Private Business and Commerce Grants

A pioneer for women in business, Olga Loizon persevered through every obstacle to create one of metro Detroit’s most iconic restaurant concepts, Olga’s Kitchen. In honor of Olga Loizon and her legacy, TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants and Olga’s Kitchen have founded the Olga Loizon Memorial Foundation. The foundation focuses on entrepreneurial women who would be unable to attain the resources necessary to start a business or otherwise continue with their business development.

In alignment with the Square mission of economic empowerment, we began the Black Equity Grant Program to support the growth of Black developers after recognizing that many technologies founded by historically underrepresented communities were also underresourced, lacking the necessary funding and resources to build on Square. This program will provide Black-led platform partners with both financial support as well as increased exposure and visibility.

If your company, program, or organization is working to support and empower student parents, or you want to learn how your solution can be tailored to accelerate the postsecondary success of student parents, apply for the Rise Prize! Donor Name: Entangled Institute State: All States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes Deadline: 05/17/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Prize was created by Imaginable Futures—a venture of The Omidyar Group—and Lumina Foundation, along with a group of leading partner organizations, to leverage direct investments in innovative solutions supporting student parents. The Rise Prize will make 14 awards totalling $1.5M to solutions driving economic mobility and well-being for student parents. By applying for the Rise Prize you could: Raise awareness of your solution and get exposure to funders and potential partners Strengthen your idea with support from mentors and build community with fellow innovators; and as a finalist, be paired with an advisor to sharpen your product pitch Win $50,000 as an early stage applicant, $100,000 as a Risers’ Choice awardee, or $200,000 as a mature stage applicant. Solutions that will have a direct impact on the postsecondary success of student parents—whether your solution is focused on these outcomes or others, they want to hear from you. Those solutions could include: flexible courseware, original outcomes-based financing solutions, innovative childcare support models, community building or completion coaching—any type of solution designed to accelerate student parent success. Childcare Community of Support Completion Time Convenience First Cost Credential/Connection to Career. Who Should Apply? The Prize is open to impact-driven changemakers: companies, programs, and organizations of any type or stage in the US working on solutions directly supporting student parent postsecondary success. This includes changemakers who are seeking to add additional products or solutions to accelerate the success of student parents. Applicant Types Rise Prize welcomes applicants working on innovative solutions to directly impact postsecondary success for student parents at scale, including: Non-profit organizations For-profit companies, including edtech solutions Higher education institutions, including departments or teams within higher education institutions; academic institution associations; or alternative career pathways programs, including workforce programs, credentialing programs, and bootcamps. Solution Types The Rise Prize is designed to increase the number of innovative solutions driving postsecondary success for student parents. There will be three types of awards made through a single application process: Early Stage New ideas and solutions anchored in initial customer validation (user testing or pilots, market research, or a plan for customer validation). This could include: Pre-seed and seed startups that have developed a plan for customer validation and research Established organizations exploring new ideas and solutions for student parents Academic institutions and social ventures at testing or pilot phases 8 winners from the early stage category will be awarded $50,000 each. Mature Stage Defined by solutions provided by organizations that have strong conviction about the business or organization’s ability to serve student parents and are looking to take that work to scale. For venture-backed startups, this means Series A and beyond. These solutions should have: Demonstrated product/market fit and strength of the market Measured impact on customers or end users 5 winners from the mature stage category will be awarded $200,000 each. For more information, visit Entangled Institute.

The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation is seeking organizations and/or projects that primarily serve the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Massachusetts to apply for the 2024 grantmaking cycle. Donor Name: The Boston Foundation State: Massachusetts County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/17/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation is a permanent resource designed to develop, strengthen and support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community power in Massachusetts, to galvanize and unite the diverse ethnicities within this community, and to build a stronger advocacy voice. The Fund seeks to advocate for equal access to all aspects of their society and collaborate with other communities of color and oppressed communities to build collective strengths to overcome injustice and racism. ACF’s grantmaking approach focuses on strengthening the broader AAPI community ecosystem across Massachusetts and advancing policy and systems change. Through its grantmaking, ACF strives to catalyze new partnerships, expand the capacity of the local AAPI nonprofit and business sectors, and respond to emerging community needs. To this end, ACF encourages applicants to form cross-agency partnerships, collaborate with other communities, and mobilize multiple groups around a shared opportunity.  Funding Considerations Grants will be made for general operating support to organizations and/or projects that primarily serve the AAPI community in Massachusetts. Grants will range from $5,000 to $15,000. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in June 2024. Funding will support the following types of work: Convening- Bringing communities together to elevate AAPI visibility, belonging, and narrative change, with a focus on advancing solidarity and partnerships. Catalyzing- Fueling new collaborations or innovations to tackle systemic gaps and opportunities facing AAPI residents in Massachusetts. Capacity Building– Expanding the reach and impact of programs that advance policy and systems change. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations based in Massachusetts or have a qualifying fiscal agent with 501(c)3 status. Applicants will be evaluated based on the organization’s mission, impact, and alignment to ACF’s goals of strengthening the broader AAPI community ecosystem and advancing systems change. Priority will be given to organizations that serve underrepresented AAPI ethnicities and geographical regions, organizations that have not previously received funding from ACF/TBF, and grassroots community organizations. Organizations receiving funding will share their experience and impact of the grant in summer 2025 via a phone call with ACF staff or a brief survey. For more information, visit The Boston Foundation.

The United Way of the Wabash Valley has issued a new grant opportunity through their Community Health (UWWV CH) and Youth Success (UWWV YS) Impact Councils that are focused on projects that will address the overall health of area youth. Donor Name: United Way of the Wabash Valley State: Illinois, Indiana County: Clark County (IL), Clay County (IN), Parke County (IN), Sullivan County (IN), Vermillion County (IN) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/17/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: In particular, they are looking for projects that will improve the mental, behavioral, and physical health and well-being of children ages 6 to 18 (K-12). The UWWV CH and YS councils are seeking proposals for innovative programs that address the overall health of the youth participants. Programs may be conducted during the school year, summer 2025, or another out-of-school time. Proposed projects can take a variety of approaches to addressing the overall health of students with a more holistic approach. Priority will be given to programs that show the following attributes: Program serves youth in outlying counties: Clay, Parke, Sullivan, and Vermillion counties in Indiana, and Clark County in Illinois. Programs form collaborations/partnerships among organizations. Physical exercise is integrated with one or more of the following: social/emotional well-being, mental health, life skills, and food and nutrition. Funding Information The UWWV has made available a total of $30,000 in funding to be provided to eligible qualifying applicants. Applicants may apply for $1,000 to $5,000 to be expended by August 31, 2025. Eligibility Criteria The following groups within the UWWV service area (Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties in Indiana and Clark County in Illinois) are invited to submit proposals: Youth-serving organizations, school organizations, and/or civic organizations Businesses, Local government entities (e.g. Parks Department) Faith-based organizations, committees/groups and/or ministries Non-profit health services organizations If counseling/therapy/life skills services are proposed, evidence that a licensed or certified counselor is performing the services must be provided. Services must be conducted in person. Virtual sessions will not be funded. For more information, visit UWWV.