Cleveland Municipal Small Business Initiative

The purpose of the PACE Program is to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in Registered Apprenticeship programs. These pre-apprenticeship programs have a documented partnership with at least one Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor that is committed to hiring from the pre-apprenticeship program within 18 months from the start of the contract period of performance, and together, they expand the participant's career pathway opportunities with industry-based training coupled with classroom instruction. The program will drive economic development through skills and educational attainment and create pathways to better-paying careers and advanced credentials. The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Office of Apprenticeship seeks to encourage the growth of career pathway opportunities for people disconnected from employment, training, and education. Within the workforce development system, pre-apprenticeships serve a critical role for people to acquire career-specific skills, advance work-readiness, and connect them to longer-term career opportunities. Eligible applicants can apply for funding up to $8,000 per participant.

The Invest DSM Commercial Grant Program provides Des Moines commercial property owners and small businesses with matching grants of up to $50,000 to fund deferred maintenance, repairs, code compliance upgrades, and facade improvements. Administered by Invest DSM, a nonprofit partnership between the City of Des Moines and Polk County focused on revitalizing select Des Moines neighborhoods, the program is available to property owners and business owners (whether they own or lease their space) located within one of Invest DSM's designated Special Investment Districts. The grant operates as a dollar-for-dollar match covering half of project expenses up to $50,000 per retail bay, with an additional matching grant of up to $10,000 available to cover pre-development costs such as architectural drawings, project feasibility studies, environmental studies, and interior or window display design assistance. For external aesthetic improvements like signage, window displays, and facade work, applicants who collaborate with one of Invest DSM's artists on a custom design can receive 70 percent of those costs covered. Eligible uses include facade, signage, and awning updates, roof, window, and door replacement or repair, major systems and code compliance upgrades, public art such as murals, exterior site improvements like patios, concrete work, landscaping, and parking lot repaving, and energy-efficiency upgrades including solar and wind installation. Applicants must be current on all municipal and county dues, fees, and taxes. In addition to grant funds, recipients also receive one-on-one consultation, advice, and technical support from Invest DSM specialists throughout the entire project.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program designed to support farmers and ranchers in southern states. Producer Grants are designed to help farmers and ranchers test sustainable agriculture ideas. The annual application process opens in September with grant amounts up to $25,000 awarded the following February.

Applications for all three programs are reviewed on a quarterly cycle, with City staff reviewing submissions and recommending funding awards to the Covington Board of Commission for final approval. Award and approval processes typically take six to eight weeks. Applicants must be in compliance with Covington's Good Standing Ordinance (current on loans, fines, liens, and other obligations to the City) and meet all zoning, building, and health code requirements. The Rent Subsidy Incentive provides reimbursement of up to half of a business's monthly rent (or $500 per month, whichever is less) for up to 12 months within the first 18 months of business, with a maximum total benefit of $6,000. The program is designed to help new businesses launch or existing businesses expand, and requires a minimum two-year lease, at least one full-time equivalent employee whose wages are reported to the City of Covington, and set operating hours of 30 hours per week or more. New businesses must have been open for less than 120 days at the time of the application deadline, while existing businesses can qualify as a "substantial expansion" by occupying more than 150 percent of their current space, incurring at least $5,000 in tenant improvements, and creating at least one additional full-time equivalent employee. Businesses renting in publicly owned buildings, check cashing businesses, vape shops, home-based businesses, businesses where ownership also owns the real estate, and accelerator, incubator, or coworking operators are not eligible. The Façade Improvement Forgivable Loan provides commercial property owners with a 50 percent matching forgivable loan of up to $10,000 to update their building's façade. Applicants can pursue one of two options: an Exterior Only option, which reimburses the owner's investment on a $1-to-$1 basis up to $20,000 in total project cost (with City funds spent only on the street-facing façade), or an Interior and Exterior option (available for vacant buildings being prepared for a tenant), which allows the private match to go toward interior "white box" renovations while City funds are still spent exclusively on exterior improvements. Eligible improvements include painting, storefront restoration, exterior lighting, windows, signage, awnings, tuck-pointing, and cornice repairs. Roofs are not eligible, and projects focused exclusively on signage or awnings do not qualify. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the City's Historic Preservation Specialist is required, even for non-historic buildings. Property owners must hold the property for at least three years following the improvement, with full repayment required if the property is sold within that period. The Historic Electric Sign Program provides commercial property owners (or businesses with the property owner as a co-applicant) with an 80 percent city / 20 percent owner matching forgivable loan of up to $10,000 to help restore existing projecting signs or install refurbished historic signs on their building's façade. The program is designed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of Covington's commercial districts, generate foot traffic, and improve businesses' curb appeal by bringing historic electric signage back into use. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the City's Historic Preservation Specialist is required, and face changes to existing signs are not eligible. Recipients must sign a covenant protecting the sign from removal, sale, or demolition for 25 years following reimbursement, with full repayment required if the sign is voluntarily removed or destroyed in violation of the covenant. Bonus consideration is given to signs that are documented to be at least 50 years old.

The Digital Sandbox KC Grant provides early-stage technology entrepreneurs and startups in the Kansas City region with up to $20,000 in proof-of-concept funding to support the development and validation of new digital technology innovations. Administered by the Technology Venture Studio within the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Innovation Center and supported by partners including the Missouri Technology Corporation, the program is designed to help founders advance early-stage concepts toward commercialization and prepare them for follow-on funding. Awardees are selected quarterly and, in addition to funding, receive critical project feedback, mentorship, and industry support. Funds may be used for proof-of-concept needs such as project personnel and consultants, market research and validation, equipment, prototyping, and beta testing. Notably, the program does not fund businesses directly — instead, approved projects are funded through a contract between Digital Sandbox KC and a project vendor selected by the client business, and that vendor cannot hold any ownership stake in the company. The program broadly serves new innovation in information technology, with past recipients working in areas such as mobile apps, big data, software platforms, hardware, tangible products, and health care IT.