RI Invention Incentive Program

The Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant is designed to support small business owners by providing crucial financial assistance and strategic coaching. This initiative aims to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses effectively. This is a $3,000 grant, issued once per quarter. Additionally, all entrants will automatically be considered for a $10,000 annual grant issued in September. This grant has a $15 application fee.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites researchers to submit applications for support of clinical projects that address critical needs for clinical trial readiness in rare diseases. The initiative seeks applications that are intended to facilitate rare diseases research by enabling efficient and effective movement of candidate therapeutics or diagnostics toward clinical trials, and to increase their likelihood of success. This could be through the development and testing of rigorous biomarkers and clinical outcome assessment measures, or by defining the presentation and course of a rare disease to enable the design of upcoming clinical trials.

A new $3.6 million loan and grant program will assist small business with filling vacant storefronts Downtown. These loans will provide capital to underserved markets for those who experience barriers to accessing traditional banking services. Loan amounts will between $25,000-$100,000 with a 4% interest rate for qualifying businesses. In addition, those who qualify for the loan will also receive a grant of $25,000 from the City to support their launch.

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.

Getting access to capital is hard enough as a woman, and even harder at the very beginning stages of starting a business. The Women Founders Grant awards $5,000 merit-based grants to women founders and business owners.