Local Business and Commerce Grants

The Small Business and Not-For-Profit Support Grant Program, initiated by the City of Chicago and funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, aims to provide financial assistance to small businesses and nonprofits. This program is designed to help these entities recover from economic losses sustained due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Chicago, through its Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), is seeking a qualified organization to administer this $21.5 million grant program. The primary beneficiaries of this grant program are eligible small businesses and nonprofits located within Chicago. The impact goals are centered around stabilizing their operations, supporting their workforce, and mitigating the long-term economic effects of the pandemic. By providing these funds, the program intends to foster economic resilience within the local business and nonprofit ecosystem. The program's priorities and focus are clearly on economic recovery and stability for the most vulnerable sectors affected by the pandemic. The selection of an administering organization will be based on their understanding of the city contractor's needs, the local small business and nonprofit landscape, and the City of Chicago's processes, ensuring efficient and effective distribution of funds. Expected outcomes include a stabilized small business sector and a stronger nonprofit presence in Chicago, both equipped to navigate future economic challenges. Measurable results would likely involve tracking the number of businesses and nonprofits served, jobs retained or created, and the overall economic recovery indicators within the city. While the specific foundation's strategic priorities and theory of change are not explicitly detailed here, the underlying theory is that direct financial support to these entities will lead to broader economic stability and community well-being.

This program provides funding to support community events that promote cultural and economic development in Lawrence, Kansas, enhancing the city's unique identity.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for community projects in Pajaro, California, aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness, social services, economic development, healthcare access, language services, and community beautification for local residents.

The 2024 Beautification Awards, offered by the City of Livermore, aim to enhance and increase the aesthetic attraction of Livermore. This program is designed to recognize community members' efforts in promoting creativity, community pride, and economic vitality through improvements to their properties. The awards align with the city's broader mission of fostering a visually appealing and vibrant community. The target beneficiaries of this program are property owners within the corporate limits of the City of Livermore who undertake projects to improve their outdoor spaces. The impact goals include beautifying the city, encouraging community engagement in local aesthetics, and boosting local economic vitality through enhanced visual appeal. The program implicitly promotes a theory of change where local beautification efforts directly lead to increased community pride and economic benefits. The program prioritizes various types of projects, including residential site improvements, retail or commercial upgrades, water-wise or native plant landscapes, historical renovations, and other structural renovations, restorations, and new builds with noteworthy landscape design. Projects must be visible from a public street or trail, have the consent of the owner, and not have won in the previous five years. Self-nominations are encouraged. Award selection criteria focus on how a project visually enhances the property, how the home or business incorporates design, maintenance, color, organization, and creativity to complement and enrich the visual appeal of the existing community, and how the structure, architectural design, and landscaping are combined for maximum visual effect. The expected outcomes are a more aesthetically pleasing Livermore and increased community pride, with measurable results being the number and quality of beautification projects undertaken and recognized.

This program provides funding to nonprofit housing developers for the acquisition and demolition of deteriorated properties to facilitate the construction of new residential developments in aging neighborhoods.

This funding opportunity supports educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaiʻi to implement projects that enhance community well-being through sustainable and measurable impacts.

The Women’s Fund of Central New York, an affiliate fund of the Central New York Community Foundation, supports and empowers women and girls in Central New York through an endowment fund, grants, and initiatives. Founded in 1998 and led by volunteers, its primary focus is to address key issues affecting this demographic. The fund's mission aligns with the broader Central New York Community Foundation's goal to foster community well-being by specifically targeting the advancement and full participation of women and girls. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are women and girls residing in Cayuga, Onondaga, Madison, or Oswego counties. The program aims to achieve significant impact by seeking innovative programs that address problems or seize opportunities for the benefit of these individuals. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed, the expectation is for proposals to demonstrate practical approaches to community problems and strengthen agency effectiveness, implying outcomes such as improved community conditions and enhanced organizational capacity. The Leadership Council prioritizes capacity-building activities and new projects within organizations over ongoing projects. They look for proposals that suggest practical approaches to community problems, promote cooperation among agencies without duplicating services, generate community support (professional and volunteer), strengthen an agency’s effectiveness or stability, and address both prevention and remediation. This strategic focus indicates a preference for impactful, sustainable, and collaborative initiatives. Grant requests should not exceed $5,000, and eligibility is extended to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, publicly supported organizations (like schools and municipalities), and organizations using a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Preference is given to organizations with annual operating budgets of $5 million or less, indicating a strategic priority to support smaller, community-focused entities. The foundation explicitly does not fund recurring grants to previously supported programs, annual operating budgets (unless "seed" or "bridge" funding), endowments, religious purposes, loans to individuals, medical or academic research (unless donor-requested), or activities predating the Women's Fund's decision date, thereby defining its theory of change as one that fosters new, impactful, and strategically aligned initiatives.

The Lane County Cultural Coalition in Oregon is offering Cultural Opportunity Grants ranging from $1000 to $10,000 for a year, funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust, to support projects that protect and stabilize cultural resources, expand public awareness of arts, humanities, and heritage, and increase access to culture, with a focus on access, awareness, and education in Lane County.

This program provides financial assistance to local businesses and property owners in North Sacramento to improve storefronts, purchase equipment, and restore vacant buildings, particularly those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This grant provides funding for tourism-based marketing projects in Grays Harbor County, Washington, aimed at attracting visitors from outside the local area to promote overnight stays and tourism-related commerce.

This program provides funding to small businesses and eligible nonprofits in Portsmouth, Virginia, to support their growth and infrastructure improvements through a matching reimbursement model.

This program provides up to $30,000 in marketing support to small businesses in designated low-income areas of New Orleans to help them grow and increase their visibility.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to eligible nonprofit organizations in Cheyenne to assist low- and moderate-income residents through projects focused on housing, infrastructure, and essential services.

This grant provides funding to non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, and local businesses in Bloomington to support projects that improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility and promote active transportation in the community.

This program provides financial assistance to small business and commercial property owners in Decatur, Georgia, to improve the exteriors of their buildings and enhance the community's aesthetic appeal.

This program provides funding to nonprofits, community organizations, municipalities, and businesses in Northampton County, Virginia, to develop tourism-related projects that enhance the region's appeal and attract visitors, especially during off-peak seasons.

This grant provides financial support to local businesses in Lake County, Ohio, for infrastructure improvements, innovative projects, and employee training, fostering economic growth in the community.

This initiative provides one-time reimbursement grants to small businesses in Flint, Michigan, to help them recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Mentor for community development projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents, address urgent needs, or combat slums and blight.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to entrepreneurs in Los Angeles County who have completed the Economic Mobility Initiative's Entrepreneurship Academy, helping them launch new businesses or grow existing ones.