Fifteen Percent Pledge Achievement Award

DHCD provides funding to highly qualified community-based non-profit organizations to develop storefront façade improvement projects in low/moderate income retail/commercial areas in the District of Columbia. Typically, a project is comprised of between ten and twenty-five, preferably concentrated within a few blocks, storefronts selected by the participating non-profit. Qualified business and/or commercial property owners within the targeted area receive matching grants for general repairs/maintenance and for the installation of doors, windows, signs, storefront systems, awnings, and lighting. The non-profit organization provides the business and/or property owners with professional design and construction services throughout the storefront renovation.

The Downtown Raleigh Storefront Upfit Grant provides new and expanding storefront businesses in Downtown Raleigh with reimbursement grants of up to $10,000 to help cover the cost of build-outs, improvements, and one-time stand-up expenses associated with starting or growing a storefront business. Administered by Raleigh Civic Ventures and currently funded by the Duke Energy Foundation, the program is designed to attract new retail, restaurant, and service businesses to downtown, support the expansion of existing retail, and direct support to strategic areas of the commercial core. Maximum award amounts vary by location and business type: businesses opening in the program's Priority Area (including new retail, restaurant, service, experiential, and pop-up uses) are eligible for up to $10,000, while businesses in the broader grant boundary (retail uses and existing retail businesses expanding by at least 30%) are eligible for up to $5,000. Businesses with 50% or more ownership by individuals who identify as minority, women, LGBTQ+, veteran, or a person with a disability can qualify for an additional $2,500 Diverse Business Enterprise (DBE) booster within their applicable maximum. Eligible expenses include hard costs to physically upfit the space (such as construction, paint, and lighting), soft costs related to design and construction, and one-time stand-up expenses such as furniture, shelving, signage, POS systems, and décor. Recurring operating costs — rent, utilities, payroll, inventory, and cost of goods sold — are not eligible. Professional office and bar uses (defined as businesses deriving 70% or more of revenue from onsite alcohol sales) are explicitly ineligible, though breweries and distilleries with onsite production are eligible. Locally-owned and independently-operated businesses, new businesses occupying first-floor street-front space, and applications with strong matching private investment receive funding priority.

The Pennsylvania Farm Vitality Planning Grant Program provides Pennsylvania farmers with reimbursement grants of up to $15,000 (covering up to 75 percent of project costs) to fund professional services that help plan for the future of their farm. Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the program is designed to enhance the long-term vitality of Pennsylvania's farms through business planning, efficient transitions of ownership, strategic expansion, diversification of agricultural production, and building a team of financial and technical expertise as a resource for farmers. Grants support projects such as enhancing a farm's long-term success with business and management strategies, transitioning farm ownership and operation to new people (including passing ownership within the family), diversifying agricultural production with new plans, expanding or seeking financing for growth, and ensuring farms with conservation easements remain profitable and protect public investments. Eligible costs are focused on the professional services agricultural professionals provide when developing business, transition, and succession plans, and the related documents they create. Covered services include accountants, CPAs, business consultants, and financial planners (for profitability and feasibility studies, financial guidance, and preparation of income statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets), business planning services and related business software (such as QuickBooks), appraisers (for appraisals directly related to succession), attorneys (for the preparation and filing of legal documents and setting up a new business entity with the next generation), and facilitators or mediators (to guide farm succession meetings and communication or help farm families work through succession conflicts). Ineligible costs include capital improvements of any kind (land or farm purchases, facilities, equipment, buildings, remodels, repairs and maintenance, and installation of conservation practices), conservation plans (including Ag E&S plans, Manure Management plans, and Nutrient Management plans), surveying and subdivision costs (even if related to succession), any taxes (even if related to property transfer), insurance premiums and related costs, and meals, mileage, or other travel expenses. Grants operate on a reimbursement basis: applicants must complete their approved work plan and submit documentation of paid costs before reimbursement is issued. In-kind support does not count toward the applicant's 25 percent contribution.

The Sky's the Limit Entrepreneur Grants program awards monthly startup grants of up to $2,500 to entrepreneurs, with new funding opportunities opening each month. Administered by Sky's the Limit, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, the program is funded through partnerships with major corporate sponsors and operates as a recurring pitch-based opportunity: members sign up on the Sky's the Limit platform, submit a pitch describing their business, and are considered for that month's grant pool. In addition to grant funding, members of the platform gain access to one-on-one mentorship from a global network of business advisors, step-by-step guides for working through key business milestones, members-only workshops and events, and pitch competitions. The program is part of Sky's the Limit's broader mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs build meaningful relationships, access capital, and grow sustainable businesses.

If your business is in the home services industry, you may be eligible for a $10,000 grant from Jobber We want to recognize your accomplishments and accelerate your plans for the future, and have 15 grants worth $10,000 each to award to every type of home service professional. Any blue collar business owner or aspiring business owner aged 18 is eligible to apply.