Grants for Small Businesses

This program provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island for arts and culture projects that engage and benefit local communities.

Vernon County is offering grant funding through the National Opioid Settlement to support projects related to the abatement, prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid drug use and its effects. The funding is available to non-profit organizations, businesses, schools, and local governmental agencies in Vernon County. Eligible projects should align with the values and mission of the Opioid Prevention and Abatement Steering Committee and focus on efforts to educate, train, reduce, and prevent harm from opioids. Applicants can request funding ranging from $100 to $25,000 per application, with a limit of one application per calendar year and a total of three applications per project. There will be three application periods offered each year. To apply, applicants will need to present their proposal to the Opioid Steering Committee, with presentations limited to 5 minutes followed by a question and answer session. It is important to note that projects unrelated to opioid prevention or mitigation efforts, requests for existing debt, expenses that have already been invoiced or paid, and any other expenses deemed ineligible by the Opioid Steering Committee will not be considered for funding.

This grant provides funding to organizations and individuals with innovative projects that increase opportunities for youth, particularly in underserved communities, to participate in baseball and softball.

The Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity (RMUC) Program is offering a grant opportunity for electric cooperative, municipal, and small investor-owned utilities with limited cybersecurity resources. The Advanced Cybersecurity Technology (ACT) 1 Prize is a three-phase competition that challenges eligible utilities to identify risks and implement solutions to improve their overall cybersecurity posture. Utilities that progress through the competition will receive cash prizes and technical assistance to invest in staff training, governance processes, and cybersecurity tools and technologies. To apply, interested applicants should review the official rules for the complete application process and requirements. Eligible utilities can then create a HeroX account, accept the ACT 1 Prize Competitor Agreement, and choose whether to compete as a team. Application templates are available to aid in completing the application. Additionally, Phase 1 applicants must participate in two mandatory virtual webinars. The ACT 1 Prize offers a total prize pool of up to $8.96 million in cash and technical assistance across three phases: Commitment, Planning, and Implementation. Each phase concludes with a prize award. In the Commitment Phase, utilities prepare submission packages describing their resources, need for improving cybersecurity, and commitment to participating. In the Planning Phase, utilities work with technical assistance providers to assess systems, identify training needs, understand risks and solutions, and draft an implementation roadmap. Finally, in the Implementation Phase, utilities make progress towards completing their roadmap with the help of technical assistance providers. Administered by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and managed by DOE's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), the RMUC Program's ACT 1 Prize is part of a larger initiative to enhance the cybersecurity posture of electric utilities. The program will provide $250 million over five years to support critical investments, deliver technical assistance, and provide cybersecurity training to utility workers. This will result in a more secure and resilient energy grid. Interested parties can visit the RMUC Program webpage for more information and to sign up for updates.

The Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize is a grant opportunity for creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses to address challenges in the lithium-ion battery recycling supply chain. The goal of this phased prize competition is to develop and demonstrate processes that can capture 90% of all discarded or spent lithium-ion batteries in the United States for recovery of key materials. The continuation of the prize will award a total of $7.4 million in cash prizes and voucher support over the next 3 years. This includes a new competition track for new competitors and previous participants, as well as additional support for Phase III winning teams. Breakthrough, a new public contest, aims to incentivize innovative solutions from battery industry entrepreneurs that align with the prize goal. Up to $2.4 million in cash prizes and voucher funding will be awarded to up to 10 winners. Winners will also have the opportunity to advance to Phase IV of the competition. Qualified lithium-ion battery recyclers and second-life testing organizations are also being sought as Evaluation Entities for Phase IV. More information about becoming an Evaluation Entity can be found on the American-Made website.

