Grants For Small Businesses 2021

Springfield Level The Field

Springfield, Ohio is launching a two-year pilot program called Level the Field. The aim is to support business owners from underserved communities by partnering with grassroots groups throughout the city. This initiative launched because of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The city will provide funding to these organizations to facilitate the hire of a new employee to connect with minority business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The overall goal of the program is to help these businesses obtain at least $1 million in new funding and allow them to create at least 40 new jobs per year.

How To Apply For Small Business Grants

The application process will vary depending on the grant youre applying for, however here are some general tips to get you started:

• talk to the body awarding the grant find out what theyre looking for and tailor your application to the objectives
• write a thorough business plan
• explain how youll use the money be specific here and show how the funding will help you grow your business
• apply early some grants have a limited pot of money so its always worth getting your application in as early as possible
• create a cashflow forecast this is useful for managing your business finance and is sometimes needed when applying for finance

Just starting out as a small business owner? Make sure you read our guide to starting a business and dont forget to organise business insurance.

Louisiana Community Development Block Grant

The Office of Community Development aims to improve the living environments and economic opportunities for Louisianaâs low-income residents. Although small businesses canât apply directly, you can contact the state or local government branches that are most relevant to your businessâs function and see if you can receive funding to do community work. There are also disaster recovery grants that are issued to businesses affected by hurricanes.

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Live Your Dream Award

Each year, the Live Your Dream Foundation grants $2.1 million in educational funds to women. This foundation focuses on passionate women who have survived sexual violence or other traumatic events. They offer programs and funding that help women build confidence, advance their careers, and overcome unexpected situations.

• Award amount: $1,000$16,000
• Where to apply: Applications open from August 1 to November 15 at this online portal.

Small Business Grants In England

The Local Enterprise Partnerships Network website lists the 38 regional Growth Hubs. Theyve been set up to provide business funding, support and guidance in their local areas.

They make it easier for business owners to find the support they need by bringing together all of the available national and local business support in one hub.

You can search for business support available in your local area on the LEP Network website.

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Caleb Brown Urban Entrepreneur Community Grant

The Urban Excellence Community Grant awards new community businesses with a monetary gift of up to $1,000 and 500 hours of complimentary business consulting from Caleb Brown for one year. The project will support those creative entrepreneurs seeking to build or grow small businesses in their communities. Caleb Brown will develop mentoring support for the business owner in the spirit of contributing to the advancement of the creation of community jobs and economic development.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Existing businesses that are less than 3 years old or are in planning stages, and that serve an urbanized area. Companies must serve an Urbanized Area defined by the Census Bureau as the following: A central place and adjacent territory that contain at least 50,000 people and an overall density of 1,000 per square mile.

Region: USA

We Dug Into A Series Of Grants To Help Small Business Owners And Startups Grow Their Company

One way to get momentum as a business owner? Find and apply for grants.

Small business grants can come from federal, state, or local governments, as well as from corporations and foundations.

There are many general grant programs for small businesses as well as those aimed at helping specific business owners get started or grow, e.g. veteran, women, Indigenous & Native American, Hispanic & Latinx, and Black entrepreneurs. Unlike loans or investment, grants do not require repayment of any kind.

While the dollar amount isnt likely to make or break your business, a grant can be a good way to grow in the early stages. And, it can help to delay more expensive forms of funding like venture capital, loans, and credit card debt until you have a foundation in place.

Below are a few tips to help you get started applying for grants, and weve also included a list of 21 business grants you can apply to this year.

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Types Of Small Business Grants

There are several types of grants, and you may only be eligible for certain ones. Grants generally come from the following sources:

• Federal state or local governments
• Foundations
• Businesses

Government grants are often the most involved, while grants made by businesses may include a competition aspect.

Here weve rounded up examples of some popular grants in these categories. However, dont limit your search to just these grants. Weve also included several research tools you can use to find grants that may be a fit for your business.

Small Business Grants For Minorities

Here are some small business grants for minority-owned businesses:

• SBA 8 Business Development Program: Though not specifically a grant program, the 8 Business Development Program enables small businesses owners from socially or economically disadvantaged groups to be eligible to compete for certain federal government contracts. To be eligible, the business must be 51% owned and controlled by a U.S. citizen who is socially and economically disadvantaged.
• Operation Hope Programs: Operation Hope offers several programs to equip small business owners for success in low-income communities, including its 8-week entrepreneurship training program. Its One Million Black Business and Entrepreneur Initiative works to close the racial wealth gap in the U.S. by helping Black entrepreneurs start or grow their businesses through training and coaching.
• Minority Business Development Agency: As part of the Commerce Department, the MBDA helps Black, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American and Hasidic Jewish business owners. This agency provides guidance for small businesses as they apply for federal grants.

