Topeka
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
How to start a small business
This packet is evaluated and updated on a quarterly basis.
Have suggestions, comments, or ideas? Please email business@tscpl.org with your information.
Nonprofit Resources
The library will help you get your vision into motion. Let us help you get connected to grants and research sites designed specifically to your needs.
Starting a Kansas Nonprofit Corporation
The Secretary of State’s office is a filing agency and does not provide legal guidance.
Start a Non-Profit Operating a Non-Profit
Starting a Kansas Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Obtain a State of Kansas Tax Clearance
- Request Online – Click here to complete an application through our secure website. Return to the website the following day to retrieve your “Certificate of Tax Clearance”. Applications must be submitted by 5pm Monday – Friday in order to be available the following business day.
- Click here to verify the validity of the “Certificate of Tax Clearance”
- Special Event Tax Clearance – If you are required to obtain a tax clearance for participation in a Special Event (fairs, racing events, shows, etc.) please complete the online application.
K-State 105 is all about partnerships. We’re a university built on engagement.
We’re connecting the dots. Bringing people and partners together. Building the economic prosperity of all 105 Kansas counties.
We call it K-State 105… Join us. https://k-state.edu/105
Business Funding Opportunities
Go Topeka Small Business Incentives Available
Economic Mobility Funds Program (Go Topeka)
Go Topeka’s Economic Mobility Funds Program aims to foster sustainable, inclusive economic impact by providing targeted grant incentives to underserved entrepreneurs and economically disadvantaged businesses in Topeka and Shawnee County.
Topeka/Shawnee County First Opportunity Fund (Go Topeka)
This links to the PDF of the current application form and provide all supporting materials. (We provide a checklist of what you’ll need, which includes a business plan, financial statements and details about operations.)
Topeka Community Foundation – Impact Investing Opportunity
Impact Investing provides a loan, equity investment or guarantee to nonprofits, for-profits, and intermediary partners, with the central purpose of social good that also provides a financial return.
An Impact Investment can be a loan, equity investment or guarantee that advances the mission of the Topeka Community Foundation, generates measurable community impact and achieves some sort of financial return. Many local Impact Investments are made at rates of return that prioritize community impact.
Topeka Community Foundation – Greater Topeka & Better Together Grant Initiatives
The Greater Topeka Fund is a grant program to support nonprofit organizations serving Topeka and Shawnee County. Established to enhance the quality of life in the region, this grant focuses on funding specific programs and projects that address community needs and enhance quality of life in our area.
The Topeka Community Foundation’s Better Together grants program, part of the Foundation’s mission to enhance the quality of life in Shawnee County, awarded over half a million dollars in 2024 to local nonprofit organizations. These grants are focused on supporting new and inventive ways to address the social determinants of health—critical factors like access to affordable housing, education, nutritious food, healthcare services, mental health support, and a safe environment, all of which affect an individual’s ability to live a healthy life. By funding creative and impactful solutions, the Better Together grants aim to drive lasting change and improve community well-being.
GROWKS LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS
All entrepreneurs/small businesses interested in applying will need to be connected with a NetWork Kansas-approved resource partner. This list of approved partners may include Kansas non-profit organizations such as Certified Development Companies and other technical assistance providers. It also may include some Entrepreneurship (E-) Communities. Please email info@networkkansas.com or call 1-877-521-8600 to be connected with the appropriate partner to start the process.
Kansas was allocated about $69M in State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) dollars.
The programs created as a result of the allocation are called the GROWKS Loan Fund and GROWKS Equity Programs.
GROWKS Loan Fund and GROWKS Equity programs will provide loans and equity investments that match private capital investment.
The programs are designed to focus on underserved geographies (rural/urban-distressed/statewide), underserved populations (minority/women/economically disadvantaged) and business types (target sector).