The Energy CLASS (Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools) Prize is a grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Energy State and Community Energy Program Office (SCEP). The prize aims to support local education agencies in establishing and training energy managers to identify, plan, and implement efficiency and health upgrades in schools. With $80 million available, the grant will help schools across the country lower utility costs, improve indoor environmental quality, and reduce carbon emissions. The Energy CLASS Prize consists of two phases. In Phase 1, up to 25 selected LEAs will receive $100,000 in cash prizes to support participation in a 12-month training program. In Phase 2, participants will undergo 80-160 hours of online educational courses and receive one-on-one support and coaching related to building upgrades. At the end of Phase 2, participants can submit a progress report and a plan for future building upgrades for a chance to win a $50,000 bonus prize. To apply, LEAs need to submit a statement of need, letters of support, and demonstrate their commitment to making building energy upgrades. Interested applicants should review the official rules for complete application instructions. For updates or questions, applicants can subscribe on the HeroX platform or contact the Energy CLASS Prize team directly at [email protected].

The Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize offers up to $2.4 million in prizes for innovative solutions that advance the electrification retrofits of residential homes across all building types and geographies. The goal is to make electrification more affordable and accessible in existing U.S. homes, with a focus on equitable solutions for all homeowners, including those in low-income and under-resourced communities. The prize supports design solutions, tools, and technology innovations that enable the switch to electric products and reduce carbon emissions. Low-power electrification solutions are strongly encouraged. The competition consists of two phases: Phase 1 focuses on presenting proposed solutions and up to five winners receive a $5,000 cash prize and a $75,000 voucher to work with DOE national laboratories. Phase 2 involves finalizing teams, demonstrating functional prototype solutions, and up to three winners receive prizes, with a top prize of $1 million. The competition is open to individuals, private entities, nonfederal government entities, and academic institutions. For more information, refer to the official rules document.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to women entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business, specifically those with innovative ideas or minimal sales under $10,000, to help them launch and grow their ventures.

Federally funded program to enhance competitiveness of specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, grapes, horticultural, etc. The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Projects must show a benefit to the specialty crop industry. This program is not designed for start-ups or projects that only benefit one operation. Universities, institutions, cooperatives, producers, industry, or community-based organizations may submit a proposal for funding. A review committee will select projects to be included in Tennessee’s state plan. This is a competitive program. Projects must directly impact multiple Tennessee producers. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture seeks to identify and support projects that are forward thinking with a positive, long-lasting impact on Tennessee Agriculture.

City of Tehachapi Small Business Sign Grant Program (California) is offering grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 to assist small businesses in the City with installing or improving their signs. The program aims to eliminate blight, encourage economic development, and enhance properties within the City’s commercial districts. Priority funding will be given to projects that align with the City Design Guidelines. The grant includes reimbursement of up to 50% of eligible sign costs, with a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $3,000. Recipients are required to maintain the building sign for a three-year term. Eligible applicants include owners and tenants of small businesses or commercial properties within the City of Tehachapi.

This funding opportunity supports early stage researchers in pursuing innovative and high-risk scientific projects that significantly diverge from their previous work, without the need for preliminary data.

This program provides funding to Silver Bay residents and business owners for exterior property improvements to enhance neighborhood aesthetics and pride of ownership.

