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Pennsylvania development funding, grants and tax incentives

Grants, loans, tax credits, tax abatements, project financing, solar and storage incentives and utility programs a Pennsylvania development project can use, with the federal programs that reach Pennsylvania projects marked Federal. For each: what it is, whether it is taking applications and the official source. Subscribers also see what each is worth, the next deadline, who can apply, who cannot, the steps and the conditions to watch.

Grants

Money that does not have to be repaid, usually through a public agency or municipality.

PA SITES site development grants and loansTaking applicationsDCED planning grants and construction grants and loans that act as gap financing to make strategic sites ready for business. Applications are taken on a rolling quarterly basis; from October 1, 2026 every applicant must first submit a letter of intent.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

PA SITES Program (DCED)PA Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

PHARE housing fund (Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement)Taking applicationsPHFA’s annual competition for local housing initiatives that expand access to affordable housing. The 2026 request for proposals offers more than $95M; proposals are due at 2 p.m. on November 19, 2026.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Act 105 of 2010 (PHARE Fund)Pennsylvania Housing Finance AgencySourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Small Business Advantage Grant (energy efficiency and pollution prevention)Taking applicationsDEP reimbursement grants for Pennsylvania small businesses that upgrade equipment or processes to save energy, prevent pollution or protect natural resources, such as lighting, HVAC and boiler upgrades. The 2026–2027 round opened September 11, 2026 and is first-come, first-served.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

DEP Small Business Advantage Grant Program guidelines, 2026–2027Pennsylvania DEP Small Business Ombudsman's OfficeSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Solar for Schools Grant Program (S4S)Taking applicationsDCED grants to schools, career and technical centers and community colleges for solar energy projects on buildings they own, covering equipment, installation, energy storage, permits and interconnection. Grant funds may also be used for a new system built under a power purchase agreement, so third-party solar developers can own the system.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Act of July 17, 2024 (P.L. 813, No. 68), the Solar for Schools Act; DCED program guidelines (September 2026)Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

EPA brownfields assessment, cleanup and revolving loan fund grantsFederalOpening soonEPA grants that pay for assessing and cleaning up brownfields. Recipients are governments, redevelopment agencies and nonprofits; private developers benefit through them, for example by assessment of their site or a loan from a revolving fund. EPA expects the FY2027 competitions to open in fall 2026; no Multipurpose grants will be offered.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

CERCLA Section 104(k); Assistance Listing 66.818US EPASourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) — EV charging and alternative-fuel refuelingBetween roundsDEP grants for alternative-fuel vehicles and retrofits, fleet and home refueling equipment (including electric vehicle charging), and research, training and demonstration projects. Fuels include electricity, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, biodiesel, ethanol, methanol and advanced biofuels.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Act 166 of 1992Pennsylvania DEPSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP)Between roundsState capital grants for regional economic, cultural, civic and historical projects. A project must already be itemized in a Capital Budget Project Itemization Act and have half its funding from non-state sources. The last round has closed; the next is to be announced.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Capital Facilities Debt Enabling Act; Capital Budget Project Itemization ActsPA Office of the BudgetSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Industrial Sites Reuse Program (ISRP)Available under standing lawDCED grants and low-interest loans for environmental assessment and remediation of former industrial sites by parties that did not cause the contamination.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Industrial Sites Environmental Assessment Act (Act 4 of 1995)PA Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants and guaranteed loansFederalPausedUSDA Rural Development grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy systems and energy-efficiency improvements owned by agricultural producers and rural small businesses. Under the October 2026 rule, a project must already be built and operating, with 12 months of production or savings data, before the applicant applies for a grant.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

7 CFR Part 4280, Subparts B and C (grants); 7 CFR Part 5001 (guaranteed loans); Federal Register document 2026-20178 (October 1, 2026)USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Rural Development)SourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (Solar for All, National Clean Investment Fund, Clean Communities Investment Accelerator)FederalEnded for new projectsThe $27 billion fund created in 2022: $7 billion of Solar for All grants to states and others for low-income solar, and $20 billion to national green banks and community lenders (NCIF and CCIA) that financed clean-energy projects. EPA treats all three as terminated; 2026 court rulings have gone against the terminations, but when or whether money will flow is unclear.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Clean Air Act section 134 (repealed by P.L. 119-21)US Environmental Protection AgencySourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Loans

Public loans at low or deferred rates.