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The National Lottery Heritage Fund

This fund supports heritage projects ranging from designed landscapes to cultural traditions. The National Lottery Grants for Heritage 2022-23 is prioritising projects that promote inclusion, boost the local economy, encourage skills development and job creation, and support wellbeing.

Theres also the Innovate UK grant and R& D tax reliefs from the government, as we mentioned earlier.

Shuttered Venue Operators Grant

The SBA introduced this COVID-19 grant as part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act. Shuttered Venue Operators Grants are available to individuals such as movie theater operators, talent representatives, and others who were affected by having their venue closed due to the pandemic.

Eligible applicants can receive a grant worth up to 45% of their gross earned revenue. The maximum grant amount is $10 million. To be eligible, applicants or venues must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020, and have not applied for or received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020.

As of August 2021, applications for Shuttered Venue Operators Grants are closed. The SBA intends to open the program for supplemental grants worth 50% of the original award amount, capped at a total of $10 million, but has not yet announced additional details. Visit the SBA website for updates on this timing.

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Dos And Donts Of Winning Business Grants

Lets start with some basic dos and donts of trying to win grants.

• Make a schedule Many grants are only open to applications once a year. Schedule time to put together an application ahead of time.
• Write a business plan first Most grants ask for a business plan. More importantly, you should know how exactly the grant money will help your business. Heres our guide to writing a simple business plan.
• See what companies have been funded in the past This can help you determine which grants you have a good chance of winning. If they funded similar types of businesses, thats a good sign.
• Get help from local business organizations I went through many types of local business organizations that provide assistance to small business owners. This includes helping you find grant opportunities and presenting your business in the best light.
• Consider professional help If you come across a grant that requires a well-written cover letter or essay, consider hiring a professional freelance grant writer if you can afford it.

Dont:

Government Grants For Small Business

This guide gives an overview of a range of small business grants, both from the government and other organisations across the UK.

You can jump straight to the government grants by following these links or keep reading for the full list of grants available for small business:

• Air quality grant schemes

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Closed: Small Business Hardship Grants

The Small Business Hardship Grants Program is designed to provide financial support for businesses most impacted by Level 2 public health and social measures that came into effect on 3 March 2022.

On 27 April 2022 a revision and expansion of the program was announced. Two tiers of grants will now be available to businesses that experienced a decrease in turnover for a consecutive two-week period between 1 January and 30 April 2022:

• A revised tier for businesses that experienced a decline in business turnover of 40 per cent or more.
• A new tier for businesses that experienced a decline in business turnover of 30 per cent or more.

To be eligible for the Small Business Hardship Grants, businesses must:

• Have a valid and active Australian Business Number .
• Have an Australia-wide payroll of less than $4 million.
• Have an annual turnover of more than $50,000, excluding GST.
• Be able to demonstrate a reduction in turnover for any consecutive two-week period between 1 January 2022 to 30 April 2022, compared to the equivalent period in 2021*.
• For the 40 per cent tier, a reduction of at least 40 per cent.
• For the 30 per cent tier, a reduction of at least 30 per cent.

*An alternative period in 2021 may be used if the business did not operate at that time or it provides an inaccurate representation of the business’ financial situation.

Grants Loans And Programs To Benefit Your Small Business

When you know where to look, help for your small business is there for the taking.

There are many grant programs available to small businesses, depending on a variety of qualifying factors.

Times are tough for small business, but help is available, from both the governmentfederal, state or localand the private sector. It may be in the form of a grant, a loan or a leg up competing in a difficult business environment. Heres a breakdown to help you sort through whats available.

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Best Small Business Grants In 2022

Free money for your small business might sound too good to be true, but with small business grants its entirely possible. Small business grants are funding that is awarded to qualifying applicants that you dont need to repay. Sounds good, right? The first step is to look for the best grants for small business. We are here to help with the 8 best small business grants in 2022.

