Start Small Campbell Grant

The Start Small Campbell Grant is a competitive local business grant offered by the Campbell County Department of Economic Development. The program is intended to cultivate new successful businesses in Campbell County by providing a financial incentive tied to entrepreneurial training and business planning. Each grant is $5,000, and the program may make grants to up to four new Campbell County businesses per year through two semi-annual grant cycles. The program is therefore focused on encouraging the development and establishment of relatively new businesses that can contribute to the county's economy and generate recurring local tax revenue. Eligibility is limited to businesses with a dedicated location in Campbell County that are anticipated to produce recurring local tax revenue. A business must be less than three years old or be opening its first Campbell County location, and it must be current on all local taxes. The business should maintain a dedicated physical location in Campbell County and hold a business license issued by Campbell County, the Town of Altavista, or the Town of Brookneal. A business that has not yet opened when it applies must have a signed lease and a committed opening date before a grant award will be issued. The owner is not required to live in Campbell County because the geographic eligibility requirement applies to the business location rather than the owner's residence. Applicants must complete several preparation and application requirements. They must attend at least two qualifying workshops within the previous 12 months before the cycle end date and complete the SSCG Business Plan Template. Applicants must also provide one year of financial documentation, following the Financial Document Template instructions applicable to the age or stage of the business, together with a Projection Statement for Years 2 and 3. The required business plan template is intended to ensure that applicants provide the information the Review Committee needs and to establish a fair and consistent basis for reviewing participating businesses. Applicants must also complete a Business Plan Review with an SSCG Mentor. The review must be scheduled at least three weeks before the application due date so that there is sufficient time for the appointment and any necessary revisions. For the Fall 2026 cycle, the Business Plan Review is due October 2, 2026, and the final application is due October 23, 2026. After completing the required materials and review process, applicants must upload all application documents and submit the application. A confirmation email is sent when the submission is successfully received, and staff preview the submission to verify that all required elements were provided. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. Applications are competitively scored according to the program's official scoring guide. An applicant must receive an average reviewer score of at least 70 out of 100 to be considered for a grant. Financial document elements receive twice the weight of other scoring elements, making complete and well-prepared financial information particularly important. The funder emphasizes that a successful application must first be complete. Applicants are also encouraged to attend the cycle's Info Session, where they can review a sample business plan that meets the scoring threshold, learn what reviewers want to see, receive guidance on completing financial documents, and ask general or business-specific questions. The program operates through two semi-annual cycles, and applicants that do not receive a grant in one cycle may seek reconsideration in a later cycle as long as they continue to satisfy the eligibility requirements. The county indicates that unsuccessful applicants can request advice about improvements that could increase their competitiveness and do not necessarily have to start the application process from scratch. No matching or cost-share requirement, award notification date, grant performance period, or specific restrictions on use of the $5,000 award were stated in the supplied source material. No individual program contact or program email was supplied; the provided Campbell County contact information lists 47 Courthouse Lane, Suite 1, Rustburg, VA 24588 and telephone number (434) 332-9500.

Submit a complete application because incomplete applications will not be reviewed; schedule the Business Plan Review at least three weeks before the application deadline to allow time for the appointment and revisions; target an average reviewer score of at least 70/100; give particular attention to financial documents because those elements are weighted twice as heavily as other elements; attend the cycle Info Session to review a qualifying sample business plan and learn reviewer expectations.