The passage of the sales tax for economic development related activities has enabled our community to be among the most aggressive communities in the Midwest. The half-cent sales tax generates $5 million a year and is set up to be used expressly for economic development related activities such as site acquisition, infrastructure, equipment purchases, training, etc. The community can focus financial resources on projects that have a substantial impact on the economy. There are a variety of local incentives available depending on the type of business and the project specifics. The local financial incentives are performance-based and center around the number of new jobs created, average hourly wages and capital investment.

The state of Kansas offers a wide variety of incentives and is continually looking for new ideas to help make our state a great place to do business. When looking to start or grow a business in the Topeka/Shawnee County area, GO Topeka will help you understand all the available incentives related to your project.

Please see specific incentive information below or contact Molly Howey for more information.

The First Opportunity Fund is designed specifically for business owners who want to grow, but who do not qualify for loans at conventional financial institutions. The purpose is to grow the community by helping local businesses create jobs and increase production.

The Downtown Topeka Redevelopment Incentive Grant Program is a financial incentive that is designed to encourage residential and commercial improvements of buildings for future use in the Capital City Business Improvement District.

GO Topeka has the flexibility to structure incentives in a manner that assists the company and community at the same time. Most of our incentives are performance based and paid as the company meets the committed benchmarks like number of jobs, salaries and capital investment.

The Small Business Incentives Program offers grant  incentives to help small business owners and startups invest in their companies in ways that will support their growth, financial performance, business sustainability and ability to enter new markets. Incentives require preapproval and applications are reviewed four times a  year.

Choose Topeka as your new home and you could get up to $15,000 in your pocket. This exciting new incentive partners with Shawnee County employers to select talented professionals to relocate to Topeka and the Shawnee County community.