DC Storefront Improvement Grant

Fund Her Future, a grant program from Block Advisors by H&R Block, is open to women business owners nationwide. One grand prize winner receives a $50,000 grant, while five additional small businesses get $10,000 each. Winners also receive a year of free small-business services, including bookkeeping, payroll and tax support. To be eligible, you must have an established business that generated a minimum of $20,000 in revenue in 2024.

The Commercial Energy Efficiency Grants provide small businesses and nonprofits in Charlottesville (with limited availability in Albemarle County) with up to $5,000 in incentive funding to make energy-saving upgrades to their location. Administered by the Community Climate Collaborative (C3) in partnership with the City of Charlottesville, with additional private-donor funding available for Albemarle organizations, the program is structured across three tiers of qualifying improvements, with each tier capped by both a dollar amount and a percentage of project cost, whichever is lower. Level 1 (Insulation and Weatherization) provides up to $1,000 or 50 percent of project cost and covers weather stripping, storm windows, attic insulation, and air-sealing. Level 2 (Small Business Improvements) provides up to $1,500 or 30 percent of project cost and covers LED lighting fixtures and sensors, solar window film, refrigeration improvements, and programmable thermostats. Level 3 (HVAC and Appliances) provides up to $2,000 or 30 percent of project cost and covers HVAC heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and Energy Star appliances. Nonprofit applicants can add up to $500 to any level in excess of the cost cap. Level 2 measures match Dominion Energy's Small Business Improvement Program, so utility rebates from Dominion stack on top of the C3 incentive to further reduce out-of-pocket costs. To qualify, applicants must qualify as a small business under the Code of Virginia (or as an equivalent nonprofit), be headquartered with a physical location in Charlottesville or Albemarle, and operate no more than three physical locations in the area. Home-based businesses are not eligible. Before accessing the grant, organizations must first receive an energy walkthrough performed by C3 or another certified contractor to identify eligible upgrades.

The Non-Trade Apprenticeship Expansion Grant Program was created to support the expansion of Non-Trade/Non-Traditional Registered Apprenticeship Programs. The program helps organizations pay for the design and development of new and innovative apprenticeship tracks by providing reimbursement for eligible planning activities and costs up to $25,000.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) announces this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research on how mind and body interventions through psychological and/or physical inputs (e.g., mindfulness meditation, yoga, acupuncture, massage, and other brain and/or body based interventions) impact mechanisms of emotional well-being (EWB) and their associations with whole person health (WPH), consistent with the NIH priority to address the health needs of the American people and improve their well-being. The NOFO will support rigorous and well-powered mechanistic research studies that are supported by strong preliminary data. The studies should examine the effects of mind and body interventions on innovative mechanisms of EWB (as the primary outcome), as well as the associated relationship with the Whole Person Health Index (WPHI, as a secondary outcome).

The WorkClean: Diesel Modernization Program provides funding for both diesel-to-diesel and diesel-to-electric projects designed to improve air quality, especially in areas that do not meet the national air quality standards. Older, low-quality diesel vehicles and equipment operating in the State contribute heavily to air pollution, negatively affecting the health of our residents, particularly in overburdened communities. Diesel engines emit a complex mixture of air pollutants, comprised of both solid and gaseous material. The visible emissions you can see in diesel exhaust are known as particulate matter. These include many carbon particles (also called soot), as well as gases that become visible as they cool. Diesel particulate matter (diesel PM) has been identified as having the potential to cause cancer, as well as many other adverse health effects. In addition to particulate matter, emissions from diesel-fueled engines include over 40 other cancer-causing substances. The Bureau of Mobile Sources’ Diesel Modernization Program is primarily a diesel replacement program. This program utilizes State and Federal funding to replace both marine engines and non-road diesel vehicles – anything from ferry vessels to backhoe loaders and bulldozers. Contingent upon open solicitations, the program also works with both municipalities and private entities to electrify on-road diesel vehicles, such as school buses, garbage trucks, and port equipment.