Santa Ana Small Business Incentive Program

The IHCC Small Business Microgrant provides Illinois small businesses affected by federal immigration enforcement activities with grants of $5,000 to help cover essential business expenses such as rent, employee wages, and inventory. Administered by the IHCC Foundation, the 501(c)(3) arm of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and supported by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, the program is part of the IHCC's broader Resilient Communities Initiative, which is focused on helping small businesses in immigrant-heavy communities across Chicago and the suburbs weather reduced foot traffic, staff shortages, and other operational disruptions. A total of 52 grants of $5,000 each are being distributed across three phases of funding, with each phase focused on specific communities throughout Chicagoland to equitably disperse funds across affected areas. Recent and upcoming phases have prioritized businesses located in Pilsen, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, Archer Heights, Back of the Yards, Little Village, Chicago Lawn, West Lawn, Berwyn, and Cicero. To qualify, businesses must have been in operation for at least two years, be registered with the State of Illinois (either as an LLC in good standing or as a sole proprietor registered with the city or municipality), have 10 or fewer employees, and submit a copy of their business license. Only one business or location per owner is eligible. As part of the application, businesses must submit a written explanation (100 to 250 words) describing how the actions of immigration authorities have affected their business, including any documented loss of income and specific timelines (reduced foot traffic, drop in sales, reduced hours, event cancellations, or similar impacts). The strongest applications are those that clearly describe how the business was directly affected via loss of revenue.

The Dallas Small Business Assistance Program provides reimbursable grants to Dallas small businesses to help cover the cost of real estate and capital improvements as they grow or move into storefronts and offices within the city. Administered by the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development, the program is structured to incentivize investment in designated Target Areas and projects that create or retain living wage jobs. Maximum award amounts vary by location and job creation commitments: projects outside Target Areas are capped at $100,000, while projects within Target Areas can receive up to $300,000 without a job creation commitment or up to $400,000 with one. Importantly, improvements made before a grant agreement is executed do not count toward the project, so applicants should secure approval before beginning any work.

The FCHI program provides financial incentives to Philadelphia employers who hire local residents returning from incarceration within the last seven years. Eligible employers who hire qualifying employees can receive a $6 per hour wage reimbursement for compensable hours worked up to 960 hours within 180 days of employment and a one-time $500 employment retention grant for each FCHI employee who completes the new hire period.

NOFA-VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund, established in 1997, supports organic and NOFA-VT member farmers who have been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters. The NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund is available to assist farmers who are in financial need after having been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters. -$2,500 grants are available for commercial farmers who are NOFA-VT members. Applying farmers will need to be NOFA-VT members in good standing for at least one year before being eligible to apply for funds. -$5,000 grants are available to any farm that is VOF certified organic. Because we want to incentivize organic certification, and because of the commitment involved in getting certified, we will waive the one-year waiting period for certified organic farms.

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.