Grants for Individuals - Business and Commerce

This competition provides over $4.2 million in cash prizes and resources to U.S.-based individuals and teams developing innovative solar energy technologies, with a focus on supporting solutions that benefit underserved communities.

The County of Maui is accepting applications for its Green Grants to provide substantial funding—approximately $1.7 million—to support projects that promote sustainability. Donor Name: County of Maui State: Hawaii County: Maui County (HI) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/29/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The Green Grants program is managed by the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division (EP&S). Projects led by—or with a focus on—women, youth, and traditional native Hawaiian practices and approaches are highly encouraged.  Starting July 12, 2024, applications are being accepted for the following grants: Environmental Protection Grant: Supports initiatives in invasive species management, environmental restoration, conservation and sustainability. A total of $490,000 is available for FY25, with a specific allocation of up to $10,000 for Waikapū community beautification projects.  The Green Grants program is managed by the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management's Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division (EP&S). It provides substantial funding—approximately $1.7 million—to support projects that promote sustainability. Projects led by—or with a focus on—women, youth, and traditional native Hawaiian practices and approaches are highly encouraged. Project Period Grants run for a full year, with options to align projects either by Fiscal Year (FY) or Calendar Year (CY) in 2025:  Fiscal Year (FY) 2025: July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025  Calendar Year (CY) 2025: January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025 Eligibility Criteria Funding is open to individuals, non-profit organizations, and for-profit businesses. For more information, visit County of Maui.

This funding opportunity supports alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in Equatorial Guinea to implement community projects that address global challenges, focusing on areas like sustainable tourism, agriculture, and biodiversity.

This funding initiative provides $10,000 and additional resources to small business owners selling on eBay, helping them grow and optimize their operations.

This grant provides financial support to women in Western North Carolina who are starting or advancing careers in the food, beverage, agriculture, and hospitality industries, particularly those affected by Hurricane Helene.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for teams of alumni from U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to develop innovative projects that address global challenges and strengthen ties between the U.S. and Mauritius or Seychelles.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is offering a competitive grant of over $1 million for California dairy and livestock operations to implement non-digester manure management practices and technologies that reduce long-term methane emissions and maximize environmental benefits, with applications due by October 18, 2024.

This grant provides $20,000 to women entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help them grow their early-stage businesses without giving up equity.

This program provides mentorship and resources to early-stage entrepreneurs and small businesses developing innovative products from sustainable West Coast groundfish, supporting both market readiness and economic growth in coastal communities.

This competition invites individuals and teams worldwide to develop innovative, leak-resistant packaging solutions for large liquid detergent bottles that meet Amazon's distribution standards, with a focus on usability and manufacturing integration.

This grant provides funding for local video creators and organizations in Dubuque to acquire equipment for producing non-commercial content for the community's public, educational, and governmental access channels.

This grant provides $2,500 to small business owners facing financial challenges, helping them enhance operations, expand teams, or implement innovative growth strategies.

The Town of Glastonbury has established the 2024 Farm Assistance Program (FAP) to provide crucial financial assistance to local farmers. This reimbursable grant program aims to support eligible farmers who faced negative impacts from significant weather events in 2023. The program also encourages investments in the long-term viability of farm businesses within the town. The Glastonbury Town Council has allocated $220,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for this initiative, demonstrating a commitment to supporting the local agricultural community and fostering resilience against future challenges. The target beneficiaries of the FAP are eligible farm businesses within Glastonbury, CT. To qualify, farms must be current on property taxes, actively farm at least 10 acres of land in Glastonbury, be registered in the PA490 program, and gross at least $100,000 per year based on the total average gross of their three best years over the last five. Crucially, they must also have sustained a financial hardship due to the 2023 weather. The impact goals are to help these farmers overcome financial hardships caused by weather events and to enable them to make investments that will ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of their operations. The program prioritizes reimbursement for a range of essential expenses designed to address immediate needs and promote future stability. These eligible expenses include payroll, recruitment, training, rent or mortgage assistance, utilities, and other operational costs. Furthermore, the FAP encourages investments in equipment, technology, capital improvements, and marketing programs, all aimed at supporting farm business growth and improving overall viability. This comprehensive approach reflects a strategic priority to not only provide relief but also to empower farmers to adapt and thrive. The expected outcomes of the Farm Assistance Program include a reduction in financial strain for Glastonbury's farming community, increased operational stability, and improved long-term resilience against environmental and economic pressures. By providing up to $10,000 in reimbursement grants, the Town of Glastonbury aims to foster a stronger agricultural sector, contributing to local food security and economic vitality. The measurable results will be evident in the successful reimbursement of eligible expenses, the continued operation and growth of participating farm businesses, and the overall strengthening of the farming landscape in Glastonbury following the 2023 weather events.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that conserve and improve natural resources, targeting municipalities, nonprofits, schools, and private property owners in Hennepin County.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for public diplomacy projects that strengthen U.S.-Slovenian relations and enhance community safety, prosperity, and resilience through initiatives involving both American and Slovenian participants.

