Amber Grants

The Las Cruces Small Business Safety Improvement Grant Program provides Las Cruces small businesses, qualifying nonprofits, and commercial property owners with reimbursement grants of up to $5,000 to fund security improvements designed to enhance business safety and deter crime. Administered by the City of Las Cruces Economic Development Department in partnership with the Las Cruces Police Department, the program is geographically targeted to two Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas (MRAs): the El Paseo/South Solano MRA and the W. Picacho and Motel Boulevard MRA. Eligible security improvements include security cameras, locks, doors, door and window sensors, outdoor lighting, and fencing. To qualify, businesses and nonprofits must be independently owned, have 40 or fewer full-time employees, and be located within the eligible MRA boundaries. Commercial property owners located within the MRAs are also eligible to apply. Grants are issued on a first-come, first-served basis as a reimbursement, meaning applicants must complete their improvements and pay upfront before submitting for reimbursement. In addition to grant funding, participating businesses can access free Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments through the Las Cruces Police Community Outreach Unit, which include on-site safety evaluations, crime prevention recommendations such as landscaping changes and Neighborhood Watch coordination, and connections to community safety training resources.

The Chicago Community Development Grant provides funding to support business and neighborhood vitality across the City of Chicago through three tiers of grants based on project size. Administered by the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development, the program supports business-related real estate investments that create and maintain jobs and improve quality of life for local residents. Eligible applicants include business owners, property owners, non-profit organizations, community developers, and entrepreneurs, with funding available for office, retail, cultural, industrial, institutional, light manufacturing, and mixed-use projects anywhere in the City of Chicago. Across all three tiers, grants are issued on a reimbursement basis and may, at DPD's discretion, be offered as a forgivable loan or traditional loan rather than a grant. Eligible uses generally include construction hard costs, pre-development soft costs (such as design and site preparation), and property acquisition costs. The Small Community Development Grant: Provides grants of up to $250,000 to support commercial, mixed-use, and light manufacturing projects, funding up to 75% of total eligible project costs. Small grants are funded through the Housing and Economic Development (HED) Bond and prioritize projects with strong local impacts that leverage local talent, capacity, and institutions. Mixed-use residential projects are eligible, though residential costs cannot exceed 25% of the total grant amount and must be part of a broader building improvement. Disbursements are made at defined construction milestones. The Medium Community Development Grant: Provides grants from $300,001 to $5,000,000 to support moderate-scale commercial, cultural, industrial, institutional, social service, and mixed-use projects. Medium grants fund up to 50% of total project costs and are awarded through competitive, semi-annual funding rounds. The CDG-M includes a Local Residency Bonus for applicants whose primary residence and proposed project are both located within the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund's Qualified Investment Area. The Large Community Development Grant: Provides grants in excess of $5,000,000 to support significant commercial, cultural, industrial, institutional, social service, and mixed-use development projects. Large grants are intended to cover approximately 25% of total project costs and are issued as a lump-sum reimbursement upon project completion. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with an initial DPD review within two to four weeks and final approval required from Chicago City Council.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites researchers to submit applications for support of clinical projects that address critical needs for clinical trial readiness in rare diseases. The initiative seeks applications that are intended to facilitate rare diseases research by enabling efficient and effective movement of candidate therapeutics or diagnostics toward clinical trials, and to increase their likelihood of success. This could be through the development and testing of rigorous biomarkers and clinical outcome assessment measures, or by defining the presentation and course of a rare disease to enable the design of upcoming clinical trials.

Vermont’s Farm & Forest Viability Program gives one-to-one matching grants to eligible Vermont farmers who need capital to invest in infrastructure to improve their farms’ water quality. The maximum grant amount is $50,000; farmers can use the funds to purchase equipment and make renovations and improvements to their infrastructure.

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund provides U.S. military veterans in the beginning years of farming or ranching with small grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to help launch and grow their agricultural businesses. Administered by the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national nonprofit that supports veteran-owned farm and ranch businesses, the program has awarded nearly $4 million to more than 930 veterans since 2011. The program is powered in part by Wounded Warrior Project and receives additional support from Kubota (whose "Geared To Give" equipment program is integrated into the same application), the Tractor Supply Co. Foundation, Farm Credit, AgWest, and the SBA. Rather than disbursing cash directly to recipients, the Fellowship Fund pays approved third-party vendors on the recipient's behalf for specific items the veteran identifies as crucial to the launch of their farm business. Recipients have six months from award notification to use their grant. Common purchases funded through the program include all-terrain vehicles, beekeeping equipment, breeding livestock, bulk feed, fencing, storage freezers, tractor implements, walk-behind tractors, and scholarships. To qualify, applicants must be a member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, have served or currently be serving in any branch of the United States military, have received an Honorable characterization of service upon discharge (other characterizations are considered on a case-by-case basis), operate an agricultural business with a formal business plan, and be willing to fully participate in the Fellowship Program (which includes periodic progress reports, mentoring other farmer veterans, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the farmer veteran community). Currently serving service members must provide a letter of support from their commanding officer attesting to their characterization of service. The Fellowship is designed to support for-profit agricultural businesses; nonprofit entities are not eligible. Previous Fellowship recipients may only reapply if they were previously awarded $1,000 or less. The application opens once per year and consists of short answer and essay questions across five focus areas: military service, educational background, prior farming experience, business and financial planning, and short-term and long-term goals. Applicants are evaluated on farm training and transferable skills, personal investment in their farm business, the strength of their funding request and demonstrated ability to grow the business through the award, vision and goals for the future, and community involvement.