Texas ASCEND Grant

The Sky's the Limit Entrepreneur Grants program awards monthly startup grants of up to $2,500 to entrepreneurs, with new funding opportunities opening each month. Administered by Sky's the Limit, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, the program is funded through partnerships with major corporate sponsors and operates as a recurring pitch-based opportunity: members sign up on the Sky's the Limit platform, submit a pitch describing their business, and are considered for that month's grant pool. In addition to grant funding, members of the platform gain access to one-on-one mentorship from a global network of business advisors, step-by-step guides for working through key business milestones, members-only workshops and events, and pitch competitions. The program is part of Sky's the Limit's broader mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs build meaningful relationships, access capital, and grow sustainable businesses.

Citizens Financial Group Inc. has opened submissions for its ninth annual Small Business Community Champion Award, giving small businesses the opportunity to win $10,000 each. Winners also receive a year of professional development and networking through the Luminary program, which provides business owners with coaching, peer connections and access to resources designed to help grow and strengthen their companies. The contest is open exclusively to Citizens Business Banking customers and applications are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 10.

The City of Appleton offers multiple grant programs for businesses: The Business Recruitment Grant offers $1,000 boost grants to businesses that need a little extra capital to move downtown or open a new business there. The Façade Improvement Grant offers grants to businesses that need assistance in enhancing their exterior aesthetics. Businesses can receive between $2,500 and $5,000 to use on minor improvements (such as painting and lighting) or facade renovations (like window upgrades).

The goal of the training grant program is to enhance the quality and availability of safety training for United States commercial fishermen. Availability includes the frequency, geographic considerations, channels or partners of dissemination, culturally and/or educational appropriate training material, and other characteristics of a successful training program. As a result, the Coast Guard and NIOSH invite applications to support the development and implementation of training and education programs that: develop and deliver training which addresses the needs of commercial fishermen in the United States provide qualified marine safety instructors, or otherwise accepted by the National Maritime Center instructors and faculty to conduct the training evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the training program on reducing injuries among fishermen coordinate with existing training programs and partnerships with industry fishermen, and agencies conform to 46 U.S.C. § 4502 (i) Safety Standards for commercial fishing safety training In order to support and administer the grant program, the Coast Guard and NIOSH signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 17, 2018. While the Coast Guard, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), provides regulatory oversight for safety and health matters within the commercial fishing industry, NIOSH is an agency operating under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the mission of generating new knowledge in occupational safety and health and transferring that knowledge into practice to prevent worker injury, illness and death. NIOSH conducts and funds scientific research, develops methods to prevent occupational hazards, develops guidance and authoritative recommendations, translates scientific knowledge into products and services, disseminates information, identifies factors underlying work-related disease and injury and responds to requests for workplace health hazard evaluations.

The Enthuse Foundation's Annual Pitch Competition is open to female entrepreneurs. Participants pitch their business at an in-person event. One grand-prize winner receives a $15,000 grant. The runner-up gets a $10,000 cash prize.