Newport News E-Commerce Grant Program

The Nebraska Innovation Fund (NIF) Prototype Grant is a grant-matching program that provides up to $150,000 to support early-stage product development. Eligible businesses include Nebraska-based companies engaged in non-retail industries with fewer than 500 employees. Grant winners can use the funds for costs related to developing products, such as wages, prototype materials, and equipment.

The City of Bloomington is now accepting applications for the 2026 Solar, Energy Efficiency, and Lighting (SEEL) Grant Program. The program offers up to $25,000 in grant funding and technical assistance to local small businesses and nonprofits. The goal is to help organizations improve building efficiency, install solar panels or add battery storage. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, schools, early childhood centers, healthcare facilities, grocery stores, multifamily residential complexes and small businesses with fewer than 500 full-time employees. Organizations must own a facility within city limits, but renters can apply with documented agreement from the property owner.

The Local Small Business Expanded Repair/Restore Grant Program provides Portland small businesses with reimbursement grants of up to $25,000 to repair damage caused by break-ins and vandalism, install preventive security improvements, and offset rising insurance costs. Administered by Prosper Portland (the city's economic development agency) the program is designed to help affected businesses remain open and operational while contributing to a healthier street environment across the city. Eligible expenses include exterior repairs such as window and door replacement, graffiti removal, signage repair, gate repair, security system replacement, and exterior lighting; interior repairs (up to $2,500) such as door replacement, counter repair, and furniture/equipment replacement; security and prevention improvements such as cameras, alarm systems, scissor gates, overhead doors, and safes; and increases in business insurance premiums (up to $5,000). To qualify, businesses must hold a current City of Portland business license and Oregon state business registration, operate a customer-facing ground-floor small business or food cart within Portland, have 50 or fewer employees, and maintain consistent hours of operation. Property owners who do not operate the storefront business themselves, businesses in non-commercially-zoned spaces, landlords and property managers, and cannabis-specific businesses are not eligible. Ineligible expenses include inventory replacement, security personnel, mural repainting, lost sales or wages, and any damages already covered by a successful insurance claim. Grants are issued on a reimbursement basis for eligible repairs or improvements completed up to 90 days prior to the application date.

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.

Black entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers when it comes to accessing funding to grow their businesses. Fifteen Percent Pledge is working to address this challenge by supplying Black-owned businesses with no-strings-attached funding to accelerate and sustain their success. For the third year in a row, Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Shop with Google to provide $250,000 in grant funding to unlock the next horizon of growth for three Black-owned businesses. The winner of the Achievement Award will also receive mentoring and pro-bono consulting services from industry leaders.