Southside Pitch Competition

The Mini-Grant is designed to support business and nonprofit programs that serve the Erie County BIPOC community and are experiencing a need for an influx of capital to enable them to continue to serve the BIPOC community. Successful applicants will be able to show that either they or their project, is not eligible for traditional bank financing. The minimum grant offered is $5,000, and the maximum grant is $25,000. Applicants must be for-profit businesses located in Erie County, NY and at least 51% of the ownership is Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC).

Comcast RISE is supporting the growth of all small businesses and entrepreneurs committed to uplifting their local communities. This year, Comcast RISE will award a total of 500 recipients across five cities a grant package that includes business consultation services, educational resources, a monetary grant, creative production, a media schedule, and a technology makeover. To date, 14,000 small businesses were awarded with over $140 million in monetary, marketing, and technology grants.

The WEDC provides grant matching for businesses that have received a Phase I or Phase II federal SBIR grant. Businesses that have received a Phase I award are eligible for a 50% matching grant, up to $75,000. Businesses that have received a Phase II award are eligible for 100% matching per year for up to two years.

The Delaware Grocery Initiative is back for 2026 with $700K in available funding! The goal is to expand access to healthy foods in food deserts in Delaware and areas at risk of becoming food deserts, by providing grants and other forms of financial assistance to eligible food businesses and organizations. A total of $700,000 in grant funding is available to Delaware farmers; small, community and independent grocery retailers, including those offering culturally diverse foods; food banks; food pantries; and other food supply chain businesses and organizations. Awarded funds may be used to support operations, capital expenses, equipment purchases, and other projects that expand supply chain capacity and strengthen collaboration among community partners.

The NORA Façade RENEW Plus Program provides commercial property owners and business tenants located along priority commercial corridors in New Orleans with matching reimbursement grants to fund high-quality exterior façade improvements that reduce visible blight and align properties with current design standards. Administered by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the grant covers 85 percent of total eligible project costs, with the applicant responsible for the remaining 15 percent. Grant amounts scale with the size of the property: NORA funds up to $50,000 per 50 linear feet of eligible ground-floor commercial frontage, meaning larger properties can qualify for substantially higher reimbursements (for example, a property with 74 linear feet of frontage may qualify for up to $100,000 in reimbursable improvements). Eligible applicants include commercial property owners and business tenants with property owner consent, all of whom must be in good standing with the City of New Orleans and the Louisiana Secretary of State, have no outstanding taxes, liens, or municipal debts, and must not be debarred from receiving federal assistance. The program is geographically targeted to specific corridors in the Lower Ninth Ward (St. Claude Avenue from the Industrial Canal to the Parish Line) and New Orleans East (designated stretches of Bullard Avenue, Crowder Boulevard, Downman Road, Lake Forest Boulevard, and Read Boulevard). Funded improvements must be exterior façade work that follows HDLC Commercial Design Guidelines, and selected applicants are required to work with a NORA-designated architect to develop the project design, obtain two detailed construction estimates from licensed contractors, and provide proof of funds for the required match before construction begins. The grant is reimbursement-based, with NORA verifying completed work through inspection before disbursing approved costs. All projects carry a minimum five-year compliance period, during which funded improvements must be maintained in good condition and the project location must remain in active commercial use.