Texas Rural Woman Grant

The Mecklenburg County Virginia Small Business Assistance Grants are a suite of six competitive grant programs administered by the Mecklenburg County Department of Economic Development & Tourism to support small business growth, revitalize commercial corridors, and strengthen the county's visitor economy. Applications open on an annual cycle, and each program within the suite runs as its own competitive application. Together, these programs reflect the county's focus on supporting the sectors that have historically sustained Mecklenburg County, including small family businesses, agritourism operations, and the lake-based recreational economy. Four of the six programs are direct small business grants offered as 1:1 matching grants that are paid as a 50 percent reimbursement to the applicant after project completion. The Business Growth Grant provides up to $50,000 to fund a one-time expense related to general business needs such as equipment, tools, professional services, or computer hardware and software, with four grants awarded per cycle. The Commercial Property Demolition Grant provides up to $50,000 to support the demolition of blighted or underused commercial structures and help move properties toward redevelopment, with two grants awarded per cycle. The Home-Based Business Transition Grant provides up to $15,000 to help home-based businesses transition into commercial locations, with two grants awarded per cycle. And the E-Commerce Grant provides up to $10,000 to help small businesses establish or enhance their virtual presence, add online payments or shopping tools, or strengthen their cybersecurity, with two grants awarded per cycle. Two additional programs support Mecklenburg County's tourism economy. The Tourism Development Fund is a Mecklenburg County Tourism Zone Incentive designed to attract larger, transformational tourism-related projects that bring significant private investment, create new quality jobs, secure needed amenities, and serve as catalysts for long-term economic development. The Tourism Marketing Support Grant provides financial assistance to eligible tourism partners for marketing projects that attract visitors, encourage overnight stays, and strengthen the county's visitor economy. Common eligibility requirements across the programs include being a locally owned small business physically located in Mecklenburg County, holding a current business license (where required at the applicant's location), being in good standing with all county programs, ordinances, and taxes, and signing up for the county's email listing for business resource information. Nonprofit organizations are not eligible for any of the programs, and home-based businesses may apply for some (but not all) programs, depending on program-specific rules.

Aitkin County has two grant opportunities designed to support local businesses. The first opportunity is the Aitkin County Business Development & Recreation Grant Program, which supports projects that enhance tourism, recreation and small business development. Grants range from $100 to $2,000, with a required 1:1 local match and are available to businesses and nonprofit organizations located in or serving Aitkin County. Eligible projects include tourism and recreation events, business attraction efforts and initiatives that promote sustained visitor growth. The second opportunity, the Aitkin County Business Revitalization Grant Program, focuses on supporting for-profit businesses to improve the exterior appearance of their properties. Revitalization grants range from $1,000 to $5,000, also requiring a 1:1 match. Eligible improvements include exterior building upgrades, new or replacement signage and awnings and outdoor aesthetic enhancements. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are depleted, with projects evaluated on creativity, visual impact and community benefit.

The DBIA Dairy Grants provide dairy farms and dairy manufacturing and processing businesses across 11 Midwestern states with reimbursement grants of up to $150,000 to support value-added projects, business diversification, and industry-wide initiatives. Administered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service, the program serves for-profit dairy businesses based in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Funding is offered through two grant tracks. -The Dairy Business Builder Grant: Awards reimbursements of up to $150,000 to small-to-medium farmers and processors for projects focused on dairy farm diversification, the creation of value-added products (such as cheese, yogurt, and beverages), enhancement of dairy by-products, or expansion of dairy export programs. -The Dairy Industry Impact Grant: Awards up to $100,000 for projects in targeted topic areas (e.g. dairy exporting and sustainability) that have the potential to positively impact the dairy industry as a whole. Applicants may apply to both grant programs in the same cycle if they have two separate qualifying projects, and may receive awards from both. Grants are issued as reimbursements after eligible project expenses have been incurred and documented; recipients have 12 months from the date of award to complete spending and submit reimbursement requests. Since launching in 2020, DBIA has distributed nearly $24 million across more than 290 awards to dairy farmers and processors throughout the region.

The Queens Flash Grants program awards Queens, New York small businesses with $1,000 microgrants to help solve small but nagging business problems (fixing a broken AC unit, updating an outdated menu, replacing a worn awning, or covering similar minor operational needs where margins simply do not leave room for the expense). Five grants are awarded per cycle. Administered by the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), a nonprofit that has supported Queens businesses since 1977, and sponsored by Maspeth Federal Savings, the program is intentionally designed to be quick, low-friction, and accessible to small operators who may not have the bandwidth for lengthy grant applications. The application process is intentionally simple: applicants must complete a standard QEDC client intake form and submit a single-paragraph pitch describing how they would use the money by the program's deadline. Winners are selected at the sole discretion of QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings, and applications do not guarantee funding. To qualify, applicants must be a business currently operating in Queens or with imminent plans to open in Queens. Home-based businesses run by Queens residents are eligible. Nonprofits, government entities, political organizations, and private individuals are not eligible. All applicants agree to receive communications from QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings about this initiative and other programs, and consent to QEDC and Maspeth Federal Savings using their name, business description, and relevant imagery in marketing and communications related to the program if selected.

The Catalyst Building Resiliency Micro-Grant provides early-stage entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina facing economic barriers with $1,000 micro-grants to support the next stage of their business growth. Grants start at $1,000, with additional funding possible for applicants with especially compelling needs or plans. Administered by Mountain BizWorks, a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that supports small businesses across Western North Carolina, the program is part of the organization's broader Catalyst Fund initiative, which is dedicated to expanding access to funding and leveling the playing field for under-resourced entrepreneurs. To qualify, applicants must meet criteria across two required areas. The Early-Stage Business criterion requires the business to have either been generating revenue for less than 5 years or have annual gross revenue under $150,000 (only one of these must apply). The Economic Need criterion requires the owner's household income to be below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), the owner's household net worth to be under $100,000 (excluding primary residence), or the business to be located in a census tract with a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher (only one of these must apply). Additional caps apply in all cases: owner household income must be below 2x AMI, and household net worth must be under $250,000. The business must be an independently owned, for-profit entity located and operating in Western North Carolina, and applicants must be at least 18 years old. Nonprofit organizations are not eligible, and each applicant may apply for one business only. Grant funds may be used for qualified business expenses only, including marketing and advertising, business equipment or supplies, technology and software, business systems and operational improvements, and professional services or coaching support. Grants are awarded at the sole discretion of the Selection Committee based on the strength of the application and any other factors the committee deems relevant, and submitting an application does not guarantee an award. Recipients are required to submit a brief report 12 months after receiving funds describing the financial condition of the business, how the grant was used, and the number of people impacted, and grantee business names and grant amounts are publicly announced. Grants do not need to be repaid but are taxable, and applications do not roll over between funding rounds.