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San Bernardino city officials earlier this month called attention to several grant programs available for local small businesses.
Backing Small Business Grant
American Express and nonprofit Main Street America launched the Backing Small Businesses grant program to aid economically vulnerable, cash-strapped small businesses owners rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic’s commercial slowdowns from which many have not yet fully recovered.
“Eligible small business owners can apply for $10,000 grants for projects to grow or improve,” according to a statement by officials from the San Bernardino Economic Development Department.
Main Street America began accepting applications March 14. April 7 is the application deadline, or “once 5,000 applications have been submitted,” according to the nonprofit.
Clean Energy Access Grant Account
This initiative awards grants to community-based and tribal organizations to help facilitate the implementation of clean energy programs in their communities. The CEA Grant Account provides funding to create “equity initiatives and clean energy access opportunities” that are designed to complement other programs connected with the California Public Utilities Commission.
The deadline for applications is April 30, and total available funding is more than $5.7 million, according to the California Grants Portal. Maximum grant awards per application are $500,000.
Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro Grant Program
Private fundraising and money donated from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 Initiative have set up a grant of up to $60,000 via the Route 66 Extraordinary Women Mirco-Grant Program.
“Three program rounds will be conducted, with the first in 2023 and two in 2024,” according to the MicroEnterprise Collaborative.
Maximum awards are $2,000, with up to 10 grants made per round of the program.
LGBTQIA+ National Grant
The LGBTQIA+ National Grant for small businesses provides 25 grant packages totaling $25,000. Currently pre-registration for the 2024 round of awards is online at https://foundersfirstcdc.org/pride-grant.
Founders First, a venture capital firm, sponsors the grant program. The firm “is committed to increasing the number of diverse founder-led businesses generating over $1 million dollars in revenue,” according to its website.
Kitty Fund Mompreneur Business Grant
This grant award is in honor of Mother’s Day as well as a memorial to Founder’s First CEO Kim Folsom’s mom Catherin “Kitty” Abrams Tadlock Webster.
Grants total $25,000 to 25 “mompreneuers,” according to Founders First. The application deadline is April 16.
More information, including details on eligibility requirements and funding amounts, as well as links to the grant programs are online at https://www.sbcity.org.
