Final Budget Deal Provides $17 Million for Ben Franklin
- benfranklin4pa
- Nov 13
- 3 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Ryan Glenn, P: 717-948-4317
Final Budget Deal Provides $17 Million for Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin recognized as benchmark for regional innovation, model to emulate
Statewide network named among America’s Most Ethical Companies 2025
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Nov. 13, 2025) --- State lawmakers and the administration have negotiated a final budget deal for the 2025-26 fiscal year that holds the line on funding for innovation and technology through the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA), which funds Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP).
The line item for BFTDA, which is included within the budget for the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), totals $17 million for the third consecutive fiscal year.
“We are grateful that the administration and legislature recognize our value and contributions and continue to support Ben Franklin in this budget. We recognize the challenges everyone had to overcome to negotiate this deal,” Ben Franklin’s Director of Statewide Initiatives Ryan Glenn said.
“Ben Franklin has been at the forefront of building a thriving ecosystem for decades, and we believe the more we invest in innovation in Pennsylvania is a good thing, especially in the face of competition from so many other states. Public-private investments like these are so important to building and sustaining this innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem and vital to our commonwealth’s continued economic growth,” Glenn said.
For more than four decades, Ben Franklin has been investing in and linking early-stage tech firms and established manufacturers with experts, universities, follow-on funding, and other resources to help them prosper through innovation. It remains one of the most widely known and followed state technology-based economic development programs in the nation.
Ben Franklin Recognized as Model to Emulate
Most recently, Ben Franklin was recognized as a benchmark for regional innovation in an article by California Forward. The article points to Ben Franklin’s proven, state-funded network of four regional centers that continue to deliver measurable impact in driving billions in economic returns across Pennsylvania as a model worth emulating.
“A state-funded network of four regional innovation centers, Ben Franklin Technology Partners supports startups and early-stage companies,” the article states. “The program’s consistent funding has generated billions in economic returns, proving the long-term value of state support for regional distinctiveness and investment in innovation.”
Since its inception, Ben Franklin has boosted the state economy by more than $30 billion, generating more than 58,000 jobs in client firms, plus an additional 101,000 spinoff positions, for a total of 159,000 new jobs. It remains Pennsylvania’s flagship innovation program.
According to independent analyses, every dollar invested by the commonwealth into Ben Franklin generates $4 in additional state taxes.
Investments in Purpose-Driven Innovation
Beyond the economic success, Ben Franklin also continues to lead the way in purpose-driven innovation.
A new national survey by MarketBeat named Ben Franklin Technology Partners among America’s Most Ethical Companies 2025 — alongside The Hershey Company and Wawa — as one of only three Pennsylvania organizations recognized nationwide. The study celebrates organizations that “do the right thing” through integrity, purpose, and community-minded leadership.
Ben Franklin serves all 67 counties through four regionally based centers in Pittsburgh, State College, Bethlehem, and Philadelphia, with several satellite offices spread across the state.
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About Ben Franklin Technology Partners
Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA). For more information, visit www.benfranklin.org.
