National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Growth Grants

The purpose of the Big Sky Film Grant is to build and support partnerships with filmmakers and productions companies to create film industry jobs throughout the state. In addition to providing grant funding, the program elevates and supports Montana filmmakers, crew and businesses that provide products, services and locations to the film industry. To qualify, a production must film 50% or more of the principal photography days in Montana. Eligible productions include feature films, short films, documentaries, television series, limited series, music videos and others. Certain categories of productions are excluded from the program, including, but not limited to, broadcast news or current affairs programs, interview or talk shows, instructional videos, sports shows or events, religious or political campaigns, some adult content and daytime soap operas.

Topeka and Shawnee County’s Small Business Incentives Program provides matching grants to local businesses to help with marketing costs, construction, equipment purchases, and more. Eligible businesses can get grants from $1,000 up to $20,000 depending on their project needs and matching investment. To qualify, businesses must be located in the City of Topeka or Shawnee County, have at least one but no more than 100 full-time employees, and demonstrate that their project will contribute to the economy.

The Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes: 1) the Biophotonics program; 2) the Biosensing program; 3) the Cellular and Biochemical Engineering program; and 4) the Engineering of Biomedical Systems program. The Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program supports fundamental engineering research that will improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities through the development of new theories, methodologies, technologies, or devices. Disabilities could be developmental, cognitive, hearing, mobility, visual, selfcare, independent living, or other. Proposed projects must advance knowledge regarding a specific human disability or pathological motion or understanding of injury mechanisms. Research may be supported that is directed toward the characterization, restoration, rehabilitation, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction between persons with disabilities and their environment. Areas of particular interest are neuroengineering, rehabilitation robotics, brain-inspired assistive or rehabilitative systems, theoretical or computational methods, and novel models of functional recovery including the development and application of artificial physiological systems. Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering knowledge that facilitates transformative outcomes. The DARE Program encourages high-risk/high-reward proposals that surpass incremental technological improvements. The DARE Program also encourages participatory design and the inclusion of trainees with disabilities as part of the proposed research or broader impacts. Innovative proposals outside of the above specific interest areas may be considered. NSF does not support clinical trials; however, feasibility studies involving human volunteers may be supported if appropriate to the project objectives. The development and application of artificial physiological systems that do not model functional recovery and instead improve fundamental understanding of physiological and pathophysiological processes would be appropriate for EBMS. Furthermore, the DARE program does not support proposals having as their central theme commercialization of a product. Small businesses seeking early stage R&D funding for product development are encouraged to contact the NSF SBIR/STTR program in the America's Seed Fund within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP).

The South Carolina Department of Commerce provides the Relentless Challenge (RC) Grant Program. This is a statewide competitive scheme that plans to award approximately $1,000,000 for the 2026 funding cycle. The RC grant funds projects that foster a sustainable innovation ecosystem and that focus on high growth/high impact entrepreneurship, talent development, access to capital, and university/industry collaborations. Matching funds are available up to a maximum of $75,000.

Business Training Grants support Wyoming businesses seeking to enhance employee skills or address a specific skill deficiency required for their current job. Grant funds must not replace existing funds already earmarked for training purposes, and the skills to be acquired must better position the business to remain competitive in its industry marketplace. Funding limits are as follows: $2,000 per trainee, $3,000 per trainee for select industries, $75,000 per business, with all totals being per fiscal year.