Big Dreams Grant

The Philadelphia Boost Your Business Program provides selected Philadelphia small businesses with a $50,000 forgivable loan to help them grow, obtain new City contracts, increase revenue, and create jobs. Twenty businesses are selected per funding round. While structured as a loan rather than a direct grant, the loan is forgiven once the business meets its stated growth goals, effectively functioning as a grant for qualifying businesses. Administered by the City of Philadelphia's Department of Commerce in partnership with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the program is specifically designed to support business owners who face unique barriers in accessing critical funding and resources to help their businesses grow. In addition to the funding, selected businesses receive ongoing business support assistance throughout the loan period to help them execute their growth plan and meet the forgiveness milestones. Businesses seeking City contracts are strongly encouraged to apply. To qualify, applicants must be located in Philadelphia, have annual revenue of $350,000 or more, be in operation for at least two years, hold an active Philadelphia Commercial Activity License (CAL), be independently owned (franchises are eligible only if independently owned), and have all required federal, state, and local licenses and permits to legally operate. Businesses must also be in compliance with all local, state, and federal taxes (or be on an approved payment plan). Applicants are required to submit a clear budget and growth plan showing how the funding will lead to increased contracts, revenue, or employees, and each application is evaluated based on the impact and feasibility of that growth plan.

The intent of this program is to assist companies with large-scale capital investment projects that commit to significant job creation for Illinois residents as they relocate or expand operations within Illinois. Business Attraction Prime Sites grants can encompass a wide range of economic development projects and may include infrastructure and capital equipment purchases that will result in job creation in the state of Illinois.

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.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides a continuing opportunity for the rapid support of early-stage applied research to explore innovative new concepts with the potential for transformational and disruptive changes in energy technology. Spurring Projects to Advance Energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly (SPARKS) awards are intended to be flexible and may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides the agency with useful information for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. SPARKS awards may also support proof-of-concept research to develop a unique technology concept, either in an area not currently supported by the agency or as a potential enhancement to an ongoing focused technology program. Applications must propose concepts that are not covered by open ARPA-E focused FOAs and that do not represent incremental improvements over existing technology. SPARKS awards are defined as single-phase efforts of durations of 18 months or less with a total project cost of $500,000 or less and will be issued through Grants. ARPA-E expects to make approximately $10 million per fiscal year available for new awards, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. This announcement is purposely broad in scope to encourage the submission of the most innovative ideas in energy technology to support transformative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary mechanism, which is through the solicitation of research projects in focused technology programs.ARPA-E’s focused programs target specific areas of technology that the agency has identified through extensive interaction with the appropriate external stakeholders. The focused programs have significant potential impact on one or more of the statutory goals described in Section I.A of the FOA. Awards made in response to the solicitation for focused programs support the aggressive technical targets established in that solicitation. Taken in total, ARPA-E’s focused programs cover a broad swath of energy technologies and applications.

The Community Investment Fund provides Franklin County, Maine businesses, nonprofits, and individual entrepreneurs with grants of $5,000 to $15,000 to launch and grow projects that benefit the local community. Administered by the Greater Franklin Development Council (GFDC), the fund fills a gap identified by GFDC after evaluating what funding options are actually available to small operators in Franklin County (many block grants go to towns, county TIF dollars are restricted to unorganized territories, and innovation funding often requires a patentable product, leaving small operators without an accessible source of early stage capital). The fund is made possible through GFDC's funding accord with the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission line, which reinvests a share of the transmission line's negotiated community benefits back into local businesses, organizations, and jobs across Franklin County. Projects must advance at least one of six focus areas: workforce development (training, credentialing, apprenticeships, recruitment and retention efforts), business expansion or creation (equipment, buildout, new product lines, new locations, new hires), organizational programming (new or expanded programs that serve county residents), entrepreneurial support (coaching, shared space, startup services, technical assistance), community development (projects that make the county a better place to live and work), or services for low-income residents (direct services that reduce cost, remove barriers, or expand access). Two themes run through all funded projects: innovative programming and job creation. To qualify, applicants must be a for-profit business operating in Franklin County, a nonprofit organization serving Franklin County, or an individual entrepreneur or resident with a project that meets the fund's purpose, with proof of Franklin County residency or operation required. A documented funding match is required for all applications, and applications with a higher match percentage score higher (personal funds, in-kind contributions, and other grants all count as match). Projects must run 12 months or fewer, with recipients required to submit a progress report at six months and a final report at twelve months. Applications include a project summary of 100 words, an alignment narrative of 300 words, and an impact and measurement narrative of 300 words, along with attachments including a project budget, letters of support, proof of Franklin County residency, and documentation of matching funds. Applicants are also expected to describe a defined return on investment (with estimates of margin, sales, volume, people served, or jobs created) and to name real risks and barriers to project success.