Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grants

The Envision Enterprise Grant provides Greater Charlottesville small businesses with $10,000 grants to support growth and expansion. Administered by the United Way of Greater Charlottesville in partnership with the City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development and the Albemarle County Office of Economic Development, the program is intended for small, financially stable, for-profit businesses owned by socially disadvantaged individuals in the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County. Funds may be used for a range of growth-related expenses, including hiring additional employees, ordering supplies and inventory, and investing in marketing. To be eligible, businesses must be located and licensed in the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County, have been in operation for at least two consecutive years, have no more than 25 employees, generate net income of less than $200,000, and serve as the sole source of employment income for an owner who works for the business full-time. Current and former United Way of Greater Charlottesville grant recipients or Prosper program participants that received funding within the past calendar year are not eligible.

The M&F Bank Empowering Growth Small Business Grant awards a $10,000 grant to one small business owner in each of the bank's North Carolina markets through annual application rounds rotating by geography. Administered by M&F Bank — a North Carolina-based community development financial institution founded in 1907 — the program supports small business owners across the bank's footprint in Durham, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Charlotte, with the goal of strengthening the local communities the bank serves. Each application round is open to businesses located in one specific market and the surrounding counties, and a single winner is selected per round. To qualify, applicants must be an M&F Bank business customer with accounts in good standing, have been an M&F Bank customer for at least one year prior to applying, have gross annual revenues of $750,000 or less, have been in business for ten years or fewer, employ 25 people or fewer (including the owner), and maintain an active business website. Previous grant recipients are not eligible to reapply. Nonprofits, real estate investment firms, businesses with M&F Bank vendor ties, and M&F Bank employees or their relatives are also ineligible.

ReStore Boston helps eligible businesses and commercial property owners improve their storefronts by providing financial and design assistance for signage and/or facade renovations. Having well maintained facades and signage can increase foot traffic and revenue for local businesses; increasing the vitality of our neighborhood commercial corridors and Main Streets Districts. ReStore Boston grants cover 50 to 90% of project costs up to $8,000 for signage and up to $200,000 for facades. Business owners will pay the contractor upfront and the business owner will be reimbursed by the City.

This grant is designed to meet the needs of MAryland urban farmers by providing an incentive for beginning urban farmers to seek commercial lender financing for the development of their urban agricultural enterprises, including the purchase of a farm property in an eligible urban area. MARBIDCO has partnered with Horizon Farm Credit to establish and manage this fund.

These program provides small, targeted grants to early-stage entrepreneurs who are ready to launch new businesses in Escalon. The intent is to support promising business concepts, encourage innovation, and help new ventures overcome the early financial barriers that often prevent start-ups from getting off the ground.