Awesome Foundation Grants

The Harford County Workforce Technical Training Grant (WFTTG) provides Harford County, Maryland small businesses with reimbursement grants that cover up to 50 percent of eligible training costs, with awards of up to $2,000 per employee per round and $10,000 per business per fiscal year. Administered by the Harford County Department of Community and Economic Development, the program is a competitive matching investment grant designed to help local employers become more productive and competitive by accelerating the delivery of technical training to existing full-time, permanent employees. The grant supports intermediate and advanced technical training that leads to industry-recognized certifications and credentials, helping businesses invest in employee growth while building a stronger local workforce. Eligible uses of funds include approved external or internal technical training programs and qualifying apprenticeship programs. Recent recipients have used grant funds to support electrical training, HVAC training, welding qualifications, advanced computer training, and project management training. Over the past 10 years, Harford County's Department of Community and Economic Development has awarded more than $500,000 in training grants to small businesses across a range of industries. Eligible applicants must be a small business with a physical location in Harford County. Employees to be trained must work in Harford County, be full-time, and earn at least 150 percent of Maryland's minimum wage. The program offers two rounds of competitive funding each fiscal year, with applications reviewed by county staff and awards issued as reimbursements after the training is completed and paid for by the business. Training funded through each round must be completed during that same round's project period.

The purpose of the DTO Facade Program is to encourage building owners, businesses, and owners of certain residential properties to invest in properties by financially assisting with renovations to rehabilitate their buildings and residences. Commercial Buildings located within the "Focus Areas" shall be eligible for funding for facade improvements, roof repairs and/or roof replacements of up to $200,000 or 80% of the total facade improvements, whichever is less.

The Lebanon Valley Chamber Foundation Micro-Grants provide Lebanon County, Pennsylvania small businesses and nonprofit organizations with grants of up to $3,000 per organization, with up to $30,000 in total funding awarded per cycle. Administered by the Lebanon Valley Chamber Foundation and generously funded through a grant from the HerZimBa Foundation, the program is designed to address specific business needs that can significantly enhance operational effectiveness and growth potential, stimulate local economic activity, create jobs, and promote inclusivity across the Lebanon Valley economy. Grants are awarded in four focus areas. Professional Development covers professional development, leadership training, certifications, education, and similar training initiatives. Paid Internships cover salary expenses for students from local or regional high schools and colleges, or unemployed individuals looking to reengage in the workforce (staff benefits other than wages are not covered). Business Improvements cover interior or exterior improvements such as paint, awnings, signage, and displays. Technology Upgrades cover upgrading hardware, software, connectivity, point-of-sale programs, and similar systems. Administrative purposes, daily operations, and staffing expenses (other than development or interns as noted above) are not eligible. To qualify, applicants must be a for-profit or nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization that operates in Lebanon County and has 25 or fewer employees (two part-time employees count as one full-time equivalent). The grant is open to all businesses in Lebanon County that meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of Chamber membership status. Applicants may submit multiple grant applications across different categories, but the total combined grant award per organization is capped at $3,000. Applications are evaluated on regional economic impact (20 percent), impact of the grant to the business (20 percent), financial stability or growth (20 percent), longevity of business (15 percent), clarity and rationale of the request (15 percent), and minority, woman, or veteran ownership or operation (10 percent). Applicants are also required to submit three years of end-of-year balance sheets and profit and loss statements to demonstrate business history. Awardees are required to complete a Memorandum of Understanding and Grant Spending Plan before funds are released, and must submit a Grant Impact Report to the Foundation post-award.

The Seattle Small Business Capital Access Program (CAP) pays down up to $30,000 (or 20% of the loan principal, whichever is less) on qualifying small business loans for Seattle-based businesses. Administered by the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED), the program is designed to lower the cost of borrowing for small businesses, particularly those that have historically lacked equitable access to financial services. CAP is not a standalone grant application and businesses do not apply directly. Instead, eligibility is evaluated by a participating community lender at the time of loan approval, and qualifying borrowers receive the principal paydown automatically as part of their financing. Because of this, the most important step for interested business owners is knowing to work with one of CAP's participating community lenders when seeking a small business loan; loans from non-participating lenders are not eligible. Participating lenders include Business Impact NW, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, Seattle Credit Union, MoFi, Grow America Community Impact Loan Fund, Pursuit, Evergreen Business Capital and Community Finance, and Denkyem Co-Op. Paydowns are issued in two installments — one after the borrower makes 12 on-time monthly payments, and a second after 24 on-time monthly payments — and are applied directly to the loan account rather than disbursed to the borrower, effectively reducing the principal owed. To be eligible, businesses must be for-profit, independently owned, located within Seattle city limits, in operation for at least 12 months, have an active City of Seattle Business License, employ no more than 50 full-time equivalent employees, generate annual gross revenue of $2 million or less, and be current on loan payments at the time of the paydown award.

Black entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers when it comes to accessing funding to grow their businesses. Fifteen Percent Pledge is working to address this challenge by supplying Black-owned businesses with no-strings-attached funding to accelerate and sustain their success. For the third year in a row, Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Shop with Google to provide $250,000 in grant funding to unlock the next horizon of growth for three Black-owned businesses. The winner of the Achievement Award will also receive mentoring and pro-bono consulting services from industry leaders.