Melvin Feller Business Group Looks at Grant Resources for Any Startup Business — State and Local Grants
Melvin Feller Business Group Looks at Grant Resources for Any Startup Business — State and Local Grants
Melvin Feller Business Group in Burkburnett Ministries and Dallas Texas and Lawton Oklahoma. Our mission is to call and equip a generation of Christian entrepreneurs to do business as ministry and with Grace. We provide workshops and resources that help companies discover how to do business God’s way and Grace for mistakes and start overs. When the heart of a business is service rather than self it can be transformed into a fruitful business ministry earning a profit and being of service to the community and their customers. Melvin Feller is currently pursuing another graduate degree in business organizations.
I have taken the guesswork out of getting a loan in the United States and have done the research for you, compiling a list of loan and financing resources for your small business. New business? No problem! Low personal credit score? I have got you covered. From startups to established businesses, these resources can help any entrepreneur achieve your business goals.
State Small Business Grants:
State-level small business grants are commonly geared towards that particular state’s social or economic concerns. They are meant to work in tandem with Federal or other State grants, so you will usually get less funding. That said, they are much more accessible due to lower competition. In addition, many are matching grants: instead of just providing the funds for you to use for a certain purpose, some will require that you match the money they give as well.
You can search for grants your own state and industry by looking at your state’s department of commerce website or grants portal. Grants.gov is primarily for federal grant search. Below, we list some popular states.
Also, an important note: while we’re listing state-specific small business grants, many of these run across multiple states, so don’t give up if the grant looks right but your states don’t match!
Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority is a great resource for small business owners in AZ. Check back throughout the year for new competitions and grant options. The Arizona Step Grant is a popular program, which offers money to small businesses that are exporting products or expanding into international markets.
Arkansas Technology Transfer Assistance Grant Program
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission offers several grants, rebates, and incentives to businesses that create jobs or expand in Arkansas. For example, the Infrastructure Grant is for businesses that create full-time jobs in Arkansas.
Colorado Export Development Grant
Colorado regularly ranks as one of the best states for startups and entrepreneurship, and the state government is helping to make sure that innovation continues in this state. Colorado offers grants for many types of small and medium sized businesses, especially businesses that are interested in international development or that are involved in advanced industries like robotics.
DC Small and Local Business Grant
The DC Department of Small and Local Business has multiple open grant opportunities for businesses in particular “wards” of the city. You can keep track of the ongoing grant opportunities on their Current Solicitations & Opportunities site. They tend to offer the most grants to retail businesses that are revitalizing downtown neighborhoods.
Idaho State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant
Many states actually have a STEP program, Idaho included. However, they each have individual application processes and qualification criteria, so make sure you double-check what you need
to do to apply! In Idaho, these grants are primarily for businesses that want to enter international markets.
Illinois Recycling Expansion and Modernization Program
Sustainability-driven small businesses in Illinois (and other states) should consider the REM program, which offers grants of up to $250,000. Note that this is a matching grant program, so you’ll have to put up your own cash to receive the government’s — budget well in advance if you’re aiming for this opportunity.
Iowa Business Development Grant Recycling
Iowa provides a wide range of business development grants. The state’s focus is on businesses that create manufacturing jobs and enhance Iowa’s other industries. There are also grants for retail businesses that are rehabilitating downtown buildings. You can see the latest opportunities on Iowa’s grants portal.
Kansas Job Creation Fund
Kansas’s Job Creation Fund gives grants to businesses looking for help establishing themselves in Kansas. The fund typically disburses the grant money to recipients over three years as their company reaches certain investment and employment benchmarks.
Louisiana Community Development Block Grant
The Office of Community Development aims to improve the living environments and economic opportunities for Louisiana’s low-income residents. While small businesses cannot apply directly, contact the state or local government branches most relevant to your business’s function and see if you can receive
that funding to do community work. There are also disaster recovery grants to businesses that are were affected by hurricanes.
