7 Small Business Local and State Grants You Can Apply To

A common complaint of small business owners is that they have problems getting funded. While it’s true that financial institutions give small business owners a hard time, there are other ways to get funded. One of our favorite ways to be funded is by winning a grant. Not sure what a grant is? To put it simply, a grant is free money for your business. That’s right, you don’t have to repay the issuer of the grant. So, if you’re looking to fund your business, consider applying to these 7 local and state grants for small businesses. 

1. City of Columbus ARP Business Grant Program

The City Columbus Consolidated Government and Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce have partnered to develop and administer grants to small businesses in Columbus, Georgia that are negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is provided under the American Rescue Plan Act through the U.S. Department of Treasury.

If you’re wondering if you qualify, you’ve come to the right place. What we know is that businesses with under 100 employees can get up to $40,000 in reimbursable expenses. In addition to that, the grant has to be used for:

• Rent/mortgage
• Utility
• And/or operational retrofitting

If you’re interested, you still have time to apply; applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funds are committed to eligible businesses and expenses. Find out more about this grant application and apply here. 

2. Small Business Improvement Grant

Looking for state grants in the state of New Jersey? All creditworthy, small, minority-owned, or women-owned businesses in New Jersey may apply for assistance under the Small Business Improvement Grant.

The grant goes up to $50,000. Businesses may be reimbursed for capital improvements, or the purchase and/or installation of new furniture, fixtures, and equipment. 

Interested?  You can find out more information and apply here.

3. Montgomery County Small Business Grants

If you have a business in Montgomery County, then this local grant may have your name on it. $2,650,000 allocated from the Montgomery County Pandemic Recovery Fund is available for the Small Business Grant Program Focused on Minority, Women, and Veteran-Owned Businesses. So, you may be eligible for funding up to $20,000 if your business:

• Have fewer than 50 full and part-time employees 
• Under $500,000 in annual gross revenue
• Have a physical location in Montgomery County
• Be registered to operate in the state of Pennsylvania

Apply by April 2023. If you’re interested, click here for more information.

4. Export MD Program 

If you have a small business in Maryland for at least one year, you can apply for the Export MD Program. 

This program, which is funded partly through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration offers $5,000 in reimbursement for expenses associated with an international marketing project. This is a monthly grant and your application is due on the first day of the month. 

Find out more about this grant and how to apply. 

5. Fort Bend, TX Small Business Grant

If you’re a small business owner in Fort Bend, Texas, you can apply for this small business grant. You can get a grant between $5000 to $25000 to cover:

• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
• Payroll and/or owner draws
• Advertising expenses
• Commercial leases or mortgages

If you’re interested in this grant, there is still time! The application period lasts until the funds are exhausted. Find out more here and apply. 

6. Business Assistance Program (Orlando, Florida)

If you’re a small business owner in Orlando City, Florida,  there are numerous grants you can apply to. As a matter of fact, one of them is called the Business Assistance Program. This grant provides matching funds to new and expanding businesses in the city to assist in offsetting development fees. Therefore, you can use this grant for:

• Street lighting and fire hydrant installation/relocation
• Sidewalk repairs
• Traffic signalization
• Water and sewer line construction
• Removal or relocation; curb, gutter, street improvements, and landscaping or installation of publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure

So, if you need more information and application guidelines, click here. 

7. Los Alamos Small Business Grant for New Mexico

If you have a small business within Los Alamos County then you may be eligible for this grant. You can get a grant of up to $25,000 if you can demonstrate the negative economic impacts of the pandemic, including:

• decreased revenue or gross receipts
• financial insecurity
• increased costs
• capacity to weather financial hardship
• challenges covering payroll, rent, mortgage, or other operating costs

Please apply by November 1st, 2024. Click here for more information. 

Next Steps

We know that many small business owners have difficulty finding local and state grants. Therefore, we recommend subscribing to our grant tracker. There is a section for local and state grants as well as national and international grants. In addition to that, we send all subscribers a monthly email with grants they may be interested in. So, become a member today and get access to countless grants. 

In addition to that, we also want to provide you with what you need to get grants for your business. Please check out the following resources before you apply for these grants:

• 6 Places to Find Grants That You Probably Didn’t Know About 
• 5 Essential Tips For Winning Grants For Your Small Business
• Grant Application Training: Step-By-Step Process to Winning Your Free Money
• Win Grants With Ease Masterclass Bundle
• The Winning Grant Application Cheat Sheet & Checklist

So, if these resources were helpful, let us know in the comments. And finally, don’t forget to share this blog post with your network.