Comcast Brings Back Popular Small Business Grant Program

Comcast is one of many corporations that regularly support small businesses through grants. The company’s RISE grant program is an annual offering supporting entrepreneurs in select markets throughout the U.S. Read more about this program and others below.

Comcast RISE

Comcast is launching a new round of funding through its Comcast RISE grant program. This round includes a total of $500,000 in grants, along with technology upgrades, marketing support, media opportunities, coaching, and educational resources. As with past funding rounds, the program focuses on businesses in a few metropolitan areas, including Houston, Atlanta, Southern Colorado, Jacksonville, and Richmond. The program will award 500 total grants, with 100 earmarked for each city or geographic area. Comcast RISE is currently in its fourth year and has already awarded 13,500 grants to small businesses, including a total of $125 million in funds and resources. The application period for this round will run from May 1 through May 31.

Chicago Allstate Main Street Grant Program

Allstate is sponsoring a new grant program for small businesses and nonprofits on the city’s South and West sides. Allstate’s Main Street Grant Program will award at least ten grants of between $5,000 and $25,000 to eligible companies and organizations. To qualify, applicants must be able to demonstrate a positive community impact, like job creation or making essential services more accessible. Businesses and nonprofits can apply for the program now through April 30.

Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grants for Kid Entrepreneurs

B2B resource Merchant Maverick recently unveiled its Opportunity Grants for Kid Entrepreneurs. The program will award $2,000 grants to young entrepreneurs between the ages of 10 and 18. The program originally launched back in 2021 and has since awarded 17 grants to young small business owners that can have limited access to traditional business financing. To qualify, businesses must have a business address located within the United States, have at least six months in business, and be majority-run by someone in the target age group. The application period is now open and will close on May 31, 2024.

Terra Haute Small Business and Nonprofit Grants

The United Way of the Wabash Valley and the City of Terre Haute are partnering to offer grants to small businesses and nonprofits throughout the area. The Small Business and Nonprofit Grant are technically two separate programs, but both use American Rescue Plan Act funding and aim to support the community. For the business program, eligible applicants can request between $10,000 and $100,000, with award amounts varying based on each business’s project or goals. Recipients then must complete their projects within 24 months.

New York City Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program

The New York City Department of Small Business Services just announced a new grant program to support small businesses in flood zones. The Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program offers grants of $5,000 to businesses that may be vulnerable to flooding to help with various projects that may help them prepare or shore up operations. The department is also collaborating with the NYC Emergency Management and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to teach business owners what to do in the event of a flood. Businesses must first schedule a free assessment with the city to qualify. The department estimates that the program should help about 480 small businesses throughout the city.

North Louisiana BRF Grants

Economic development organization BRF, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, recently received two grants worth a total of $2 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Though this funding won’t go directly to small businesses in the form of grants, the goal is to accelerate technology entrepreneurship in North Louisiana by increasing access to startup capital and assistance. Specifically, BRF will use funds to expand its Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP), providing startup services like funding strategies and mentorship.

Image: Comcast

This article, "Comcast Brings Back Popular Small Business Grant Program" was first published on Small Business Trends