We dug into a series of grants to help small business owners and startups grow their company

Ureeka Blog - 21 small business grants to apply to in 2021

One way to get momentum as a business owner?  Find and apply for grants. 

Small business grants can come from federal, state, or local governments, as well as from corporations and foundations. 

There are many general grant programs for small businesses as well as those aimed at helping specific business owners get started or grow, e.g. veteran, women, Indigenous & Native American, Hispanic & Latinx, and Black entrepreneurs. Unlike loans or investment, grants do not require repayment of any kind. 

While the dollar amount (typically $5K to $50K) isn’t likely to make or break your business, a grant can be a good way to grow in the early stages. And, it can help to delay more expensive forms of funding like venture capital, loans, and credit card debt until you have a foundation in place. 

Below are a few tips to help you get started applying for grants, and we’ve also included a list of 21 business grants you can apply to this year. 

  • Create a spreadsheet with a list of grants, name, amount of funding, link to the application, etc. and check the FAQs, eligibility, etc. so you can include an estimate of how much time it will take to apply. 
  • Most grant applications require similar information, so compile that beforehand and be prepared to re-use it 
  • Common materials include basic business description, your mission & vision, a short business pitch deck, and a quick overview of how you are making money or a current profit and loss statement

1. Sony / Alpha Female+ $5K grants

Creatives and creative business owners can apply for funding of a specific project as well as participate in monthly challenges to win gear. 

Who is eligible for this opportunity: women & non-binary photographers, videographers, filmmakers

Region: USA & Canada 

Deadline: 2/15/2021

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2. Business Owners’ Idea Café Small Business Grant

$1K grants plus advertising opportunities with this grant program for early stage business owners. Applications are ongoing.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Open to anyone who currently owns a business in existence for at least six months. There are no entry fees and a complete business plan is not required.

Region: USA

Deadline: Rolling

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3. Black Ambition Prize

Eligible Black Ambition Prize ventures can compete for up to $1,000,000 in funding for ventures that have raised less than $1M in dilutive funding and have a minimum viable product.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Black & Latinx founders building companies in Consumer Products and Services, Design, Healthcare, and Tech.

Region: USA

Deadline: 2/18/2021

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4. Black Ambition HBCU Prize

Awards of up to $50K in grants for a Business Concept idea (ventures that have yet to generate revenue or raise dilutive funding) and up to $250K in grants for an Early Business idea, which has raised less than $1M in dilutive funding and has a minimum viable product.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Seed or early-stage ventures in Consumer Products and Services, Design, Healthcare, and Tech, with at least one Black and/or Latinx founder/co-founder that is an HBCU undergraduate, graduate student, or a former student.

Region: USA

Deadline: 2/18/2021

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5. Amber Grant for Women

$10K (monthly) and $25K (annual) awards to women-owned businesses, there is a $15 application fee. Applications are ongoing.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Women owned businesses

Region: USA

Deadline: Rolling

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6. Healthcare Safety Challenge 2021

The Healthcare Safety Challenge is looking for the most exciting patient safety and healthcare innovation startups in the nation and across the globe. Rewards include:

– $60k in cash prizes

– Open to hardware and software companies

– Mentorship opportunities for applicants

– Panels, speakers and a pitch competition

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Open to hardware and software companies working in healthcare

Region: USA

Deadline: 3/7/2021

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7. SoGal Black Startup Founder Grant

Available to new founders across the globe, grant amounts are $5K to $10K and are for people who are looking to build a high growth startup, applications reviewed on a rolling basis

Who is eligible for this opportunity: a) self-identify as a Black woman or Black non-binary entrepreneur (inclusive of multiracial Black women and multiracial Black non-binary folks b) have a legally registered business c) plan to seek investor financing in order to scale, now or in the future d) have a scalable, high-impact solution or idea with the ambition to be the next billion dollar business.

Region: International

Deadline: Rolling

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8. MedTech Color Pitch Competition

This is the inaugural version of the MedTech Color Pitch Competition, which is aimed at early-stage startups within the med tech industry. We’re looking for innovative startups to take the stage for a virtual competition, showcase their products or services that will directly benefit patients, and tell their story. Cash prizes of $25K, $15K, and $10K. Top 10 participants will also receive access to 3 Master Classes, 5 workshops for founders, and membership in MedTech Color. 

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Black and LatinX founders with early stage startups who have raised less than $1M…verticals incl. medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. 

Region: USA

Deadline: 2/5/2021

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9. Jane Walker • IFundWomen First Women Grant Program

Jane Walker has teamed up with IFundWomen, together with a network of powerful icons, to support 15 groundbreaking women-owned businesses across Entertainment & Film, Music, Sports, Journalism and Hospitality on their journey towards a monumental first. Each recipient will receive a $10K grant plus a one-year IFundWomen Annual Coaching Membership. 

Who is eligible for this opportunity: women owned businesses located in the US with at least $25K in annual revenue, in business for 2+ years, in one of the following categories: entertainment & film, journalism, sports and hospitality.

Region: USA

Deadline: June 30, 2020

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10. IFundWomen (multiple grant programs)

IFundWomen provides a universal grant application for their partner programs, which include grants to new and existing women-owned businesses. Deadlines and programs vary, award amounts of $2.5K to $50K.


