Giving Joy

The Merchants Fund Emergency Grant provides Philadelphia small businesses with up to $20,000 in grant funding to help recover from hardship caused by qualifying events such as fire, natural disaster, extreme acts of physical vandalism, utility failure, or highly disruptive public works projects. Administered by The Merchants Fund, the program prioritizes small and micro business owners that have been historically undercapitalized and cannot withstand a prolonged loss of revenue, with a preference for businesses earning less than $500,000 in annual revenue. To be eligible, businesses must be located in Philadelphia, generate annual revenue of $1.5 million or less, and demonstrate financial need for the grant. Ineligible business types include professional services such as medical, legal, insurance, graphic design, architecture, real estate, child and elder care, and nonprofit organizations. Applicants whose emergency does not clearly fall into one of the qualifying categories are encouraged to contact The Merchants Fund directly to confirm eligibility before applying.

As your company grows and develops, so will your demand for a larger well-trained workforce. Expanding your workforce can be costly, but through the help of WorkOne, you can reduce the cost of hiring and training new employees. WorkOne will reimburse employers up to 50% of new employee wages for on-the-job training. THIS IS NOT A TAX CREDIT. It is an actual check sent to your company for a portion of the trainees’ wages during the training period of up to six months. The training must pay at least $13.50 per hour.

Women of color entrepreneurs with early-stage businesses that generate less than $50,000 in annual revenue may be eligible for the Waves of Change Grant. Described primarily as a "service-based grant," in which experts will donate their time and services to help recipients grow their business, the grant may also offer a stipend to cover operating costs for one year. Our grant program kicks off in December, and we’ll start diving into the creative work in January. We plan to give you everything you need to launch your business or new brand by June, but we'll always leave wiggle room — because life happens!

Vantage Ventures provides structured, direct, hands-on support to scalable early-stage startups in West Virginia through an accelerator program that helps startups test critical assumptions, create prototypes and products, gain early traction with customers, and prepare to pitch investors. Accepted applicants to the Accelerator Program will receive up to $10,000 in technical assistance funding provided by the federal government's Economic Development Agency as well as access to free co-working space in Reynolds Hall and at Ascend WV locations across the state.

The FCHI program provides financial incentives to Philadelphia employers who hire local residents returning from incarceration within the last seven years. Eligible employers who hire qualifying employees can receive a $6 per hour wage reimbursement for compensable hours worked up to 960 hours within 180 days of employment and a one-time $500 employment retention grant for each FCHI employee who completes the new hire period.