StartHER Grant

Employee retention is one of the biggest challenges for small businesses today. Larimer County’s LIGHTR Grant may it easier to keep your staff engaged by funding their professional development. Apply for up to $3,000 in grand funding per business, to: Fill skill gaps in your current workforce. Upskill staff to move into key leadership positions. Cover the costs of industry-recognized certifications. This partnership between Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins is designed specifically for small businesses (2-50 employees).

The Innovation Voucher program is part of Rhode Island Commerce’s Innovation Initiatives Portfolio created to support Rhode Island’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Innovation Voucher funds strategic investments in local businesses that catalyze growth through research and development (R&D) innovation. There are two types of vouchers in this program, both for $5,000 to $75,000. Knowledge Provider Voucher: The Knowledge Provider Voucher helps small businesses tap the expertise and resources of local research institutions such as colleges, universities and hospitals (“knowledge providers”) to advance innovation and business growth. With a Knowledge Provider Voucher, the R&D needed by a small business is executed by the knowledge provider. Manufacturing Voucher: Rhode Island manufacturers can access funding for internal research and development through the Manufacturing Voucher. This voucher supports specific R&D projects that Rhode Island manufacturers need to advance or reinvent their product offerings and remain competitive within their industry.

This relaunch of the Atlantic City Revitalization Program (“Program”) will continue to facilitate Atlantic City’s effective utilization of allocated funds for community-driven capital projects. The goal of this Program is to proactively address the negative economic impacts of the pandemic by investing in projects that demonstrate an ability to cultivate the environment and neighborhoods necessary to attract and retain a local workforce, enable business creation and tourism, enhance downtown vitality through small business support efforts, support clean and safe initiatives, address food insecurity issues, and buttress social impact supports for the community at large. Administered by the Authority, this Program will support real estate development, specifically capital projects (each, a “Project”) in the form of Grants, to support rehabilitation or new construction, as well as other development costs associated with an award between $250,000 and a maximum award of $2.5 million in grant funding to one Project. This will then meet the requirement of “Investing in Communities” by providing funding to activate underutilized properties for community focused investments and to activate projects that will catalyze new business sectors in NJ, support communities, and improve the business community within Atlantic City. This grant will improve investment in communities by working to activate underutilized, distressed, or vacant land for projects in order to promote equitable economic growth and community wealth building in Atlantic City.

The Virginia Global Business Internship Program reimburses companies up to $6,000 for a talented university student to perform a ten-week summer internship at a Virginia company. Students will further the company’s export capacity and make progress on its international business expansion strategies. Eligible companies have at least five employees and operate in Virginia.

As your company grows and develops, so will your demand for a larger well-trained workforce. Expanding your workforce can be costly, but through the help of WorkOne, you can reduce the cost of hiring and training new employees. WorkOne will reimburse employers up to 50% of new employee wages for on-the-job training. THIS IS NOT A TAX CREDIT. It is an actual check sent to your company for a portion of the trainees’ wages during the training period of up to six months. The training must pay at least $13.50 per hour.