Outta Excuses Grant

The Commercial Development Authority (CDA) of the City of Jacksonville, Alabama, in its continuing effort to support the development of commercial business in Jacksonville, has created a Business Development Grant Program for business owners and tenants. The Business Development Grant Program will continue the process of creating an atmosphere conducive to conducting business in Jacksonville while attracting new commercial development. The following outlines the details of Jacksonville’s Business Development Grant Program. Business Development Grants are awarded by the CDA to encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and business success in the City of Jacksonville for new, expanding, and transitioning businesses. Grants are contingent on the availability of funding. Businesses must be located within the City of Jacksonville and meet the eligibility requirements.

The Cybersecurity Adoption Program (CAP) is designed to support Connecticut manufacturing companies seeking Cyber Security assessments and CMMC Certification. The goal is to help companies striving to meet federal cybersecurity requirements. Up to $10K can used for a Cyber Assessment with the balance allocated to remediation. Eligible companies can apply for grant funding up to $35,000 in total to assist with cyber security assessments and CMMC adoption. Participating companies must pay half the cost. The program is administered by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology with funding provided through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's Manufacturing Innovation Fund.

The City of Salem offers a matching grant program in the Fairview Urban Renewal Area (URA) to support businesses in constructing new buildings, adding to existing structures, or investing in permanent manufacturing equipment and related building improvements. This program is designed to encourage economic growth and enhance business operations within the district. By providing financial support, the program helps reduce the cost burden of construction and equipment investments, making it easier for businesses to grow. For property owners and business tenants, this program offers an opportunity to modernize facilities and improve productivity, benefiting both individual businesses and the community as a whole.

Applications for all three programs are reviewed on a quarterly cycle, with City staff reviewing submissions and recommending funding awards to the Covington Board of Commission for final approval. Award and approval processes typically take six to eight weeks. Applicants must be in compliance with Covington's Good Standing Ordinance (current on loans, fines, liens, and other obligations to the City) and meet all zoning, building, and health code requirements. The Rent Subsidy Incentive provides reimbursement of up to half of a business's monthly rent (or $500 per month, whichever is less) for up to 12 months within the first 18 months of business, with a maximum total benefit of $6,000. The program is designed to help new businesses launch or existing businesses expand, and requires a minimum two-year lease, at least one full-time equivalent employee whose wages are reported to the City of Covington, and set operating hours of 30 hours per week or more. New businesses must have been open for less than 120 days at the time of the application deadline, while existing businesses can qualify as a "substantial expansion" by occupying more than 150 percent of their current space, incurring at least $5,000 in tenant improvements, and creating at least one additional full-time equivalent employee. Businesses renting in publicly owned buildings, check cashing businesses, vape shops, home-based businesses, businesses where ownership also owns the real estate, and accelerator, incubator, or coworking operators are not eligible. The Façade Improvement Forgivable Loan provides commercial property owners with a 50 percent matching forgivable loan of up to $10,000 to update their building's façade. Applicants can pursue one of two options: an Exterior Only option, which reimburses the owner's investment on a $1-to-$1 basis up to $20,000 in total project cost (with City funds spent only on the street-facing façade), or an Interior and Exterior option (available for vacant buildings being prepared for a tenant), which allows the private match to go toward interior "white box" renovations while City funds are still spent exclusively on exterior improvements. Eligible improvements include painting, storefront restoration, exterior lighting, windows, signage, awnings, tuck-pointing, and cornice repairs. Roofs are not eligible, and projects focused exclusively on signage or awnings do not qualify. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the City's Historic Preservation Specialist is required, even for non-historic buildings. Property owners must hold the property for at least three years following the improvement, with full repayment required if the property is sold within that period. The Historic Electric Sign Program provides commercial property owners (or businesses with the property owner as a co-applicant) with an 80 percent city / 20 percent owner matching forgivable loan of up to $10,000 to help restore existing projecting signs or install refurbished historic signs on their building's façade. The program is designed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of Covington's commercial districts, generate foot traffic, and improve businesses' curb appeal by bringing historic electric signage back into use. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the City's Historic Preservation Specialist is required, and face changes to existing signs are not eligible. Recipients must sign a covenant protecting the sign from removal, sale, or demolition for 25 years following reimbursement, with full repayment required if the sign is voluntarily removed or destroyed in violation of the covenant. Bonus consideration is given to signs that are documented to be at least 50 years old.

The Building Energy Efficiency (BEE) Grant Program provides Portland small businesses and small commercial building owners with grants of up to $200,000 to fund energy efficient upgrades that reduce energy usage and cost, create health benefits, and increase business resilience. Administered by Prosper Portland and funded through a five-year partnership with the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), the program serves both commercial property owners and small business tenants whose buildings or leased spaces are located within Portland city limits and are 40,000 square feet or smaller. Commercial property owners can receive up to $200,000 (with a 25 percent owner match) to fund building-wide improvements such as insulation and building envelope upgrades, lighting, HVAC equipment, building-wide controls, and solar electric systems with battery storage. Small business tenants can receive up to $100,000 with no required match to fund energy efficient appliance and equipment upgrades such as refrigeration equipment, washers and dryers, manufacturing equipment, and food service equipment like stoves, ranges, and hoods. All funded projects must generate at least 20 percent energy savings, and the program prioritizes investment in high energy use sectors with strong savings opportunities, including food service, food sales, small manufacturing, lodging, and laundromats. To qualify, small business applicants must have a current City of Portland and Oregon State business registration, employ 50 or fewer employees, and meet at least one social vulnerability or sector-based criterion (such as displacement by urban renewal, limited access to capital, being a first-generation college graduate, location in a low income census tract, or operating in one of the high-energy-use sectors above). Nonprofits, home-based businesses, mobile businesses (including food carts and trucks), and any building or leased space larger than 40,000 square feet are not eligible.