DE Modernization Investment Support Initiative Program

Black entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers when it comes to accessing funding to grow their businesses. Fifteen Percent Pledge is working to address this challenge by supplying Black-owned businesses with no-strings-attached funding to accelerate and sustain their success. For the third year in a row, Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Shop with Google to provide $250,000 in grant funding to unlock the next horizon of growth for three Black-owned businesses. The winner of the Achievement Award will also receive mentoring and pro-bono consulting services from industry leaders.

The Halstead Grant is an annual award for emerging silver jewelry artists. Applicants submit answers to 15 business questions in addition to their design portfolios. The experience is designed to help jewelry entrepreneurs create a strategy to kick-start their careers. The grand prize is a $7,500 cash grant plus other benefits.

The Romeoville Small Business Grant Program provides Romeoville, Illinois small businesses with grants of up to $5,000 to help offset startup and operating costs for businesses opening in a brick-and-mortar location within the village. Administered by the Village of Romeoville, the program was recently approved by the Village Board and is designed to make it easier for aspiring entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses in Romeoville's commercial spaces. In addition to the direct grant, the program also provides fee waivers for business license fees, inspection fees, and building permit fees associated with tenant buildouts, effectively lowering the total cost of opening a new location. Grant funds may be used for a range of eligible business expenses, including startup costs, planning expenses, general operating expenses, equipment and inventory purchases, and other similar business needs. To qualify, applicants must operate a business with a physical location in a commercial building within Romeoville, generate no more than $1 million in annual revenue, and employ five or fewer people.

The Newark Alliance Small Business Support Pilot Program (SBSP) provides Newark, New Jersey small retail businesses with a combination of grant funding and product purchase commitments totaling up to $75,000 to help open, relocate, or establish operations in downtown Newark. Administered by Newark Alliance, a nonprofit focused on Newark's economic vitality, the pilot program is designed to bridge financing gaps that are not always covered by traditional small business financing programs, and to support retail businesses filling storefronts in Newark's downtown core. The program is structured around two forms of support. The Facility Fit-Out Subsidy is a grant covering up to 50 percent of eligible retail space fit-out costs (capped at $50,000) for either a new business or an existing business relocating to a new space. The Product Purchase commitment offers up to $25,000 in scheduled purchases of products or services from a business that has not yet opened or has been operating for no more than one year, structured as a decreasing purchase amount each month over a defined period. Newark Alliance has also indicated that the broader program may offer recoverable loans, guaranties, and technical assistance in future cycles. To qualify, applicants must operate a new or existing commercial business with 20 or fewer employees and annual revenue of less than $1 million. Applicants must submit financial statements, profit and loss statements covering the most recent 12 months (if applicable), a 12-month financial projection, and a comprehensive marketing plan with strategic marketing research. Award recipients are required to participate in technical assistance as prescribed in the Grant Agreement furnished in the event of an award.

This program provides grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses damaged by a fire that is no fault of their own. Grants to eligible businesses are available on a first-come-first-serve basis, based on fund availability.