This funding opportunity provides $2,500 to U.S. small business owners and entrepreneurs to help them grow their ventures through various initiatives, marketing, or operational improvements.

This initiative provides financial support to women-owned small businesses in San Francisco to help them grow through various improvement projects, such as marketing and equipment upgrades.

The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nations universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities. The American lobster (Homarus americanus) and its fishery continue to face significant environmental complexity and socio-economic uncertainty with far-reaching impacts for resource management and community resiliency. In 2022, the American lobster fishery landed approximately 119 million pounds of lobster worth $516 million dollars. This stands in stark contrast to the 2021 commercial harvest that landed 134 million pounds of lobster worth a record setting $924 million dollars. Recent surveys have detected a nearly 40% decline in young lobster recruitment from the important fishing areas of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, signaling concern for the fisherys future and challenges for resource managers and lobster fishermen alike. While there are fluctuations each year that reflect environmental factors such as water temperature and economic conditions such as operational costs, the degree of volatility and uncertainty is without precedent. These impacts are particularly acute in the state of Maine, where approximately eighty percent of American Lobsters are landed each year and the lobster fishery is a major driver of the states marine economy and cultural identity. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissions 2020 stock assessment indicated record high stock abundance for American Lobster in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank and continued declines in southern New England. Additional analyses of landing data from the state of Maine show a downward trend from a high in 2016 of 132 million pounds to an annual average of 102 million pounds between 2019 and 2021. As ecosystem changes persist and the Gulf of Maine continues to warm, it is imperative that research, data, and observations document change, inform gaps, and help communities prepare for the future state of the American Lobster fishery. The American Lobster fisherys sustainability relies not only on the ecological understanding of the species in the face of environmental change but also the economic resiliency of the industry and the communities supported by the fishery. Expanding uses of the marine environment and anticipated management changes will have significant implications for future harvests, alter business models and shift how and where the lobster industry operates. Understanding the economic and social systems impacted by these changes can enhance the industry and communities capacity for resilience to impending environmental and resource management changes by mitigating negative impacts and supporting emerging opportunities. Research approaches that examine social systems and economic implications of regulatory/management changes are needed to fill a critical knowledge gap and inform integrated approaches to these complex issues impacting the lobster fishery. These include economic impact assessments, policy analyses, dimensions of community well-being, workforce diversification, as well as informal and formal governance structures. In FY24, consistent with its mission to enhance practical use and conservation in order to create a sustainable economy and environment, Sea Grants American Lobster Research Program will fund projects that address priority research needs to enhance our understanding of and address impacts to this significant, complex and dynamic fishery. Projects that involve partnerships among industry, State agencies, and/or academia, including but not limited to cooperative research or co-production, are strongly encouraged. Topics suitable for investigation on American lobster and its fishery under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) should have a geographic focus on the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and/or southern New England and address one or more of the following funding priorities: Life history parameters under changing climate conditions, including but not limited to temperature, growth, and mortality Species distribution and abundance in response to environmental change, including but not limited to deep water settlement Impacts of environmental change and/or economic uncertainty on social systems, including but not limited to dimensions of community well-being, formal and informal governance structures, and workforce diversification Economic implications of policy and potential regulatory changes and/or other future resource management actions Sea Grant anticipates having up to $2 million dollars to fund a diversity of projects with funding requests up to $600,000 dollars in FY24. Projects may be one or two years in duration with a maximum of two years. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions. Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-25871.

This funding opportunity supports projects that foster educational, cultural, and technological collaborations between the U.S. and Qatar, targeting nonprofits, educational institutions, and individuals focused on youth leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Kuwaiti non-profits, educational institutions, and individuals to create projects that strengthen cultural and educational ties between the United States and Kuwait.