KC Small Business Grant

The Motor City Match Cash Track provides Detroit-based businesses with gap funding grants of up to $100,000 to help close a project's financing gap and open a new brick-and-mortar location to the public. Administered by Motor City Match, the Cash Track is open to both new businesses opening their first Detroit location and existing businesses opening an additional Detroit location, with the average grant award totaling $50,000. Grants are need-based and are designed to fill the funding gap remaining after applicants have secured other capital, with the award typically not exceeding 50% of total project costs and requiring at least 10% owner equity. In addition to grant funding, the program supports applicants with financial planning and project management assistance, lender networking events that connect businesses to community lending partners, and facilitated introductions to help applicants close any remaining loan financing they may need. Awardees that open are also promoted through Motor City Match, DEGC, and Detroit Means Business channels, providing additional publicity for the business. Businesses already open and expanding within their current space are not eligible to apply.

The Queens Flash Grants program awards Queens, New York small businesses with $1,000 microgrants to help solve small but nagging business problems (fixing a broken AC unit, updating an outdated menu, replacing a worn awning, or covering similar minor operational needs where margins simply do not leave room for the expense). Five grants are awarded per cycle. Administered by the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), a nonprofit that has supported Queens businesses since 1977, and sponsored by Maspeth Federal Savings, the program is intentionally designed to be quick, low-friction, and accessible to small operators who may not have the bandwidth for lengthy grant applications. The application process is intentionally simple: applicants must complete a standard QEDC client intake form and submit a single-paragraph pitch describing how they would use the money by the program's deadline. Winners are selected at the sole discretion of QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings, and applications do not guarantee funding. To qualify, applicants must be a business currently operating in Queens or with imminent plans to open in Queens. Home-based businesses run by Queens residents are eligible. Nonprofits, government entities, political organizations, and private individuals are not eligible. All applicants agree to receive communications from QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings about this initiative and other programs, and consent to QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings using their name, business description, and relevant imagery in marketing and communications related to the program if selected.

The BIG LIFT Citywide Storefront Improvement Grant Program provides Brownsville, Texas small businesses with reimbursement grants of up to $30,000 to fund exterior property improvements. Administered by the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC), the program is designed to improve the visual appearance of commercial buildings throughout the city, support locally owned small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, and extend the economic development benefits of BCIC's downtown-focused BIG Property Improvement Grant into commercial corridors and neighborhoods citywide. The program operates on a reimbursement basis: approved applicants must fund their projects upfront and are reimbursed upon satisfactory project completion and submission of required documentation. Applications open by City Council District on a rotating basis, with each district opening for a defined window each year. Businesses located within the boundaries of the original BIG Program (Historic Downtown) must apply under the BIG Program guidelines rather than BIG LIFT, and no business may receive funding from both programs for the same property.

The Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) is a performance-based, discretionary incentive program that provides cash grants directly to a company, when the company creates jobs and invests in the state. Grants are awarded only in competitive recruitment or retention situations. JDIG grants hold companies to strict performance targets, but the grants can significantly help offset the cost of locating or expanding a facility in the state. JDIG grant payments are determined using a formula that takes into consideration the new taxes generated by the new jobs that are created. A percentage of those newly generated funds are reimbursed to the awarded company, for the limited term of the grant and as long as the company meets its performance target.

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.