Arch Grants Startup Competition

The Business Development & Expansion Grant is part of the State of New Mexico’s continued investment in the creative economy, uplifting small creative businesses, strengthening local economic engines, and supporting improvements that fuel long-term growth.

The LaunchLNK Grant awards six early-stage scalable startups building their businesses in Lincoln, Nebraska with a $20,000 non-dilutive cash grant, plus more than $15,000 in in-kind services and benefits. Administered by StartupLNK in partnership with Select Lincoln, the program is designed to help promising startups establish and grow their companies in Lincoln by combining meaningful capital with the connections and support needed to move from early-stage to fully operational business. Beyond the cash grant, recipients receive four additional forms of support: introductions to potential sources of additional capital through StartupLNK's Midwest investor relationships; connections to mentors and to local and regional corporations that may become early customers or partners; access to professional services (legal, accounting, marketing, and other business needs) at little or no cost through corporate and service provider partnerships; and inclusion in the LaunchLNK alumni network, which has supported dozens of Lincoln-area startups since the program launched. Grant funds are distributed as the company meets milestones defined jointly with the LaunchLNK Program Manager. Applications are open to all industries and types of companies, with a clear goal and vision for business growth required. Applicants are prioritized based on the grant's potential economic impact in Lincoln, meaning reviewers look for companies where the funding could spur revenue and job creation and attract additional capital investment. Standout applications tend to demonstrate a clear use of funds tied to a specific next milestone, and founders actively contributing to the Lincoln business or innovation community receive additional consideration. The selection process includes an initial application review, screening calls, and interviews with a selection committee that ultimately selects the six recipients from a pool of 50 to 100 applications each cycle. Previous applicants who were not selected are welcome to reapply, as long as they have not already been awarded a LaunchLNK grant.

The Commercial Energy Efficiency Grants provide small businesses and nonprofits in Charlottesville (with limited availability in Albemarle County) with up to $5,000 in incentive funding to make energy-saving upgrades to their location. Administered by the Community Climate Collaborative (C3) in partnership with the City of Charlottesville, with additional private-donor funding available for Albemarle organizations, the program is structured across three tiers of qualifying improvements, with each tier capped by both a dollar amount and a percentage of project cost, whichever is lower. Level 1 (Insulation and Weatherization) provides up to $1,000 or 50 percent of project cost and covers weather stripping, storm windows, attic insulation, and air-sealing. Level 2 (Small Business Improvements) provides up to $1,500 or 30 percent of project cost and covers LED lighting fixtures and sensors, solar window film, refrigeration improvements, and programmable thermostats. Level 3 (HVAC and Appliances) provides up to $2,000 or 30 percent of project cost and covers HVAC heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and Energy Star appliances. Nonprofit applicants can add up to $500 to any level in excess of the cost cap. Level 2 measures match Dominion Energy's Small Business Improvement Program, so utility rebates from Dominion stack on top of the C3 incentive to further reduce out-of-pocket costs. To qualify, applicants must qualify as a small business under the Code of Virginia (or as an equivalent nonprofit), be headquartered with a physical location in Charlottesville or Albemarle, and operate no more than three physical locations in the area. Home-based businesses are not eligible. Before accessing the grant, organizations must first receive an energy walkthrough performed by C3 or another certified contractor to identify eligible upgrades.

Dayton Community Development Corporation offers grants for small businesses that focus on the Downtown District of Dayton. To qualify for these programs, businesses must be within designated locations in the city. The Dayton Downtown Improvement Grant provides up to $25,000, as a 50% match for activities such as interior renovations, signage, landscaping and improvement to the building and parking lot. Along the same lines, the Dayton Small Business Grant offers funding up to $7,500 for exterior projects and also $7,500 for interior projects — on a 50% match basis.

Small businesses in Springfield, MA are elligible for up to $25,000 of grant funding from the city. The CDBG Small Business Assistance Program is intended for small businesses in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-eligible areas in the City of Springfield. The program aims to provide financial support, increase economic activity, and retain and create jobs for small businesses. Applications that avoid basic operating costs as proposed uses and that demon