WBDC Launch Pad Grant Program

TVA is supporting new job growth by investing in competitive economic development projects. Paid directly to the company, Performance Grant amounts are flexible for approved purposes. Funding amounts are based upon the five-year economic impact of the project and are made at the discretion of TVA Economic Development.

The Sunny Day fund supports extraordinary economic development opportunities that create and retain employment as well as create significant capital investments. Projects must generate significant jobs in areas of high unemployment; they are evaluated on a competitive basis and must be consistent with the state's strategic economic development plan.

The Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region has a $10,000 grant program for small businesses in southeastern Connecticut that need help with professional business services, equipment purchases, and inventory. Eligible businesses must have been in business for at least one year, have an annual revenue between $35,000 and $1.5 million, and be in good standing with the CT Department of Revenue Services.

The Start Garden 100 is Michigan's largest open business competition, awarding a total of up to $500,000 in combined grant, loan, and startup capital across 100 finalists and 10 grand prize winners. Administered by Start Garden — a Grand Rapids-based accelerator focused on equitable entrepreneur-driven economic development — the competition is open to anyone in Michigan with a business idea, including aspiring entrepreneurs and existing businesses exploring a new opportunity. Applicants submit a 100-second video pitch to enter, and 100 finalists are selected to each receive a $1,000 no-strings-attached cash grant to begin preparing for the program's Demo Day event in downtown Grand Rapids. At Demo Day, ten grand prize winners are each awarded an additional $20,000 cash grant from Start Garden, and through a partnership with Northern Initiatives — a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that has supported Michigan small businesses for over 30 years — each of those ten winners is also offered an optional pre-approved $20,000 loan, bringing the maximum potential capital per winner to $40,000. While the specific blend of grant, loan, and additional capital partner funding varies depending on each winner's business and chosen pathway, the overall program represents one of the most significant pools of accessible startup funding available in the state. A separate high school category for students under 18 awards $1,000 each to five selected finalists, with an additional $5,000 going to a high school winner chosen on Demo Day. Beyond funding, finalists receive two months of mentorship and refinement support from Start Garden's leadership team and partners, along with visibility through the Demo Day platform and ongoing connections within Michigan's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Venture Pitch assistance micro-grant can reimburse up to $5000, spent on hiring an independent, third party to assist in the creation of an investor pitch deck, assemble a researched list of at least 5 investors to contact that includes the investor profile, the investment criteria, their portfolio, news releases of companies they invested in and create an advanced and well thought out financial and P&L model with market size, costs, pricing, sales key assumptions. To be eligible for this grant, applicants must have received a Phase I or Phase II SBIR/STTR award.