Grants for Small businesses - State

Grid Enhancement Grant Subaward Program Program Description The Grid Enhancement Grant Subaward program allocates funds for utility infrastructure investments in Arkansas. Leveraging federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this program aims to modernize and strengthen America’s power grid, particularly against natural disasters, while fostering economic development within the state. The funding will support projects delivering direct benefits to Arkansans by bolstering grid resilience, mitigating outages during disasters, and promoting investments in the state’s grid workforce. Program Objectives Funds provided through this subaward program are intended to achieve the following objectives: Increase the Reliability of the Arkansas Electric Grid Achieve Whole Community Impact Support the Development of the State’s Grid Workforce For further details on these objectives, refer to the state Program Narrative below. Eligible Entities Eligible applicants encompass Arkansas electric utilities such as investor-owned electric utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal electric utilities. Additionally, electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, electricity generators, transmission owners or operators, distribution providers, and fuel suppliers are eligible. Timeline Application period opens: April 2, 2024. Deadline for proposal submission and SF-424 form: 5 PM CT, Friday, July 19, 2024. DFA encourages eligible entities to review the application, guidance, and FAQ document promptly. Questions should be directed to infrastructure@dfa.arkansas.gov by April 30, 2024. DFA will respond to broadly applicable questions by updating the FAQ document due to the program's competitive nature. For additional information or inquiries, please contact infrastructure@dfa.arkansas.gov.

The 2024 Texas Rural Woman Grant, offered by Texas Woman's University, aims to foster economic development in rural Texas by empowering woman-owned small businesses to undertake innovative projects. This grant aligns with the university's mission to support women entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth in underserved areas of the state. The program seeks to address the unique challenges faced by rural businesses, contributing to the overall economic well-being of Texas communities. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are existing rural, woman-owned small businesses in Texas. These businesses must be at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more U.S. citizen women who also reside in Texas. The grant focuses on for-profit corporations, partnerships, LLPs, LLCs, or sole proprietorships located and operated within eligible rural Texas counties. The impact goal is to encourage and enable these businesses to undertake new and innovative projects, thereby creating greater economic development activity in rural Texas. The grant prioritizes projects that involve the purchase of machinery, equipment, or technology; farm implements or machinery; the addition or acquisition of new inventory or raw materials; the purchase and installation of fixtures or display units; property improvements that will result in increased sales and revenue; and marketing or advertising campaigns. Any other business-related activity deemed aligned with the program's purpose by the Center for Women Entrepreneurs (CWE) is also eligible. This focus ensures that funding directly supports tangible growth and operational enhancements for the recipient businesses. The expected outcomes and measurable results include the successful implementation of new projects by ten woman-owned businesses, each receiving a $5,000 grant. Recipients are required to complete a small business training course, engage in three hours of small business advising/mentoring, and submit an approved business plan with three years of financials. These requirements are designed to not only provide immediate financial support but also equip business owners with the knowledge and resources for sustainable long-term success and growth, leading to increased sales and revenue for their businesses.

This grant provides funding to Cambridge-based businesses and nonprofit organizations to host free outdoor nighttime events that promote the city's nightlife and entertainment sector.

This funding opportunity supports organizations in Massachusetts that are creating or expanding programs to promote equitable access to clean energy careers and entrepreneurship for historically marginalized communities.

State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant is available for small businesses in Colorado to support their international expansion efforts. The grant provides funding of up to $10,000 per year for activities such as attending trade shows, holding international business meetings, researching new markets, updating marketing materials for new markets, and compliance testing. Administered by the Global Business Development (GBD) division, this program is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

This grant provides funding to various organizations and entities in California to promote innovation and sustainability in the forest products industry, supporting projects that enhance wood utilization and address workforce gaps.

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund demonstrations of community-based virtual power plant (VPP) approaches and demonstrations of innovative energy management systems (EMS) in commercial buildings with the goal of increasing demand flexibility. Demand flexibility refers to comprehensive programs and strategies that align electricity consumption with dynamic grid conditions. These can include both event-based demand response (DR) and load shifting strategies. Accelerating demand flexibility is a key strategy for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the state’s climate and clean energy goals reliably and affordably.    VPPs are portfolios of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as smart thermostats, rooftop solar photovoltaics, electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and smart water heaters that are actively controlled by software to benefit the power system, consumers, and the environment. While these resources have the potential to meet grid needs as reliably as conventional alternatives such as gas-fired generators, their advantages extend further, offering greater affordability and substantial decarbonization benefits.[3] However, research and development of both technologies and business models is needed to fully capitalize on and understand VPPs’ potential, especially the systems that feature predictive controls and require minimal consumer engagement. The examples of predictive controls relevant to this research include, but are not limited to, the use of artificial intelligence or model predictive controls for EV load shifting or building pre-cooling applications.   Projects will be funded in two groups. Group 1: Virtual Power Plants: Demonstrations that showcase community-based demand flexibility programs as a long-term (10 or more years) grid resource. Project teams must partner with local governments or non-profits to facilitate customer participation and smart device installations. Projects must evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of community-based VPP approaches that use state-of-the-art DER management software (DERMS).   ·       Group 2: Commercial Building Energy Management in Low-Income or Disadvantaged Communities: Demonstrations of innovative EMS in commercial buildings focused on specific characteristics such as interoperability and adherence to open-source standards. Demonstrations require participation in electric investor-owned utility (IOU) or third-party DR programs and partnerships with device and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These projects must showcase the latest advancements in energy management in the commercial sector and ensure technology adaptability, efficiency, and collaboration within the broader energy landscape.       

