“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Steve Jobs
General Opportunities
Nav's Small Business Grant - APPLICATIONS ARE DUE TOMORROW - January 11, 2022. Grants are $5000 to $10,000. Learn more here.
Comcast RISE - Opportunity to receive marketing consultations, media placements, commercial creative production services, or technology services from Effectv and Comcast Business. Starting January 16th, 2022, the program will expand eligibility to all women-owned small businesses, regardless of race or ethnicity. NOTE: Several students in our program have been recipients of media placements and/or technology from this program. (yay!) Learn more here.
Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund Grant Recipients - This requires a little scrolling - but this PDF is a list of organizations that received funding from Wells Fargo to help small businesses impacted by COVID. Many of the organizations on the list (broken out by US State on page 2) are offering grants and loans to their local community businesses. Review the list here.
Industry-Specific Funding Opportunities
Uber and Visa Grants For Growth Program - this is a new grant program that provides $10,000 grants to 100 Uber Eats member restaurants in need in ten key markets: Boston, Philadelphia, Bay Area, NYC Metro/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit. Restaurants may have been impacted by COVID, hurricanes, natural disasters, and other unexpected events. Applications open on January 17th and close on January 24th. Learn more here.
Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grant Program - This year, the $10,000 grant is targeting AAPI-Owned Restaurants. Applications opened on January 3, 2022, and they will only accept 5000 applications. One of our program grads was one of last year's winners! Learn more here.
Regional Funding Opportunities In The United States
California - California’s Women’s Business Centers provide training, mentoring, business development, and financing opportunities to over 16,000 women entrepreneurs each year. Learn more here.
Georgia - Glynn County, GA has opened a Small Business Recovery Grant program. This grant offers assistance for businesses located in the county with 50 or fewer employees that can demonstrate pandemic-related losses. Funds can be used for operating expenses like payroll and rent, but not for new capital projects. Grants are up to $10,000 and applications are due by January 31. Learn more here.
Hawaii - Maui County Small Business Grant for Restaurants, Bars, and Gyms - the grant program is part of the American Rescue Plan to assist Restaurants, Bars, and Gyms in Maui County. Grants are for $5000. Learn more here.
Illinois - Chicago Recovery Plan community development grants are accepting applications. Small businesses and developers are welcome to apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with the first round due by Jan. 31. Learn more here.
Illinois - Gurnee - The village of Gurnee, Illinois launched a small business grant program last month. Qualified businesses can receive up to $10,000. Grants can be used to improve business facilities and each business must provide at least half of the capital (match) for each project. Learn more here.
Indiana - New Albany - Small businesses in New Albany, Indiana that has been affected by the pandemic can apply for grants up to $10,000. That money can only be used to cover working capital. Small businesses must have less than 100 employees and be physically located within New Albany to be eligible. The deadline is January 31. Learn more here.
Kansas - Wyandotte County and Kansas City are offering the KCK Small Business Resiliency Grant Program. The program offers grants of between $1,000 and $10,000 for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Learn more here.
Massachusetts - Taunton - The Sales Technology & Efficiency Professional Upgrade Program (STEP UP) program was designed to assist small businesses with critical upgrades to their digital technology and cyber presence so that they can better meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants are open to all businesses with a physical location in Taunton that has less than 10 employees. Learn more here.
Michigan - Bay City - A new grant program aimed at giving small businesses in Bay City, MI a boost is now accepting applications. Applications close on January 21 at 5 pm. Learn more here.
New York - Colonie - The Town of Colonie Local Development Corporation is offering small business grants for up to $5000 for businesses in the Town of Colonie with no more than 10 employees and two locations. Recipients can use funds to cover extra expenses or pandemic-related losses. Learn more here.
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia - JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women is designed to provide capital and to coach women-owned enterprises with strong growth potential in Greater Philadelphia. Learn more here.
North Carolina - Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) - WRAL TechWire has produced an online resource for entrepreneurs interested in launching their own ventures in the Triangle region of North Carolina. The online guide covers networks, accelerators, incubators, prototyping facilities, events, VC groups, and other important resources. Learn more here.
Virginia - Prince William County, VA is offering a "Restore Retail" Grant program for up to $25K per grant. Learn more here.
West Virginia - Morgantown - For the Small Business Assistance Grant, each applicant may receive grants of up to $20,000. Eligible businesses must be located in Morgantown city limits, and priority will be given to those in the downtown and wharf districts. Learn more here.
Regional Funding Opportunities Outside The United States
Canada – Province of Ontario
In the next few weeks, the Ontario government will open applications for $10,000 grants for eligible businesses that are subject to closures under the modified “Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen” Learn more here.
Online applications for the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will open on January 18. This program will provide eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity with rebate payments for up to 100 percent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to public health measures in response to the Omicron variant. Learn more here.
Courtesy of Bank of America Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell University