American Express Backing Small Businesses Grant

The Path to Prosperity Business Competition is an annual business development competition for businesses with a positive economic, environmental, and community impact on Southeast Alaska. Businesses are judged based on their feasibility and their contributions to community development. The competition includes an in-person training called Entrepreneur Camp (formerly titled Boot Camp). This competition awards $20,000 each to two winning businesses annually. Program awards can be used for consulting, technical assistance, and long-term capital expenditures. One of the two awards will be designated for a STEM- and/or TEK-related business.

The FoundHer accelerator program focuses on Hawaii-based women entrepreneurs. Accepted participants to the six-month program will receive $20,000 grants, a $4,000 care stipend, weekly educational workshops, and monthly learning and networking retreats. Businesses must be early-stage, for-profit and at least 51% Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-owned to qualify.

Pathway to Opportunity is a competition designed to connect small businesses with corporations seeking to expand their supply chain with innovative products and services. Through Pathway to Opportunity, we aim to do more than provide a seat at the table—we strive to open doors and build relationships that can lead to long-term, sustainable contracts. Finalists are selected to pitch their businesses in front of a virtual audience, and three winners receive prizes of $5,000.

Innovate ND is a voucher-based reimbursement program designed to help North Dakota entrepreneurs advance their businesses by supporting customer and market research. Each participant may receive up to $50,000 in reimbursable expenses, administered through the Entrepreneur Centers. The program is divided into two phases, each offering up to $25,000 in reimbursements. Participants have six months per phase, with a maximum of 12 months to complete the full program.

The Venture Pitch assistance micro-grant can reimburse up to $5000, spent on hiring an independent, third party to assist in the creation of an investor pitch deck, assemble a researched list of at least 5 investors to contact that includes the investor profile, the investment criteria, their portfolio, news releases of companies they invested in and create an advanced and well thought out financial and P&L model with market size, costs, pricing, sales key assumptions. To be eligible for this grant, applicants must have received a Phase I or Phase II SBIR/STTR award.