Women Entrepreneurs grant

[from Philanthropy News Digest] Women's clothing retailer Eileen Fisher provides support to woman entrepreneurs through their annual Business Grant Program.

The program seeks applicants from wholly women-owned businesses that combine the principles of social consciousness, sustainability, and innovation to create new businesses or invigorate existing ones. In addition to the key social principals, applicants must have a solid business plan and a strategy for long term growth.

To be considered for a grant, businesses must produce products that foster environmental and economic health in the global community. (The program is not designed for consulting services, medical practices, and general services. It favors product-based enterprises.)

Two business categories are eligible for the grant: established businesses and start-ups. An established enterprise will have been in business at least three years and be ready to develop the next stage of its business plan. A start-up (less than three years in business) will be considered based on a solid business plan, the ability to show how the grant money will enhance the growth of the business at this time, and financial documents that demonstrate the current health and future potential of the business.

Only for-profit businesses and for-profit/nonprofit hybrid businesses (social enterprises) are eligible for the grant. (Nonprofit organizations may qualify for funding through other Eileen Fisher grant programs.) The five grant recipients will each receive a $12,500 grant, mentoring from internal Eileen Fisher teams, and a trip to New York City for a three-day workshop with Eileen Fisher committee members and past grant recipients.

Visit the Eileen Fisher Web site for complete grant program guidelines, the application form, and information on previous grantees.

Link to Complete RFP

Knight Foundation Awards $1 Million to JumpStart America

[from Philanthropy News Digest] JumpStart America, an initiative of Cleveland-based JumpStart, has announced a $1 million challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (http://www.knightfdn.org/).

The grant will help JumpStart America raise an additional $14 million to expand the program to twenty additional cities over the next three years. Part of the Startup America Partnership, the community-focused effort will build on regional partnerships to spur the creation of new jobs by developing, identifying, and supporting high-impact entrepreneurs.

In communities hit hard by job loss, JumpStart works to bring traditional economic development groups together with an array of entrepreneurs and other public, private, philanthropic, and institutional partners and leaders. The group then conducts research, develops frameworks and strategies, and helps raise resources and support for the entrepreneurs.

"JumpStart's approach is based on one simple truth: to succeed in creating an environment for innovation, we must deliberately focus on engaging the community in determining the best way forward," said Paula Ellis, the Knight Foundation's vice president for strategic initiatives. "Its focus on empowering transformational change while leveraging technological solutions like the online community IdeaCrossing demonstrates the type of innovative approaches we encourage."

“JumpStart to Promote Entrepreneurship in 20 New Cities With $1 Million in Support From Knight Foundation.” JumpStart Press Release 2/07/12.
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RMAP

The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) is a program administered through the USDA.  The program provides loan capital and technical assistance grants to small business development organizations to make loans and provide support to startup and existing rural business.  To read more about the program and funding challenges from the Center for Rural Affairs, click here.

Women's Roundtable grant for women biz owners

Gerry B Wallerstein was one of our founding members who proposed the idea of having a pool of money available for women business owners who may not qualify for, or have access to, more traditional funding sources. This idea became a reality in 1997 when the fund was established. Regrettably, Gerry lost her battle with cancer in 1999.The Fund was then named in her honor to recognize her unshakable spirit, passion and commitment to helping women business owners and entrepreneurs.

To be considered for a grant, you must meet several criteria and complete a grant application by March 1. To learn more, go to www.wrterie.org and click on “Wallerstein Fund” and the link to the grant application. Complete the form and mail it to: The Women’s Roundtable, Wallerstein Grant Application, P.O. Box 3922,
Erie, PA 16508.

ARC Launches Global Appalachia Export Initiative

The $1.5 million Global Appalachia export program will enhance small-business exporting in the 13 Appalachian states and support the export of Appalachia's unique products and assets. The program is projected to generate $150 million in export revenues over the next three years. Press release

Storm relief grant funding

[41 Pa.B. 5720]
[Saturday, October 22, 2011]

 The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces the availability of emergency Storm Relief Grant Funding of 50% up to $9,500 from the Commonwealth's Advantage Grant Program (Program) for small business pollution prevention. Small Business Storm Relief Advantage is a grant program which may enable a small business to implement pollution prevention project, must prevent or mitigate an imminent threat to public health or safety and can help small businesses cut costs and reduce the risk of potential regulatory problems. Costs incurred after August 26, 2011, and before December 31, 2011, are eligible for grant consideration.

 An eligible applicant must be a for-profit small business owner whose business or facility is located within this Commonwealth. All Commonwealth small businesses are eligible, including, but not limited to, manufacturers, retailers, service providers, mining businesses and agricultural concerns. The project to which the grant will apply must be located within the applicant's Commonwealth facility.

 For a copy of the application to review the Program's eligibility requirements, contact Rhonda Brown, Office of the Small Business Ombudsman, (717) 772-8909. To ask a specific question concerning a project type, write to epadvantagegrant@state.pa.us before submitting an application. The Department will continue accepting applications until December 31, 2011, or until funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first.

 Applications are most quickly obtained from the Department's web site at www.dep.state.pa.us (DEP Keyword: sradvantage). Applications are also available by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of the Small Business Ombudsman, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772, (717) 772-8909. The application package contains the materials and instructions necessary for applying for a grant.

 Applications must be postmarked or hand delivered by 4 p.m. on December 31, 2011. Faxes or other electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Small Business Lending Fund

[from Senator Casey's website] Wednesday, September 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today announced that seven Pennsylvania community banks received over $24 million through the U.S Treasury Department’s Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF) to help small businesses access capital and create jobs.

“All across Pennsylvania, small business owners are telling me that they want to expand and create jobs,” said Senator Casey. “These funds will help small businesses get the resources they need to put people back to work and move Pennsylvania’s economy forward.”

Pennsylvania community banks have received over $190 million through the SBLF program.

The Pennsylvania community banks receiving funding as part of today’s announcement include:

• The Reinvestment Fund, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA) -- $11.7 million
• First Resource Bank (Exton, PA) -- $5.1 million
• The Victory Bancorp, Inc. (Limerick, PA) -- $3.4 million
• Bridgeway Capital, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) -- $1.8 million
• The Progress Fund (Greensburg, PA) -- $1.1 million
• Community First Fund (Lancaster, PA) -- $862,000
• Northside Community Development Fund (Pittsburgh, PA) -- $250,000

There are over 275,000 small businesses in Pennsylvania that employ over 3.2 million people. 

Senator Casey wrote letters of support for three loans announced today, including The Progress Fund in Greensburg as well as Bridgeway Capital, Inc. and the Northside Community Development Fund in Pittsburgh.

The SBLF was established as part of the Small Business Jobs Act (SBJA), which Senator Casey fought hard to enact and the President signed into law on September 27, 2010. The SBJA encourages community banks to increase their lending to small businesses, helping those companies expand their operations and create new jobs.

The SBLF helps small businesses by providing capital to community banks that hold under $10 billion in assets. The dividend rate a community bank pays on SBLF funding is reduced as that bank increases its lending to small businesses – providing a strong incentive for new lending to small businesses so they can expand and create jobs.