Englewood Business Initiation Grant

The International Trade Facility Grant Program gives grants to eligible international trade facilities (ITFs) that increase qualified trade activities at port facilities in Virginia. To qualify, companies must also improve their port cargo volume growth by 5% from the previous year. The grant amount is $3,500 per new job created from the increased trade activities.

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 Workforce Training Fund Program provides Massachusetts businesses with funding to train current and newly hired employees. Administered by Commonwealth Corporation, the goal of this program is to strengthen business productivity, competitiveness, and the state's pipeline of skilled workers. The program offers four grant pathways tailored to different training needs: the Express Program, which provides fast, smaller-scale grants for just-in-time training using a pre-approved directory of training options and no waiting period between awards; the General Program, which funds larger, customized, strategic training initiatives for employers of any size who work with training vendors of their choice; the General Program ESOL Bridge Grant, which allows organizations that have completed (or are completing) a General Program grant supporting English language learners to continue ESOL training through the standard one-year waiting period; and the Technical Assistance Grant, offered on a limited basis to expand training opportunities for employees.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) internship program provides grant awards to Iowa businesses to help them support and grow student internship opportunities in STEM fields with the goal of transitioning student interns to full-time employment in Iowa upon graduation. Eligible employers may qualify for awards up to $50,000 per fiscal year.

The SBA Patriot Pitch Competition awards a $1 million cash prize pool to small businesses across the United States as part of the Freedom 250 celebration of 250 years of American free enterprise. Administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) with prize funding donated by Clover Network, Inc., the competition is a national pitch contest designed to spotlight small businesses driving innovation, job creation, and economic growth. Eligibility is limited to small businesses that have utilized qualifying SBA capital products (including 7(a) loans, PPP loans, 504 loans, microloans, and certain disaster loans), that meet the SBA's definition of a small business, and that have at least $100,000 of annual revenue. Individual applicants and team members must be U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age at the time of submission. Submissions are evaluated across four stages of judging panels that assess each business on factors such as innovation, demonstrated growth, job creation, and domestic production, with the top ten semifinalists narrowed down to five finalists who pitch live before judges and a national audience at a finals event in Washington, D.C. In addition to the cash prize, the finals feature a supplier matchmaking expo connecting small businesses with larger corporate buyers and government contracting opportunities, alongside networking with investors, industry leaders, and policymakers. Finalists are responsible for their own travel costs to the live competition.