Brentwood Economic Development Grant

The DC Commercial Property Acquisition Fund (CPAF) provides down payment assistance grants of up to $300,000 (or 25% of the sale price, whichever is less) to DC-based businesses looking to acquire commercial property in the District. Funded by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) in partnership with the Council of the District of Columbia and administered by City First Enterprises, the program is designed to help businesses maintain and expand their operations by transitioning into owned commercial space rather than continuing to lease. Recipients must agree to own and occupy the property for at least seven years, ensuring long-term investment in the District's commercial corridors. The fund represents a strategic $1.5 million investment to support business stability and physical growth across DC.

The Brooklyn Pitch Competition awards a total of $450,000 in unrestricted grant funding to selected Brooklyn-based businesses, including a $150,000 grand prize and additional finalist awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. Administered by the Social Justice Fund (a Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation initiative), the competition is designed for established businesses ready for their next stage of growth and aims to spotlight entrepreneurs who are strengthening Brooklyn's economy, creating jobs, expanding opportunity, and investing in their communities. To be eligible, businesses must be headquartered or primarily operating in Brooklyn, generate between $1 million and $5 million in annual revenue, demonstrate a clear growth strategy and strong potential for expansion, show evidence of innovation, execution capacity, and business momentum, contribute to Brooklyn's economy through job creation, local hiring, community impact, or neighborhood investment, and be prepared to participate in a competitive screening process and a live pitch event if selected as a finalist. In addition to grant funding, selected finalists pitch live at Barclays Center and receive access to investor introductions, capital matchmaking, strategic advisory sessions, and connections to procurement and growth opportunities. Businesses ready to grow, hire, expand their market reach, or deepen their impact in Brooklyn are the program's target applicants.

The Illinois Grocery Rescue Program provides Illinois-based businesses and organizations with reimbursement grants of $100,000 to $1,500,000 to reopen recently closed grocery stores in areas with low access to fresh food. Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) as part of the broader Illinois Grocery Initiative (authorized by Public Act 103-0561), the program has approximately $4.5 million in total funding available per cycle and anticipates 3 to 5 awards per round. The goal of the program is to prevent grocery closures from leading to long-term reductions in fresh food access, encourage economic stability and growth, and prevent existing grocery-suitable buildings from falling into disrepair. To qualify, projects must reestablish a grocery store at a specific location that experienced a grocery store closure within the 12 months prior to application, and the location must meet several geographic and community criteria: the census tract must be classified as a low-access tract for fresh food (rural tracts where at least 33 percent of the population or at least 500 residents live more than 10 miles from the nearest grocery store, or urban tracts where the same thresholds apply within half a mile), the census tract must have a median family income less than $116,620 (110 percent of the state median), and the store must be classified as a supermarket or grocery retailer under NAICS code 445110. The store cannot derive more than 30 percent of its revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales, must sell fresh foods such as unprocessed meats, fruits, and vegetables, and must prepare to accept both SNAP and WIC benefits. Property or business owners who were involved in the recent store closure are not eligible. Eligible applicant types include for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, all limited partnerships, agricultural cooperatives, local government entities, sole proprietors, and special act corporations. Grant funds can be used for acquisition, repair, and refurbishment of real property and durable equipment at the former grocery store location, purchase of energy-efficient HVAC, refrigeration, and lighting equipment, and store operations for the period prior to reopening and the first 12 months of operations. Eligible operational costs include employee wages, utilities, initial food inventory, and point-of-sale systems that accommodate SNAP and WIC transactions. Grant funds cannot be used to purchase equipment, supplies, or inventory unrelated to the provision of food (such as lottery equipment or non-food initial inventory). Applicants must provide a 25 percent match of total project costs (representing a 1:3 match), which may come from any non-state sources such as local municipal funds, federal funds, or private investment. In-kind contributions and expenditures incurred prior to receipt of the Notice of State Award cannot count toward the match. The program operates on a reimbursement basis, with grantees submitting paid invoices for approved expenditures, though DCEO may allow an advance of up to two months' worth of expenditures on a case-by-case basis. Applications are scored competitively across three main categories: Need, Capacity, and Quality. Grantees must continue grocery operations at the project location for at least three years following project completion, and DCEO may claw back grant funds if the store closes before that time.

The Greater Dallas County Development Alliance has officially opened applications for the next round of its Small Business Grant Fund, which provides monetary support to small businesses in the Dallas County area. The grant program, which launched last year, aims to fund applicants looking for financial assistance in key growth areas such as furniture and fixtures, technology, marketing, and professional development. A total of $20,000 in funding is available, and applications are open from April 1 through May 31. Last year, five small businesses representing a range of industries were awarded funding through the program.

The VCEDA Telehealth Fund is a grant fund established to help address telehealth and telemedicine needs in the VCEDA region. For-profit and nonprofit entities and industrial or economic development authorities in the VCEDA region are eligible to apply for funds from the VCEDA Telehealth Fund. Available funding is based upon annual appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly. Grant funds provided by VCEDA under this program must be used for initiatives intended to address telehealth and telemedicine needs in the VCEDA region.