This program provides competitive funding to businesses, nonprofits, and local governments in Tennessee to support agricultural growth and innovation, particularly in value-added processing initiatives that benefit farmers and rural economies.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders (NIDDK) intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the TrialNet Clinical Network Hub (HUB). The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to continue support for the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Clinical Network Hub (HUB), a screening and clinical activities coordination unit for clinical trials focusing on the prevention of and early intervention in type 1 diabetes (T1D). The main objective of the HUB is to increase the efficiency and productivity of the TrialNet network by providing coordination of communications and outreach and developing new tools and approaches to increase screening, recruitment and retention. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material. This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The NOFO is expected to be published in Spring 2024 with an expected application due date in Summer 2024. This NOFO will utilize the U01 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to issue the U54 Specialized Programs of Research Excellence in Cancer Health Disparities and Minority Health (CHD-MH SPORE) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). The program will support a network of multidisciplinary, multi-institutional U54 CHD-MH SPOREs, which are multi-project awards uniquely focused on health disparities and/or minority health translational research for improved prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer in populations who are underserved. U54 CHD-MH SPOREs can investigate more than one cancer type in underserved populations, including groups of highly related cancers (e.g., gastrointestinal or head and neck). The research supported through this program must be translational and must stem from research on human biology, addressing the interplay of various determinants of health with the biology of the disease. U54 CHD-MH SPORE projects must have the goal of reaching a translational human endpoint within the project period of the grant, which may include a clinical trial. This Notice of Intent to Publish is being provided to allow sufficient time for applicants to develop strong applications. The NOFO is expected to be published in late winter 2024 with only one expected application due date in late September 2024.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications that propose to establish a national Open Measurement Coordinating Network for Non-Pharmacological Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-related Dementias (ADRD) Primary Prevention Trials. The Network will serve as a centralized hub for developing, validating, standardizing, and disseminating measures and measurement methods for AD/ADRD primary prevention trials. It will incorporate measures and measurement methods across neuropsychological, biomarker, and functional domains to meet the goal of primary prevention of AD/ADRD centered around brain health equity. Brain health equity is the fair distribution of brain health determinants, outcomes, and resources within and between segments of the population, regardless of social standing. Measures and methods of interest will test outcomes and mechanisms of action in settings customized for individuals with different needs and linked to real-world function. Applications must explain how the platform will meet evolving community needs and partner with other NIA-funded programs. Applications must also describe activities that will achieve the following objectives: Develop an organizational and governance structure to support the administration, innovation, and dissemination functions of the Network. Propose activities to establish a framework that will facilitate the development of innovative strategies for standardization and use of methods and measures across NIA-supported projects and support activities for the discovery and development of innovative and novel measures and data. Disseminate Network resources and products to the broader AD/ADRD research community. Ensure that all measures and methods development and validation occurs in a racially, ethnically, geographically, and diagnostically diverse set of participants, including members of NIH-defined Health Disparity Populations. This also includes establishing the acceptability and feasibility of using the proposed instruments in both cognitively normal individuals and persons living with cognitive impairment (PLWCI), including subjective cognitive decline. NIA is particularly interested in proposals that advance equity for populations disproportionately impacted by AD/ADRD. For example, Black and Hispanic Americans have a higher prevalence of AD/ADRD compared to non-Hispanic White Americans. Resources, including measurement instruments, methods, algorithms, code, documentation, and normative data will enable other, future measures and methods development projects that support AD/ADRD primary prevention research needs. This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The NOFO is expected to be published in early 2024 with an expected application due date in Spring/Summer 2024. This NOFO will utilize the U24 activity code.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders (NIDDK) intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the TrialNet Coordinating Center (TNCC). The TrialNet network identifies people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at stages before and after onset of clinical symptoms and enrolls them in trials and studies aimed at prevention of progression to clinical disease and preservation of insulin production. The TNCC participates in ongoing studies and intervention trials as well as the design and conduct of new studies and intervention trials. The TNCC will: (1) support a wide range of research projects in varying stages of development, implementation and completion, and (2) provide data and sample management, including standardized acquisition, quality control, dissemination and public accessibility. The TNCC will be responsible for network administration and operations, including the evaluation, selection, and funding (through subcontracts) of Clinical Centers and central support units (such as laboratories) necessary for the conduct of TrialNets clinical studies. The TNCC PD/PI will be a voting member of the TrialNet Executive and Steering Committees, contributing to network leadership. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material. This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The NOFO is expected to be published in Spring 2024 with an expected application due date in Summer 2024. This NOFO will utilize the U01 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.

This grant provides funding for early stage investigators to pursue innovative and high-risk research projects involving human participants, without the need for preliminary data.

This funding opportunity supports researchers conducting fully remote clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of complementary and integrative health interventions, utilizing mobile health technologies without any in-person contact.

This funding opportunity supports existing Centers for AIDS Research in expanding training and research initiatives focused on HIV and health disparities, particularly for underrepresented groups and early-career investigators.