Who is eligible for this opportunity: Varies (must be woman-owned businesses)

Region: USA & Canada

Deadline: Varies

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11. Epic Games Mega Grants

Epic Games has committed $100M to provide financial grants to creative, noteworthy, and innovative projects built in and around Unreal Engine or projects that enhance the open-source 3D graphics ecosystem. Grants range from $5,000 to $500,000, and cover a variety of endeavors from game development, architecture projects, and film production to academic uses and software tool development. No matter what size grant you receive, you will continue to own your IP and will be free to publish however you wish.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Varies – open to businesses & individuals and can encompass games, film, TV & live events, education and research, and tools and open-source development. 

Region: International

Deadline: Ongoing

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12. FedEx Small Business Grants

FedEx runs an annual small business grant program for entrepreneurs across the US that awards ten (10) U.S. based small businesses with grants up to $50,000 as well as $7,500 in FedEx Office services.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Any small business owner 

Region: USA

Deadline: Typically late-Summer, announced in Spring

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13. GirlBoss Foundation Grants

Awarded bi-annually, and each grant winner receives $15,000 in project funding, plus features on Girlboss.com and via newsletter, and social media platforms.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Women owned businesses          

Region: USA

Deadline: Varies, awarded bi-annually

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14. Nav Quarterly Business Grant

Nav’s Small Business Grant runs on a quarterly basis and awards $10,000 to help business take their company to the next level, as well as a $5,000 prize to a runner up.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: All small businesses are eligible   

Region: USA

Deadline: Rolling, quarterly 

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15. Halstead Grant (for jewelry entrepreneurs)

An annual award for emerging silver jewelry artists. Applicants submit answers to 15 business questions in addition to their design portfolios. The experience is designed to help jewelry entrepreneurs create a strategy to kick-start their careers. The grand prize is a $7,500 cash grant plus other benefits.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Women entrepreneurs in the jewelry industry, with businesses under 3 years old.

Region: USA

Deadline: 8/1/2020

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16. Galaxy Grants

Hidden Star, a 501(c)3 provides resources and networking for women and minority owned businesses, along with a small business grant contest called Galaxy Grants, with an award of $2,900.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Women & minority owned businesses       

Region: USA

Deadline: 3/31/2021

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17. StreetShares Foundation Veteran Business Grant

This grant is open to veterans, active-duty members, or the spouse of a veteran or active duty member. Applicants can win $15K for 1st, $6K for 2nd, and $4K for 3rd place in the yearly contest, applications typically open up in late-Summer.


Who is eligible for this opportunity: Applicants must be 21 years old and a veteran, reserve or transitioning active duty member of any of the United States Armed Forces, a spouse of a military member or the child or immediately family member of a Military Member who died on active duty (i.e., a “Gold Star” family member).

Region: USA

Deadline: Varies, typically opens in late-Summer. 

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18. Caleb Brown Urban Entrepreneur Community Grant

The Urban Excellence Community Grant awards new community businesses with a monetary gift of up to $1,000 and 500 hours of complimentary business consulting from Caleb Brown for one (1) year. The project will support those creative entrepreneurs seeking to build or grow small businesses in their communities.  Caleb Brown will develop mentoring support for the business owner in the spirit of contributing to the advancement of the creation of community jobs and economic development.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Existing businesses that are less than 3 years old or are in planning stages, and that serve an urbanized area. Companies must serve an Urbanized Area defined by the Census Bureau as the following: A central place and adjacent territory that contain at least 50,000 people and an overall density of 1,000 per square mile.

Region: USA

Deadline: Monthly, entrepreneurs can submit an application by the 15th of each month to be eligible

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19. National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Grant

This grant award of $4K is designed to help small businesses and freelancers take their business to the next level, and are usually given out on an annual basis. You will need to be a member of NASE in order to apply.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: To be eligible for an NASE grant, applicants must:

– Be a member in good standing:

    – Annual Members: May apply immediately

    – Monthly Members: May apply 90 days after joining.

    – Gold Members: May apply immediately

    – Veteran Members: May apply immediately

    – Student Members: Not Eligible

    – Dues must be current at the time of application and when the grant is funded.

– Demonstrate a business need that could be fulfilled by the grant

– Provide a detailed explanation of how you will use the grant proceeds

– Show how the grant will improve your business growth and success

– Offer supporting documentation such as a resume and business plan

Region: USA

Deadline: Varies, usually on an annual basis 

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20. 4.0 Fellowships (for education related businesses)

These fellowships are aimed at accelerating founders who are working on an idea or business that aims to improve education. This can include a school, tools or technology, or a product or service. There are small grants of $600 for businesses in idea stage as well as $10K grants for businesses that are already growing. Applications open mid-year and close September.

Who is eligible for this opportunity: Anyone with an idea to make education better in the United States. By education, we mean that your idea is in service of learning – defined broadly – and is geared at children (from birth to young adults), families, or educators. It can be a school (any kind – private, public, charter, homeschool), program, service, tech tool, physical product, or something else. 

Region: USA

Deadline: Applications open mid-year, close in September. 

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21. National Black MBA Association® Scale Up Challenge

Annual pitch competition for early stage businesses led by Black founders, with awards of $50K, $10K, $5K, and $1K. 

Who is eligible for this opportunity: For early stage companies (ok to have raised small amounts of friends & family capital or received other grants). Additionally, must 1. Be a U.S. resident, and over the age of 18. 2. Have a founder who is Black (of African descent), who maintains an ‘at least equal stake’ in the startup (if the startup has three owners, at least 33% of its ownership must be Black). 3. At least one member of each Scale-Up Pitch Challenge team must be an active member of the National Black MBA Association® in order to participate. 

Region: USA

Deadline: Applications open mid-year, due in August, and the pitch program takes place each Fall.

Learn More

Source :https://www.ureeka.biz/blog/21-small-business-grants-to-apply-to-in-2021