Growth Acceleration Program

Introduction

The Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) was enacted by the Minnesota State Legislature to help Minnesota's small manufacturing and manufacturing-related companies accelerate business improvements and the application of technologies identified as critical to increasing competitiveness and growth. GAP will strengthen the state's small manufacturing sector resulting in economic benefits including the creation and retention of jobs, increased sales, reduced costs, and business investment.

Program Guidelines

Eligibility of Applicants

To be eligible for GAP funding, a firm must:

  1. Be located in Minnesota;
  2. Be a manufacturing firm or a firm with manufacturing-related functions;
  3. Operate as an independent profit center;
  4. Employ 250 or fewer full-time equivalent employees;
  5. Submit an application including an overall company plan for improvement, with prioritized components and anticipated economic benefits;
  6. Demonstrate their need for a GAP investment in order to adopt the highest priority improvements.

Types of Projects

All funds awarded under GAP must be used to assist an eligible company with business services and products that will enhance the operations of the company. These business services must come directly through Enterprise Minnesota.

Priority will be assigned to projects whose return in economic benefits is most substantial and clear, projects whose outcomes are best accelerated through Enterprise Minnesota resources, and projects with companies not typically able to leverage external assistance.

Ineligible Projects

GAP funds may not be used for financing, overhead costs, construction, renovation, equipment purchase, or computer hardware.

Matching Funds

GAP funding is intended to help an eligible business buy down the cost of business services provided through Enterprise Minnesota. A company must match at least $3 for every $1 of GAP investment.

The remaining match must be provided by the company in the form of cash.Third party contributions in lieu of company cash cannot be used to offset the company's required cash amount. GAP funds are provided as reimbursement.Each invoice submitted to the eligible company must be paid in full in order to process the State's match amount.

Amount Available

The maximum amount of GAP funding awarded to an eligible company in any calendar year is $50,000.A company may request GAP funding for multiple projects, as long as no one project exceeds $25,000.

Instructions

Application

Firms interested in GAP must fill out and submit to Enterprise Minnesota a complete application requesting funding. This application must include documentation of the company's overall plan for technology and business improvement, a prioritized list of the company's improvement needs, and the anticipated economic benefits. The application must document the company's financial need for GAP funding in order to carry out the highest priority components scoped in a completed, signed Service Agreement


If a documented business improvement plan does not exist, a company's informal plan may call for a Business Process Review (BPR) to support the development of a plan.A Company may apply for GAP funding to conduct a BPR.

Completed applications must be sent to:

Enterprise Minnesota - GAP
310 Fourth Ave S, Suite 7050
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Review and Approval


Upon receipt of the application, and verification of eligibility, Enterprise Minnesota will determine funding priority.Funding approval will be confirmed via email.