only until the annual program allocation is exhausted.
Last verifiedSeptember 24, 2026
Required next actionBefore applicant-specific work or ORIGINAL outreach, identify a qualifying Minnesota small employer with a current Paid Leave event and verify the employer has 30 or fewer employees, satisfies the statutory average-wage threshold, does not use an approved private Paid Leave plan, and incurred qualifying temporary-worker or substitute-wage costs. Retrieve the current application packet and submission instructions from the employer's Paid Leave Administrator Account. Verify Contact, Email Opt Out, permanent-bounce status, exact-opportunity deduplication, and authoritative send history before any ORIGINAL outreach.
Broad Eligibility
Minnesota employers with 30 or fewer employees and an average employer wage at or below 150% of the statewide average wage in covered employment for the prior year may apply, subject to current statutory calculation rules. The qualifying staffing cost must result from an employee's use of Minnesota Paid Leave. Employers with an approved private Paid Leave plan are not eligible. Grant funds reimburse qualifying added costs to hire a temporary worker or increase an existing worker's wages to substitute for an employee on family or medical leave for at least seven days. No separate match or cost-share requirement is stated, but reimbursement cannot exceed the employer's documented additional costs.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score 48/100. This is a legitimate Minnesota-administered rolling reimbursement opportunity that may apply to qualifying small healthcare, school, community, or other employers, but the maximum reimbursement is only $3,000 per leave and $6,000 per employer per year. N9+ Fit 0/100 and QC Healthcare direct fit 0/100 because the statute restricts grant use to qualifying temporary-worker or substitute-wage costs rather than equipment, technology, or clinical services. Do not introduce N9+ in ordinary outreach. Applicant-specific package/submission work must use the current application packet issued through the employer's Paid Leave Administrator Account.
Minnesota Paid Leave, a division of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), is currently accepting Small Employer Assistance Grant applications from qualifying small employers for reimbursement of certain added staffing costs when an employee uses Minnesota Paid Leave.
Eligible employers generally must have 30 or fewer employees and an average employee wage at or below 150% of the statewide average wage. Grants may reimburse up to $3,000 per qualifying leave, with a maximum of $6,000 per eligible employer per calendar year. Eligible costs are limited to hiring a temporary worker or increasing wages for an existing worker who substitutes for an employee on qualifying family or medical leave for at least seven days. The request cannot exceed the employer’s documented additional cost. Employers with an approved private Paid Leave plan are not eligible.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must be filed within 90 days after the employee’s leave ends, subject to the $5 million annual program funding cap and availability. Employers request the current application packet through their Paid Leave Administrator Account. Applicant-specific work should use the current account-issued packet and instructions before submission.
Source verificationOfficial government source · mn.govAtlas last verified this record September 24, 2026. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
