Maine Technology Institute - Innovation Funding

The South Side Pitch is an annual Shark Tank-style pitch competition that awards over $40,000 in total cash prizes to small business owners on the South Side of Chicago. Hosted by the Institute for Justice (IJ) Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School (a nonprofit clinic that provides free legal assistance, resources, and advocacy for underserved Chicago-area entrepreneurs), the competition is now in its 12th year and has awarded more than $291,000 to over 1,300 South Side businesses since launching. Each year, over 100 applicants compete for one of five finalist spots, and all five finalists are guaranteed a cash prize at the end of the live event. The prize structure includes a $15,000 first place award, $10,000 for second place, $6,000 for third place, $3,000 for fourth place, and $1,500 for fifth place. Additional cash awards include the Audience Favorite Award ($1,500 for the finalist who receives the highest audience score), the South Side Sensation Award ($3,000 for the finalist who demonstrates exemplary social impact and showmanship), and the Rustandy Center Social Impact Award ($2,500 for a finalist selected by staff from the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business). Applicants apply during an open window each summer, with semifinalists selected from the applicant pool and asked to submit a video pitch. The public votes on the semifinalist videos to determine the People's Choice, who receives a guaranteed spot to compete in the final live event alongside the other finalists selected by IJ. Finalists receive pitch coaching from the IJ Clinic and pitching experts before delivering their pitches live to a citywide audience and a panel of judges at the Polsky Exchange North on the University of Chicago campus.

The Rural Jump-Start Program is a collaborative effort by the state, local governments, Institutes of Higher Education (IHE), and economic development organizations (EDO) to incentivize new businesses to start in or move to rural, economically distressed counties in Colorado, which are referred to as Rural Jump-Start zones, and hire new employees. Rural Jump-Start began in 2016 as a tax incentive program for businesses located in a Rural Jump-Start zone, and in 2021 a grant program was created. If you are a business interested in participating in this program, please review all program qualifications, discussed in greater detail under the Business Eligibility section below, before applying.

The Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) program is a grant funding resource, helping to off-set a portion of skills-based training costs for incumbent (existing) workers employed by Montana's private sector. Businesses must demonstrate that training will increase the worker's skill-level, result in a promotion or wage gain, or expand their business market/increase business revenue with the intent of preserving existing jobs for Montana residents. Funding is allocated to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (MTDLI) on a State Fiscal Year at the discretion of the Montana Legislature and is not guaranteed. This competitive worker retention grant has $540,000 available each Fiscal Year (FY). Applications are submitted through Submittable for trainings of incumbent workers. Conditional awards provide up to $2,500/full time employee and $1,000/part-time employee.

The Mini-Grant is designed to support business and nonprofit programs that serve the Erie County BIPOC community and are experiencing a need for an influx of capital to enable them to continue to serve the BIPOC community. Successful applicants will be able to show that either they or their project, is not eligible for traditional bank financing. The minimum grant offered is $5,000, and the maximum grant is $25,000. Applicants must be for-profit businesses located in Erie County, NY and at least 51% of the ownership is Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC).

The Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE has identified the following goals to address challenges in the nuclear energy sector, help realize the potential of advanced technology, and leverage the unique role of the government in spurring innovation: - Keep existing U.S. nuclear reactors operating; - Deploy new nuclear reactors; - Secure and sustain our nuclear fuel cycle - Expand international nuclear energy cooperation. NE conducts crosscutting nuclear energy research and development (R&D) and associated infrastructure support activities to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance for its mission needs as stated above, while maximizing the impact of NE resources. NE strives to promote integrated and collaborative research conducted by national laboratory, university, industry, and international partners under the direction of NE’s programs; deploy innovative nuclear energy technologies to the market; and optimize the benefits of nuclear energy.