Arkansas Site Development Program

The Arkansas Site Development Program provides matching funding to improve the readiness and competitiveness of industrial sites in Arkansas for job-creating projects. The program is administered by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Eligible sites must be greenfield industrial sites consisting of at least 30 acres of contiguous land and must be listed on the Arkansas Site Selection Center Database. Each applicant may submit only one site. The site must be owned or optioned by an eligible applicant; if the property is optioned at application, the applicant must own it by the time the grant agreement is executed. Eligible applicants include cities, towns, and counties in Arkansas, as well as economic development organizations and chambers of commerce. Funding may support extension and improvement of public infrastructure to the site, right of way acquisition necessary for an eligible project, easement acquisition, soil borings and analysis, and construction costs for site improvements. Examples of eligible construction activities include drainage improvements, easements, dozer or dirt work, grading, site mitigation, and site rehabilitation. Costs associated with site due diligence studies may also be supported. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission may consider other site development activities that it deems necessary to improve a site's competitiveness. Program funds may not be used to purchase property except for right of way or easements necessary for the site development project. Principal and interest on financed debt, lease payments, employee salaries or benefits, marketing or advertising, routine site repair and maintenance, and expenditures incurred before the grant award are also ineligible. Applicants must provide matching resources equal to at least 5 percent of the overall project cost estimate. The match may consist of cash, in-kind donations, or a combination of the two. Cash may include funds appropriated by a local governing body or invested by an economic development organization, nonprofit, or for-profit entity. Eligible in-kind contributions can include professional or skilled labor donated to support the site development project activity identified in the application. The program opens August 25, 2026. Interested applicants must first submit an intent to apply by September 30, 2026. After the intent to apply form is submitted, the applicant will receive a unique link through which the application and supporting documentation can be submitted. The complete application and supporting documentation are due by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Friday, November 6, 2026. The application package includes the Arkansas Site Development Application Excel Sheet and a project budget showing total estimated costs, sources of funds, matching funds, and the amount of funding requested. Applicants must also provide quotes or price comparisons for eligible project costs and a notarized affidavit for any in-kind match. Additional supporting materials include a project timeline with milestones, topography map, wetlands map, floodplain map, zoning map, utility map identifying lines and line sizes, transportation map identifying roads and number of lanes, aerial photographs identifying site boundaries, and a parcel map showing property within the site that is owned, leased, optioned, or subject to a right of first refusal. Applicants must also provide the property's legal description, deed of current ownership or option to purchase property if applicable, and copies of any due diligence studies. Supporting documents must be numbered and clearly identify both the applicant and the type of document being submitted. Following the November 6 application deadline, semi-finalist sites are expected to be notified for site visits during the week of December 7, 2026. Site visits are planned for the week of January 11 or the week of January 18. Notice of award is scheduled for April 2027, followed by applicant feedback in April or May 2027. The number of sites selected and the amount awarded will depend on program demand, and applicants may not receive the entire amount of funding requested if the volume of eligible applications affects available funding. No recurring annual or other regularly repeating application cycle is stated in the provided program information. Program contacts are Louisa Utley, Business Development Coordinator, at (501) 682-7334, and Olivia Womack, CEcD, Director of Business Development, at (501) 682-5275. The provided materials also include an official intent to apply form, downloadable application, sources and uses budget template, frequently asked questions, and full program rules. Applicants should ensure that the proposed site satisfies the acreage, ownership or option, database-listing, and greenfield requirements and that the project budget clearly documents the required minimum 5 percent match and limits requested funding to eligible site development costs.

Confirm the proposed site is a greenfield industrial site of at least 30 contiguous acres and is listed on the Arkansas Site Selection Center Database. Submit the required Intent to Apply by September 30 to obtain the application link. Clearly document the minimum 5% match and restrict requested funding to eligible project costs. Number all supporting documents and clearly identify the applicant and document type. Ensure maps, ownership or option records, cost documentation, and due diligence materials are complete.