This program provides funding for community organizations and local governments to acquire technology devices to help bridge the digital divide for those facing affordability challenges.

CAL FIRE's Wood Products and Bioenergy team seeks to maintain and enhance the wood products infrastructure of California to promote healthy resilient forests throughout the state by supporting a diverse set of business development and workforce development projects.  ; Eligible business development projects include facilities, operations, and professional services that support the restoration of healthy, resilient forests.   Eligible workforce development projects include universities, colleges, government and community organizations, and businesses that aim to increase workforce capacity in the fields of logging, fuels treatment, transportation, manufacturing, or other support services that bolster the development of a resilient forest sector workforce.   Research and development projects related to both business and workforce development will also be considered. Check out the Wood Products website and subscribe for updates.     

This grant provides funding for research institutions, energy organizations, and technology developers to create open-source tools that improve climate resilience and wildfire risk management in California's electricity sector.

This grant option, part of the Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Grant Program, aims to support early-stage research into innovative treatments and rehabilitative techniques for spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. The Tier 1 Pilot Project Grant does not require preliminary data but encourages it, reflecting early investment as researchers prepare to seek larger grants. The funding amount can reach up to $125,000 for a project duration of two years with an additional one-year no-cost extension.

This funding opportunity is designed to support initiatives that promote tourism and enhance infrastructure in Delaware County, aimed at increasing visitor numbers and spending.

Hydrogen can serve as a zero-carbon energy carrier and act as a potential replacement for fossil fuels in hard-to-electrify applications, particularly for the transportation, industrial, and electricity generation sectors. For the purposes of this solicitation, clean hydrogen is defined as hydrogen produced from water using eligible renewable energy resources, as defined in Public Utilities Code 399.12, or produced from these eligible renewable energy resources. To achieve sustainable wide-scale deployment, hydrogen must be produced cleanly at increased scale and reduced cost. This solicitation aims to reduce the cost burden of clean hydrogen production through large-scale, centralized production coupled with storage, delivery, and pre-determined offtakers to support a comprehensive hydrogen value chain. Expected outcomes include the development and deployment of low-carbon, cost-competitive hydrogen production from renewable energy sources and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hard-to-electrify sectors.   The 2022 California Air Resources Board (CARB) Scoping Plan estimates that by 2045, demand for low-carbon hydrogen increases nearly two-fold the current levels of fossil hydrogen – or a 1,700-fold increase in existing low-carbon hydrogen supply – especially to support emerging end uses such as heavy-duty vehicles, power generation, industrial process heat, and synthetic fuels for aviation. Hydrogen produced from water using renewable energy resources or produced directly from renewable energy resources can provide low-carbon energy and act as an alternative to fossil gas, helping meet California's GHG reduction goals of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2045.     

This funding opportunity provides financial support for the development and implementation of a self-defense training program specifically designed to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by enhancing their safety skills and confidence.

This program provides funding to Texas-based agricultural businesses for marketing and promotional efforts to boost the visibility and sales of Texas-grown and produced products.

This grant provides funding to organizations and institutions to develop a comprehensive maritime strategy for Michigan that promotes sustainability, equity, and environmental justice in the state's shipping and boating sectors.

This program provides $200 million in competitive funding to improve broadband access in underserved areas lacking reliable internet service of at least 25/3 Mbps.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Act 2A of 2020, known as the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019, appropriated $10,000,000 from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account to the Department of Health. Through a sub-grant, the Department of Community and Economic Development will administer this program to eligible applicants for the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments, and therapies in response to COVID-19. Financial Info: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Act 2A of 2020, known as the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019, appropriated $10,000,000 from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account to the Department of Health. Through a sub-grant, the Department of Community and Economic Development will administer this program to eligible applicants for the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments, and therapies in response to COVID-19.

This grant provides financial support to small and emerging arts organizations in Washington State, particularly those serving historically underrepresented communities, to help cover operational costs and enhance their programming.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that help low-income older adults in New York maintain their independence and safety at home through health services and home modifications.