CT Innovation Voucher Program

The Allstate Main Street Grants Program awards $20,000 grants to 100 selected small business owners across the United States to invest in tools, growth strategies, and resources that strengthen their business operations. Presented by Allstate in partnership with Hello Alice, the program represents a $2 million annual commitment to supporting local businesses that power American Main Streets. Up to 250 entrepreneurs are first accepted into a 12-week virtual Boost Camp accelerator that focuses on marketing, finance, operations, and growth, providing weekly content, peer connections, and strategic planning tools to help business owners build stronger, more resilient operations. From that cohort, 100 participants are selected to receive the $20,000 grant. Eligible applicants must be the leading executive of a for-profit business registered and located in one of the fifty U.S. states, D.C., or Puerto Rico, be at least 18 years old (19 in Alabama and Nebraska), have generated at least $25,000 in revenue in the prior year, have a demonstrated need for funding and business coaching, and be willing to participate in the Boost Camp program. Businesses that participated in a Hello Alice Boost Camp in the prior 12 months are not eligible. Acceptance into the Boost Camp does not guarantee grant funding.

The Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP'D) Iowa Program provides Iowa advanced manufacturing employers with reimbursement grants of up to 80 percent of training costs, with maximums of $4,000 per employee and $250,000 per business, to design and implement employer-led training programs that build a more skilled and competitive manufacturing workforce. Administered by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and funded through a $4.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund (Iowa was one of 14 states to receive an award), AMP'D Iowa provides approximately $4.3 million in available funding statewide to reimburse Iowa advanced manufacturers for training newly hired or current employees. The program builds on Iowa's industry-led Manufacturing 4.0 initiative and is designed to help manufacturers close skilled labor gaps, create new pipelines of workers, accelerate upskilling, offset the high cost of training, and improve worker retention by aligning training with the technological needs of modern manufacturing. To qualify, employers must operate in Iowa's advanced manufacturing sector and train employees in eligible manufacturing occupations identified by the program. Priority funding is given to eligible small and medium-sized employers (with 0 to 499 employees), and reimbursement amounts are scaled based on employer size. Reimbursements are processed at two milestones: the first upon completion of the training program, and the second upon verified job retention with the employer for six months following training completion. To receive reimbursement, employers must formally agree to program and individual employee reporting requirements, document valid expenses, and verify training completions, credential attainment, and six-month employee retention. Applications are reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis.

The Invention Incentive Program is part of Rhode Island Commerce’s Innovation Initiatives Portfolio created to support local small businesses and innovators in Rhode Island, offering reimbursable grants up to $5,000 for eligible expenses incurred when filing patents.

The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE has identified the following goals to address challenges in the nuclear energy sector, help realize the potential of advanced technology, and leverage the unique role of the government in spurring innovation: - Enable continued operation of existing U.S. nuclear reactors - Enable deployment of advanced nuclear reactors - Develop advanced nuclear fuel cycles - Maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear energy technology NE strives to promote integrated and collaborative research conducted by national laboratory, university, industry, and international partners under the direction of NE’s programs, and to deploy innovative nuclear energy technologies to the market and to optimize the benefits of nuclear energy.

The Texas Enterprise Fund awards “deal-closing” grants to companies considering a new project for which one Texas site is competing with other out-of-state sites. The fund serves as a performance-based financial incentive for those companies whose projects would contribute significant capital investment and new employment opportunities to the state’s economy. Eligible applicants include all companies planning a new project including a facility opening or expansion, with significant projected job creation and capital investment, where a single site in Texas is actively competing with at least one viable out-of-state option.