WV Governor’s Guaranteed Work Force Program

The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) provides reimbursement grant funding for permanent building improvements and repairs across the city. Offered by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to tenants and owners of industrial and commercial properties, SBIF grants are funded by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues in designated TIF districts citywide. Program participants can receive grants to cover between 30 percent and 90 percent of the cost of remodeling work, with a maximum grant of $150,000 for commercial properties and $250,000 for industrial properties. The grant, which is administered by SomerCor on the City’s behalf, does not have to be repaid.

The Manufacturing Innovation Fund Voucher Program (MVP) provides CT companies with access to capital to help them obtain new equipment and the expertise they need to become more efficient, productive, and competitive. Eligible companies can apply for a grant up to $100,000 to conduct a new project. First-time applicants are required to provide a cash match of 2:1 and repeat applicants 3:1. That means, First time applicants provide 67% of the total proposed project cost and repeat applicants provide 75% of the proposed project cost. The program is administered by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology with funding provided through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's Manufacturing Innovation Fund.

Catalyst provides up to seven grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. Diversity in Cleantech Early Stage (DICES), in parallel with Catalyst, awards three additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects led by eligible (certified or certifiable) women-owned or minority-owned early-stage companies. The program is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage into commercially viable technologies that attract industry and investor interest. All awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring.

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.

VCEDA’s Coalfield Workforce Development and Training Fund is a source of loan and/or grant funds to assist with workforce development and training in the VCEDA Region. Eligible applicants for the Coalfield Workforce Development and Training Fund include for-profit enterprises or entities, governmental or corporate instrumentalities in the coalfield region of Virginia, not-for-profit enterprises or entities, nonprofit industrial development corporations, economic development authorities, or industrial development authorities. Funds may be approved as loans and/or grants. Funds may be approved and used for workforce development and training and associated costs, including costs and expenses of curriculum development, training equipment, training facilities construction, instructional materials, stipends, scholarships, tuition, internships, training or retraining instructional costs, retraining costs, recruiting expenses, job advertisements, pre-employment classes, assessments, classroom instructional expenses, process skill instruction, and/or instructor travel expenses, and costs associated with the foregoing. The program is funded from revenues that were previously generated by the Coalfield Employment Enhancement Tax Credit.