Maryland Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program
The Maryland Division of Early Childhood Development recently reopened its CCQIG program for local childcare facilities. The grant is awarded quarterly.
ExportMD Program
For those especially enterprising small businesses: if you are looking to market internationally, then this program could help you cut down on costs.
Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority & Fund
Although we happen to be listing many Maryland initiatives, many states carry the same or similar programs in their own boundaries as well. In this case, the MEDAAF is an unusually broad small business grant and loan opportunity for Maryland small business owners, so do not miss it. Priority funding areas and industries vary with each grant cycle, so keep an eye out for updates.
Minnesota Dairy Business Planning Grant
On the other side of the spectrum, this program covers a narrow sliver of Minnesota’s small businesses — but that means low competition. If you manage a dairy farm or are developing environmental technologies related to dairy farming, look into the DBPG.
Minnesota REETAIN
REETAIN, or Retaining Early Educators Through Attaining Incentives Now, offers small grants to child care professionals in Minnesota. If you are a childcare professional in Minnesota, this could be that extra cash you need to help defray costs.
Minnesota Crop Research Grant Program
Again, most state’s agriculture departments have small business grants that are some variation on the CRGP. If your business researches agricultural product quality, quantity, or value, this grant could work well for you.
Minnesota Innovation Voucher Award Program
If your business needs cash to purchase technical assistance or to commercialize your products, you can score a substantial amount of capital with this grant. This is a matching grant, so you will need to put up half of the cash.
Minnesota Job Creation Fund
The Minnesota Job Creation Fund is for new and expanding businesses that meet targets for job creation and capital investment. Eligible companies can receive up to $1 million for creating or retaining high-salaried jobs and for rehabilitating facilities.
Nebraska Child Care Grant
For childcare homes and centers, this program offers a number of smaller grants for you to apply to.
New York City Commute Enhancement Grant
Up to $10,000, the NYCCE grant can apply to a number of initiatives related to city commuting. If you are a New York small business with a toe in transportation, applying here is a must.
North Carolina Recycling Business Development Grants
The Recycling Business Assistance Center aims to encourage sustainability and reduce waste with this yearly grant program.
North Carolina IDEA
Looking for startup grants. NC IDEA gives out grants of up to $50,000 and has sponsored nearly 100 high-tech companies with growth potential. This is actually a private foundation, but their grants are open only to North Carolina businesses. There are different grants for different types of companies — such as women-owned businesses or seed-stage businesses.
Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development
With small business grants for companies that are expanding, offering training initiatives, or improving public infrastructure, the Tennessee DoECD is not one to skip if you are located in the right place.
Texas Young Farmer Grant
For residents between 18 and 46 years of age, this grant funds projects that support Texas’ agricultural production and community.
Local Small Business Grants:
In addition to statewide grants, cities, towns, and nonprofits finance their own small business grant programs. Continuing the trend, these usually carry smaller payloads but less competition. For local small business grants, you have a substantial upper hand if you service your community in a tangible and demonstrable way.
In addition, is your small business looking at promoting health, environmental consciousness, or similar initiatives? If so, you will be looking at even more local grants to apply for — and get funding from. Because local small business grants are so geographically specific, we have pulled just a few to show you what kinds of opportunities may exist in your nearby city or town. Again, make sure to look for similar programs in your own locality.
Cleveland Department of Economic Development
Many cities — including Cleveland, which we’ll use as an example for this section — have a number of small business grants and initiatives to foster entrepreneurship.
Job Creation Tax Abatements
Your small business might be in an Enterprise Zone, or a similar type of area, and be offered tax incentives for projects or operations that create jobs. These are not technically small business grants, but they put additional money in your business’s pocket that you can use to grow.
Green Technology Business Grant Program
Environmental sustainability initiatives exist at every level of the government, so consider going green to save with your small business.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Big Idea Contest
Continuing the trend of encouraging research and development, this contest presented a challenge to companies in Central and Northern Pennsylvania and awarded a sizeable grant — alongside $50,000 in cash, a $100,000 low-interest loan, special service access and consultation.
