Business Development Grants

The Business Development Grants are offered through a partnership between United Way of Greater Charlottesville and the Minority Business Alliance of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. The opportunity is intended to provide financial assistance to small, locally owned, for-profit businesses in Charlottesville that may need support to continue their operations. The program specifically distinguishes its intended applicants from larger, thriving local businesses with multiple employees or businesses considering growth or expansion; those businesses are instead directed to consider an Envision Enterprise Grant when that application becomes available. The grant program therefore focuses on smaller businesses demonstrating a need for stabilization assistance. For the current grant cycle, the program has a total budget of $50,000 and may fund ten grants of $5,000 each. The source describes the funding in terms of a clear and practical plan for the use of grant funding and a demonstrated need for funding to stabilize business operations. No cost-share or matching contribution is stated. No detailed list of allowable or prohibited expenditures, indirect-cost limitations, performance-period requirements, or other spending restrictions is provided in the supplied source. Successful applicants will be required to sign a grant agreement outlining the grant terms and conditions before grant funds are received. Eligibility is limited to small, for-profit businesses. The business must have been in operation for at least one year, and at least one primary owner must identify as socially disadvantaged. The opportunity is presented for small, locally owned Charlottesville businesses and is not intended for larger local businesses that are thriving, including businesses described as having multiple employees or considering growth or expansion. Applicants that received the FY26 Business Development grant or another United Way of Greater Charlottesville grant opportunity are not eligible for the FY27 cycle. Those prior recipients may apply again for the FY28 grant opportunity next year. The supplied source does not provide a more detailed definition of socially disadvantaged status or additional ownership documentation requirements. Applicants submit through the online application linked by United Way of Greater Charlottesville. The supplied source does not identify an LOI, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other required pre-application gate. Three virtual information sessions are offered through Zoom on August 26 at 9:00 AM, August 27 at 4:00 PM, and September 2 at 12:00 PM. Business owners are encouraged to attend at least one session, but the source does not state that attendance is required for application submission, invitation, or advancement. The supplied material also does not identify specific required uploads, financial statements, attachments, certifications, or application-form questions beyond directing applicants to the online application for further eligibility and application requirements. Applications are evaluated according to three stated weighted criteria. Forty percent of the evaluation concerns whether the applicant has a clear and practical plan for the use of grant funding. Thirty percent concerns evident need for grant funding to stabilize business operations. The remaining thirty percent concerns demonstrated dedication to the community and long-term commitments to grow the business in that community. Applicants should therefore clearly connect the requested $5,000 to a practical use, demonstrate why the assistance is needed to stabilize current operations, and explain their commitment to the community and the long-term future of the business. Successful applicants must also satisfy the program's eligibility requirements and execute the grant agreement before funds are provided. The application was announced as open on August 25, 2026, and applications are due Friday, September 11, 2026, at midnight. The source does not state a time zone for the midnight deadline; the data-entry convention therefore stores the deadline as September 11, 2026. No separate pre-application deadline, award notification date, grant start date, performance period, or payment schedule is provided. The source expressly refers to an FY28 grant opportunity next year, supporting treatment of the program as recurring annually; based on the current cycle's evidenced opening month, the next cycle is projected for August 2027 for internal tracking purposes. The source does not name an individual program contact. The United Way of Greater Charlottesville website lists the organization's general contact information as UnitedWayCville@UnitedWayCville.org and (434) 972-1701, with an address of 200 Garrett Street, Suite I, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902. Applicants seeking additional information are also directed to the online application and the scheduled virtual information sessions. No PDF solicitation, guidelines PDF, or other explicit downloadable PDF URL is included in the supplied source.

Prioritize a clear and practical funding-use plan because it represents 40% of evaluation; clearly demonstrate the need for funding to stabilize business operations and provide evidence of dedication to the community and long-term commitment to grow the business there.