Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ)
Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) supports businesses and property investors through grants for permanent job creation, construction, rehabilitation, expansion, and solar projects to encourage private investment.
This grant was recently updated
GY26 replaces GY25, moving applications from January 1–April 1, 2026 to January 1–April 1, 2027, and qualifying jobs/investments from calendar 2025 to 2026. JCG hourly wage thresholds rise to $21.72 (175%), $18.62 (150%), and $15.51 (125% for high-unemployment areas/SWaM-certified businesses); other guidance also changed.
Funder: Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Due Dates: January 1, 2027 (Portal opens) | April 1, 2027 (GY26 applications) | May 15, 2027 (Deficiency notices) | June 1, 2027 (Deficiencies resolved)
Funding Amounts: JCG: up to $500–$800 per eligible position annually over five years; RPIG: up to $300,000 per building/facility over five years
Summary: VEZ supports job creation and qualified real property investment within designated Virginia Enterprise Zones.
Key Information: State and local governments are ineligible, and qualifying businesses or properties must be within an Enterprise Zone.
Description
The Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program is a state–local partnership administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to encourage job creation and private investment. It combines two state grant incentives—the Job Creation Grant (JCG) and Real Property Investment Grant (RPIG)—with incentives provided by participating localities.
JCG supports net new permanent full-time jobs meeting wage and health-benefit requirements. RPIG supports qualified construction, rehabilitation, expansion, and solar investments in commercial, industrial, or qualifying mixed-use buildings and facilities. Grant Year 2026 covers eligible jobs created during calendar year 2026 and property investments with final placed-in-service documentation approved during that year.
