Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition

Transportation emissions remain the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the New Jersey, contributing to climate change impacts like rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events. They also serve as a significant contributor for other air pollutants, like NOx and particulate matter, which have harmful environmental and health effects. Moving toward transportation electrification addresses these concerns because electric vehicles (EVs) do not produce any tailpipe emissions. New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color have historically been subject to an unreasonably high number of environmental and public health stressors, including transportation emissions. As a result, residents in these areas suffer from increased adverse health effects including, but not limited to, asthma, cancer, elevated blood lead levels, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders. Electric mobility solutions like carshare, rideshare, and ride hailing services provide additional modes of transport for residents in underserved areas, who often don’t own a personal vehicle and rely on public transportation. eMobility will help ensure they have access to and can benefit from the advantages of clean vehicle technology.

The Raleigh Facade Rehabilitation Grant Program provides Raleigh small business owners and commercial property owners with matching reimbursement grants of up to $10,000 to refurbish the exteriors of their existing commercial buildings. Administered by the City of Raleigh's Small Business Development division within the Office of Economic and Social Advancement, the program originated in the 1980s to support businesses and property owners in Raleigh's Downtown and older commercial districts, and has since helped more than 100 businesses upgrade their storefronts. Grants reimburse up to 50% of qualified rehabilitation costs, with maximum awards based on location: businesses within Raleigh's Economic Development Priority Areas may receive up to $10,000, while businesses outside those areas may receive up to $5,000. Eligible improvements include the removal of false fronts, repair or replacement of windows, doors, cornices, and façade materials, exterior lighting, exterior painting (when associated with a larger rehabilitation effort), and qualifying art and mural projects including artist fees, labor, and materials. Routine maintenance, interior projects, residential properties, projects located outside Raleigh, and projects already permitted or underway are not eligible. Applications are accepted on a quarterly basis, and façade improvements must be clearly visible from public streets. Applicants must complete a pre-application to determine eligibility before being invited to submit a full application.

The California Paid Family Leave Small Business Grant provides California small businesses with grants of up to $2,000 per employee to help offset the operational costs that arise when an employee takes leave through California's Paid Family Leave (PFL) program. Grant amounts are tiered by business size: businesses with 1 to 50 employees may receive up to $2,000 per employee utilizing PFL, and businesses with 51 to 100 employees may receive up to $1,000 per employee utilizing PFL. Funded by the State of California through the Employment Training Panel (ETP) and Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), the program is delivered through multiple community-based partner organizations that conduct outreach to California small businesses (including the CAMEO Network, which operates the current californiapfl.com application portal). Grant funds are paid directly to the employer and are intended to cover training or cross-training of existing staff to fill in for the employee on leave, hiring and training temporary or additional staff, and reasonably foreseeable recruitment, marketing, and related training costs. California's Paid Family Leave program itself allows workers to take paid leave to bond with a new child (through birth, adoption, or foster care) or to care for a seriously ill family member. To qualify, a business must have 1 to 100 employees and at least one employee who used California's Paid Family Leave program on or after the current program's qualifying start date (this date is updated with each funding round). The business must be registered to do business in California and be in active status with the California Secretary of State, and must have an active California Employer Account Number (CEAN) under which its employees are listed for payroll. Businesses that use a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) for payroll and file under the PEO's CEAN rather than their own are not eligible. As part of the application, the employer must provide the employee's EDD Customer Account Number (a 10-digit number provided directly to the employee by the EDD, distinct from a Social Security Number). Applicants may need to request this number from the employee who took leave.

The Small Business Grant is designed to help Columbia, MO businesses grow, innovate, and improve operations. This competitive grant prioritizes businesses owned by residents of economically disadvantaged areas in Columbia and supports long-term community impact. Grant Awards: 6 grants of $5,000 2 grants of $10,000

This annual grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is open to all small-business owners. To be eligible, your business must have been in operation for at least one year, you must have fewer than 250 employees and your gross revenue for the previous two fiscal years must have been below $20 million. One grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 grant, and 10 additional businesses will receive $2,000 grants.