2022-07-19

Small Business Grants For Veterans

Here are some small business grants for veteran-owned businesses:

• StreetShares Foundation: StreetShares is a foundation dedicated to supporting veteran entrepreneurship through educational content, networking and business coaching sessions. The foundation also runs the Military Entrepreneur Challenge, a competition open to veterans and their spouses, or immediate family members or children of a military service member who died on active duty. Applicants are eligible for three awards of $4,000, $6,000 and $15,000, with their selection based on several factors, including their entitys social impact on the military community.
• Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program: Similar to the 8 Business Development program, the SBA runs this program to help award federal government contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
• Boots to Business: The Boots to Business program isnt a grant, but a business education course and training program offered by the SBA for transitioning service members interested in starting a business.

If you need more funding or these programs dont fit your needs, explore options for small business loans for veterans.

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The Sba’s Funding Programs

The SBA grant program offers a few funding options COVID-19 relief, research and development, exporting, and associate rewards. Grants vary by the year, and your eligibility may differ depending on each grant. They also offer a Veterans Business Outreach Center services for veterans to help assist in operations, funding, and other business needs.

• Award amount: Varies
• Where to apply: For more information, visit their website.

Extension Of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy And The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy And Lockdown Support Beyond June 2021

The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy has helped more than 5.3 million Canadians keep their jobs, and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support have helped more than 154,000 organizations with rent, mortgage, and other expenses. The wage subsidy, the rent subsidy, and Lockdown Support programs are currently set to expire in June 2021. In order to bridge Canadians through the rest of this crisis to recovery, continued support is needed. To give workers and employers certainty and stability over the coming months:

• Budget 2021 proposes to extend the wage subsidy, the rent subsidy, and Lockdown Support until September 25, 2021. It also proposes to gradually decrease the rates for the wage subsidy and rent subsidy, beginning July 4, 2021, in order to ensure an orderly phase-out of the programs as vaccinations are completed and the economy reopens.

Extending this support will mean that millions of jobs will continue to be protected.

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Small Business Grant Recipient Demographics

Overall, nearly 30% of our 2021 grant recipients identified as Black or African American . Following that, the other grantees were white , Asian , Hispanic or Latin/a/x , multiracial , Middle Eastern or other .

This year, 52.7% of our grant recipients identify as female and 44.7% as male, with fifteen who were non-binary/non-conforming recipients and others who declined to identify. Grants were also awarded to veteran- and military family-operated businesses, as well as to LGBTQ+ and disabled small business owners.

Further, as 2022 approaches, new funding opportunities for businesses of all sizes will become available that can support scaling your business, finding a mentor, and expanding your impact.

Best Coronavirus Grants Available To Small Businesses In 2021

• Why Funding Circle

Our nation relies on small businesses. Small businesses make up 99.9% of all US companies, employing over 47% of the entire private workforce. Thats why its doubly terrifying to see how savagely the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting local businesses.

The countrys economy would collapse without small businesses, which is why the government, non-profits, and enterprise corporations are providing generous coronavirus aid through grants to small business owners in need of financial help. Last year, dozens of grants emerged to help companies stay afloat during the worst of the storm. Now, a few substantial coronavirus grants still remain to get small businesses back on their feet:

• Paycheck Protection Program Loans
• Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program
• COVID-19 Targeted EIDL Advance
• GoFundMe Small Business Relief Fund
• LISC Small Business Relief Grant

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Small Business Grants In Northern Ireland

The Established SMEs Funding section of Enterprise Ireland lists several ways you can get financial help for your small business if its already up and running and youre based in Northern Ireland.

It also offers High Potential Start-up Funding if your business idea has the potential to develop an innovative product or service for sale on international markets and the potential to create 10 jobs and 1m in sales within three years of starting up.

State Trade Expansion Program

The STEP is a collection of government grants, and other support the Small Business Administration can offer assistance with obtaining or understanding STEP. This program focuses specifically on helping small businesses with export development. Grants are awarded to state entities. Small businesses can then apply to programs offered by these entities so that they can benefit from export development opportunities. Feel free to send an email to to better understand how your business can benefit.

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Distance Learning And Telemedicine Grant

The Department of Agriculture offers this grant program for small businesses and agricultural producers that are modernizing education and health in rural communities. Specifically, these business grants are an option if your company provides education or health services through telecommunications. Awards range from $50,000 to $1,000,000.