Ben Franklin Innovation Partnership
The Ben Franklin Technology Partnership partially funds the Innovation Partnership, which is a local grant program centered on helping Pennsylvanian small businesses afford those SBIR and STTR Federal research and development grant programs we looked at way back when. Though this is statewide, we are including it under the local category because it is actually a consolidation of microloan programs throughout the region.
Chicago Incent Ovate
In past years, this project has awarded $400,000 to cultural projects in the city of Chicago. While it is unclear whether this grant will be repeated in future years, it’s a reflection of grants you should be looking for in your own city! You do not need to be running a research and development business or a green technology-oriented farm to get small business grants, after all.
Chicago Small Business Improvement Fund
The SBIF supports small businesses repairing or remodeling their location, whether by updating windows and floors, replacing signage, or purchasing nearby property to expand into. Note that you would receive this matching grant after completing and paying for your remodeling, so be cautious — plenty of other businesses are likely competing for small business grants like these.
Miami Mom & Pop Small Business Grant
If you are in Miami and have been in business for at least a year, make sure to apply to this program meant to “bridge the gap between local government and small owned and operated businesses.”
New York City Fashion Manufacturing Initiative
The FMI offers grants to New York City fashion companies who need to purchase equipment, make upgrades, or train their employees.
New York City Job Creation and Retention Program
Is your small business new to Lower Manhattan, and can you commit to creating at least 75 new jobs in the area? If so, look to the JCRP grant.
Seed Chicago
Seed Chicago is a crowdfunding platform specifically for Chicago-based businesses. This is technically not a small business grant, but crowdfunding is money that comes from many different community backers. In most cases, you do not have to pay back the money.
Lumpkin Foundation Grant
The Lumpkin Foundation is a private foundation, but they provide grants to organizations in East Central Illinois. Grants are available to businesses that focus on food service, the local agriculture economy, and sustainable practices.
Orlando Downtown Facade & Building Stabilization Program
This program provides grants between $5,000 and $40,000 to small businesses that own their buildings in downtown Orlando and improve their stability or appearance. Part infrastructural, part city beautification, this program incentivizes the small business-owning residents of Orlando to contribute to their city’s well-being in a few different ways.
Detroit NEIdeas Grants
Aimed at fostering economic growth and entrepreneurial spirit in Detroit (alongside a few other cities), the NEIdeas grant program gives out $10,000 and $100,000 grants to businesses — as well as exposure and free resources.
Roseburg, Oregon Tourism Grant
Local townships and cities, as well as states, give tourism grants to businesses that promote travel. This particular grant also weighs whether your business is promoting tourism during season or off-season, which is something to consider.
Salt Lake City River District Gardens Facade Improvement Grant
Part of a local beautification program, this grant applies only to businesses within a certain district of the city. Again, though not a lot of money, small business grants like these are uncompetitive and low in effort to apply for — who is going to turn down free cash?
San Francisco Historic Preservation Grant
The city of San Francisco gives grants and business loans for emerging and established businesses. Grants are available to companies that are working on preserving and rehabilitating historic buildings. This could be perfect for retail, brick and mortar businesses.
Melvin Feller Business Consultants Group in Texas and Oklahoma. Melvin Feller founded Melvin Feller Business Consultants Group and Burkburnett Ministries for grace in the 1970s to help individuals and organizations achieve their specific Victory. Victory as defined by the individual or organization are achieving strategic objectives, exceeding goals, getting results or desired outcomes. He has extensive experience assisting businesses achieve top and bottom line results. He has broad practical experience creating WINNERS in many organizations and industries. He has hands-on experience in executive leadership, operations, logistics, sales, program management, organizational development, training, and customer service. He has coached teams to achieve results in strategic planning, business development, organizational design, sales, and customer response and business process improvement. He has prepared and presented many workshops nationally and internationally.