DOE Energy Dominance Financing Program (section 1706)FederalTaking applicationsDOE loan guarantees for projects that retool, repower, repurpose or replace energy infrastructure that has stopped operating, raise the capacity or output of operating infrastructure, or support electric supply for grid reliability. DOE lists nuclear, coal, oil, gas, geothermal, hydropower, critical materials, grid resilience and transmission.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

42 U.S.C. 16517 (Energy Policy Act of 2005, section 1706, as amended by P.L. 119-21)US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Dominance Financing (formerly Loan Programs Office)SourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Pennsylvania Green Energy Loan Fund (GELF)Taking applicationsRevolving loan fund run by Reinvestment Fund for DEP that finances energy-efficiency retrofits, gut rehabilitation and new construction in commercial, nonprofit, community-benefiting and multifamily buildings. Renewable energy and combined heat and power can be financed as part of a larger efficiency project. Projects must achieve a set energy reduction.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

DEP Green Energy Loan Fund program guidelinesPennsylvania DEP; Reinvestment FundSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

PIDA low-interest real estate loansTaking applicationsPennsylvania Industrial Development Authority loans, made through local economic development organisations, for land, building construction, acquisition and renovation by eligible businesses and developers. Rates are reset each quarter.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority ActPA Industrial Development Authority (DCED)SourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Tax credits

Credits against income or business tax, often sold or syndicated to raise equity.

Pennsylvania historic preservation tax creditTaking applicationsState tax credit for restoring a qualified historic structure into income-producing property under a rehabilitation plan approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Applications are reviewed first come, first served.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Historic Preservation Incentive Act (Article XVII-H, Tax Reform Code)PA Department of Community and Economic Development; PHMCSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Low-income communities bonus for the clean electricity investment credit (48E(h))FederalBetween roundsCompetitive allocation, run by the Treasury and IRS with the Department of Energy, of extra investment credit for facilities under 5 MW that are in low-income communities, on Indian land, or part of qualified low-income residential building or economic benefit projects. A project must receive an allocation to claim the bonus.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 48E(h); Revenue Procedure 2025-11US Treasury and IRS; US Department of EnergySourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Clean electricity investment and production credits (48E, 45Y)FederalAvailable under standing lawTechnology-neutral federal credits for new electricity generation and energy storage. Wind and solar lose them unless construction began by July 4, 2026 or the project is placed in service by December 31, 2027. Other technologies, including storage, keep the full credit for construction beginning before 2034, then 75% (2034) and 50% (2035).

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 48E, 45Y (as amended by P.L. 119-21)US Treasury and IRSSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Federal historic rehabilitation tax creditFederalAvailable under standing lawA 20 percent federal income tax credit for rehabilitating a certified historic building for income-producing use, under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. The state historic preservation office and the National Park Service review the work in a three-part application before the IRS credit is claimed.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 47; 36 C.F.R. Part 67National Park Service and IRS, through each state historic preservation officeSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC)FederalAvailable under standing lawFederal credit for building or rehabilitating rental housing with income-restricted units, allocated by each state housing agency. From 2026 each state’s competitive (“9 percent”) allocation is 12 percent larger, and projects financed with tax-exempt bonds (“4 percent” credits) need bonds covering only 25 percent of basis when the bonds are issued after 2025.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 42(h)(3)(I), 42(h)(4) (as amended by P.L. 119-21)IRS; state housing finance agenciesSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

New Markets Tax CreditFederalAvailable under standing lawFederal credit that lowers the cost of capital for commercial, industrial, mixed-use and community-facility projects in low-income census tracts. The Treasury’s CDFI Fund gives allocations to Community Development Entities, which invest in projects. The 2025 budget law made the program permanent at $5 billion of allocation a year.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 45D(f)(1)US Treasury CDFI FundSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Transfer of clean energy tax credits for cash (section 6418) and elective pay (section 6417)FederalAvailable under standing lawLets a project owner sell all or part of eligible federal clean energy credits, including 48E, 45Y, 45X and 45Q, to an unrelated buyer for cash. Tax-exempt and governmental entities can instead take certain credits as a direct payment (elective pay). Both require IRS pre-filing registration.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 6418 and 6417 (as amended by P.L. 119-21)US Treasury and IRSSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Tax abatements and exemptions

Lower property, sales or income tax on the project, or a payment in lieu of taxes.

Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZ)Taking applicationsBusinesses, property owners and residents in designated zones get state and local tax exemptions, abatements or credits. Benefits are certified a year at a time: the application is due December 31 for each year benefits are sought. Zones expire on different dates.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Keystone Opportunity Zone, Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone and Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone ActPA Department of Community and Economic Development; Department of RevenueSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA)Available under standing lawCounties, municipalities and school districts can exempt the added assessment from new construction or improvements in designated deteriorated areas, on a schedule of up to ten years. Each taxing body adopts its own ordinance or resolution.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act, Act 76 of 1977 (72 P.S. 4722 et seq.)Local taxing bodiesSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Opportunity Zone capital gains deferralFederalAvailable under standing lawInvestors who put capital gains into a Qualified Opportunity Fund that develops property or businesses in a designated zone defer tax on those gains and, after a 10-year hold, pay no tax on the fund investment’s growth. The 2025 budget law made the program permanent with a new five-year deferral for investments made after December 31, 2026.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1, 1400Z-2 (as amended by P.L. 119-21)US Treasury and IRSSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Tax increment financing (TIF)Available under standing lawA municipality can designate a TIF district for up to 20 years to remove blight; the county, municipality and school district agree to put all or part of the new property tax from development in the district toward the bonds or notes that paid for public improvements serving the project.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Tax Increment Financing Act of 1990 (53 P.S. 6930.1 et seq.)Municipalities; redevelopment and industrial development authoritiesSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Building energy credits ended June 30, 2026 (179D, 45L, 30C)FederalEnded for new projectsThree credits developers used for new buildings ended for new projects under the 2025 budget law: the 179D deduction for efficient commercial buildings (construction beginning after June 30, 2026), the 45L credit for new efficient homes (homes acquired after June 30, 2026) and the 30C credit for EV charging (property placed in service after June 30, 2026).

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

26 U.S.C. 179D(i), 45L, 30C(i) (as amended by P.L. 119-21)US Treasury and IRSSourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Project financing (C-PACE and green banks)

Long-term financing for energy and building improvements, including C-PACE repaid through a charge on the property.

Pennsylvania C-PACE financingTaking applicationsLong-term financing for clean energy, water conservation and high-performance building improvements, repaid through a voluntary special assessment. Counties opt in; the Sustainable Energy Fund administers most county programs and the Philadelphia Energy Authority runs Philadelphia’s.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Act 30 of 2018; Act 43 of 2022Participating counties; Sustainable Energy Fund; Philadelphia Energy AuthoritySourceChecked Oct 6, 2026

Solar, storage and clean energy incentives

Payments for the power or certificates a project produces, storage incentives, community solar and state renewable procurements.

Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) solar photovoltaic requirement and solar credits (SRECs)Available under standing lawElectric distribution companies and suppliers must buy solar alternative energy credits equal to 0.5% of retail sales. Solar facilities certified by the PUC's AEPS program and registered in PJM-GATS create one credit per 1,000 kWh and may sell them. Since Act 40 of 2017, solar credits must come from Pennsylvania facilities, with limited exceptions for pre-approved out-of-state contracts.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, 73 P.S. § 1648.1 et seq.; Act 40 of 2017 (in-state solar sourcing)Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (program administrator InClime); PJM-GATSSourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Utility and energy-efficiency programs

Ratepayer-funded incentives for efficient buildings, new construction, heat pumps and EV charging, which vary by utility territory.

Act 129 utility energy-efficiency programs, Phase V (PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania)Taking applicationsRatepayer-funded energy-efficiency and peak-demand reduction programs that each electric utility with at least 100,000 customers runs under a PUC-approved plan. Phase V runs June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2031. Plans include small and large commercial and industrial programs; PECO's non-residential offerings include strategic energy management, existing buildings, distributed energy resources and new construction.

What it is worth, the next deadline, who can apply and the steps: for subscribers

66 Pa.C.S. § 2806.1 (Act 129 of 2008); PUC Implementation Order, Docket M-2025-3052826 (June 18, 2025); EDC plan dockets M-2025-3057325, -3057327, -3057328, -3057329Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; PECO, PPL Electric Utilities, Duquesne Light, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric CompanySourceChecked Oct 7, 2026

Program terms, amounts and windows change, and most awards are discretionary. Confirm with the agency before relying on any figure; this is not tax, legal or financial advice. Every entry was checked against its source on or before October 7, 2026.