Oxford Building Façade Grant

MEDC’s Industry 4.0 Technology Implementation Grant program will provide 50% reimbursement for qualifying I4.0 technology costs up to $25,000 for eligible Michigan manufacturers.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program designed to support farmers and ranchers in southern states. Producer Grants are designed to help farmers and ranchers test sustainable agriculture ideas. The annual application process opens in September with grant amounts up to $25,000 awarded the following February.

The Comcast Innovation Fund was created to support technology and public policy research that contributes to the betterment of the Internet, and the continued evolution of connectivity products and services. The fund provides grants to technologists, researchers, and academics to support Internet- and connectivity-focused projects within the fund’s areas of interest, which are updated annually.

The Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP'D) Iowa Program provides Iowa advanced manufacturing employers with reimbursement grants of up to 80 percent of training costs, with maximums of $4,000 per employee and $250,000 per business, to design and implement employer-led training programs that build a more skilled and competitive manufacturing workforce. Administered by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and funded through a $4.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund (Iowa was one of 14 states to receive an award), AMP'D Iowa provides approximately $4.3 million in available funding statewide to reimburse Iowa advanced manufacturers for training newly hired or current employees. The program builds on Iowa's industry-led Manufacturing 4.0 initiative and is designed to help manufacturers close skilled labor gaps, create new pipelines of workers, accelerate upskilling, offset the high cost of training, and improve worker retention by aligning training with the technological needs of modern manufacturing. To qualify, employers must operate in Iowa's advanced manufacturing sector and train employees in eligible manufacturing occupations identified by the program. Priority funding is given to eligible small and medium-sized employers (with 0 to 499 employees), and reimbursement amounts are scaled based on employer size. Reimbursements are processed at two milestones: the first upon completion of the training program, and the second upon verified job retention with the employer for six months following training completion. To receive reimbursement, employers must formally agree to program and individual employee reporting requirements, document valid expenses, and verify training completions, credential attainment, and six-month employee retention. Applications are reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis.

The Catalyst Building Resiliency Micro-Grant provides early-stage entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina facing economic barriers with $1,000 micro-grants to support the next stage of their business growth. Grants start at $1,000, with additional funding possible for applicants with especially compelling needs or plans. Administered by Mountain BizWorks, a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that supports small businesses across Western North Carolina, the program is part of the organization's broader Catalyst Fund initiative, which is dedicated to expanding access to funding and leveling the playing field for under-resourced entrepreneurs. To qualify, applicants must meet criteria across two required areas. The Early-Stage Business criterion requires the business to have either been generating revenue for less than 5 years or have annual gross revenue under $150,000 (only one of these must apply). The Economic Need criterion requires the owner's household income to be below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), the owner's household net worth to be under $100,000 (excluding primary residence), or the business to be located in a census tract with a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher (only one of these must apply). Additional caps apply in all cases: owner household income must be below 2x AMI, and household net worth must be under $250,000. The business must be an independently owned, for-profit entity located and operating in Western North Carolina, and applicants must be at least 18 years old. Nonprofit organizations are not eligible, and each applicant may apply for one business only. Grant funds may be used for qualified business expenses only, including marketing and advertising, business equipment or supplies, technology and software, business systems and operational improvements, and professional services or coaching support. Grants are awarded at the sole discretion of the Selection Committee based on the strength of the application and any other factors the committee deems relevant, and submitting an application does not guarantee an award. Recipients are required to submit a brief report 12 months after receiving funds describing the financial condition of the business, how the grant was used, and the number of people impacted, and grantee business names and grant amounts are publicly announced. Grants do not need to be repaid but are taxable, and applications do not roll over between funding rounds.