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Key Takeaways
Small business owners can expect many private, government and regional grant opportunities, but many require early preparation and awareness of application periods.
Anticipate when annual grants are coming up this year and start preparing early for them, even before the grants are announced.
Select grants that best align with the specialties and values of your business.
Use government resources to track grant opportunities.
Almost all small business owners would welcome the chance to get free money, so it's important that owners keep an eye on small business grant programs and contests . There will be several grants for small businesses to choose , and now is the time they should research those grants and go over their qualifications in hopes of winning them.
While grant opportunities give small business enterprises a chance to win free funding to grow their businesses or improve cash flow, finding grant opportunities can be especially challenging. Finding these opportunities can take hours of research and web surfing that small business owners don't have. However, those owners can give themselves a distinct advantage by compiling a list of annual grants and mark the general times of year when applications will be accepted.
National Private Grant Opportunities to Watch For
Most grants for small businesses have specific themes, while others are geared towards women-owned small businesses and minority-owned small businesses, so it's important to read the specific qualifications for each to see if your business is eligible.
The following is a list of national grants for small businesses from private entities that typically happen annually, and the general time of year that they begin accepting applications.
Barclays Small Business Big Wins Grants
Every year Barclays Bank launches its "Small Business Big Wins" grants for small businesses, which, in the past, awards $250,000 to 60 small businesses in the United States, with grand prize of $60,000. The grant is typically announced in February or March. In previous years, Barclays has required applicants to submit a photograph that best represents their business along with a 500-word essay on how their business displayed "perseverance, creativity and passion and how their products or services make a difference in their local community."
Last year, the monetary prizes were:
One Grand Prize of $60,000
One 2nd Place Prize of $40,000
One 3rd Place Prize of $20,000
Seven Runner-Up Prizes of $5,000 each
50 Sweepstakes Prizes of $2,000 each
Verizon Small Business Digital Readiness Program
The Verizon Small Business Digital Readiness Program offers several grants for small businesses aimed at helping small businesses become prepared to operate in today's digital economy. Verizon will award $10,000 to 50 small businesses based in the U.S. To qualify, a small business must sign up for Verizon's Digital Readiness program and complete at least two courses. The program and courses are free.
Once the small business completes the two courses, they can apply for the grants on Verizon's website. Verizon is expected to award the prizes at the end of February or early March. The link to apply can be found here.
Visa Everywhere Initiative
The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a global annual grant initiative aimed at startups all over the world. In past years, qualified startups must come up with solutions to the challenge of providing the "frictionless payment challenges of tomorrow." The applicants must be small businesses that are less than a year old. In past years, the submissions were presented to the program's board members online. For the 2024 contest, the grand prize was $25,000 in U.S. currency, while the second place winner received $15,000 and third place received $10,000.
Last year, the applicants applied in two different categories: "Small Business Recovery" and "Frictionless Mobility." The grant contest usually launches at the beginning of June with an announcement of the categories. Interested startup businesses can analyze the submissions of last year's winners to get an idea of how to craft their submissions. They can monitor the program's website for an announcement in late spring.
Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program (Accepting nominations now)
QuickBook awards up to $25,000 every year in grants for small businesses that have given back to their community. The contest is usually announced at the end of the summer. Applicants must be nominated by someone outside of the business on Intuit's website in order to qualify. To apply, click here.
Amber 2025 WomensNet Small Business Grants (Women-Owned Businesses)
Every month, WomensNet, an organization that provides grants to women-owned businesses, provides up to $10,000 to female entrepreneurs in various categories, which include "startups," which was just added in 2025; "Mental and Emotional Support" and "Skilled Trades." Applications are due on the last day of each month. To see a list of categories, click here.
FedEx Entrepreneur and Boost Camp Program
FedEx, in conjunction with Hello Alice, offers 150 grants for small businesses that sign up for 12-week digital growth accelerator program, a chance to win a $10,000 grant. While small businesses must be signed up for the program, participation does not guarantee the grant award.. To be eligible, a small business must be a for-profit business in the U.S. with less than $1 million in annual revenue and a maximum of 25 employees. To apply for the program, click here.
Faire Small Business Grant
Every quarter, Faire, a wholesale pricing specialist, awards $5,000 to a new retail business in the U.S. based on a video submission explaining their business and how the award would help with their inventory management. To be eligible, the small business must have opened in the past year or plan to open within one year. The applicants must also explain their business vision in the video as well as financial information. The grant contest opens on the first day of each quarter. To apply, click here.
Federal Grants in 2026
Every year there are small business grants backed by federal government agencies that small businesses should watch for. Some of the notable ones include:
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIT)
Every year 11 federal agencies such as the Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Commerce and the Dept. of Defense award grants to small businesses dedicated to technology research. The grant amounts and number of winners change every year, and small businesses should monitor the SBIR website for details and announcements.
USDA Rural Business Development Grants Program
The US Department of Agriculture awards grants for small businesses every year to various types of small businesses operating in rural areas. Those categories include farmers and ranchers and rural land development. For more details, go to the USDA's website.
US Economic Development Administration (EDA) Small Business Grants
The EDA awards grants to small businesses on a monthly basis, sometimes in the form of tax benefits. Check out the US EDA's website for grant opportunities.
State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grants
Since 2011, the STEP program has awarded $200 million in grants for small businesses. These grants are backed by the SBA and are awarded through STEP's state and local offices. Interested small business owners should visit the STEP program section of the SBA's website to learn more.
Regional Small Business Grants
There are dozens of regional and state grants for small businesses available every year but finding them can be an arduous task. Small business owners interested in regional grants should:
Contact their regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC). These business centers are backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and are there to assist local small businesses with financial and operational advice.
Small business owners should look at their state or city government's website, because they often identify grant opportunities in that region. Some of the larger states have separate divisions that identify local grant opportunities.
Go to the SBA's website page that identifies government-backed small business grant opportunities.
Many of them offer information on local small business grants that may be available. To find your local SBDC, you can look at the SBA's SBDC directory.
There are some regional small business grant opportunities that small business owners should take note of:
Gusto Impact Awards
National payroll services company Gusto offers the Gusto Impact Awards, which selects five small businesses annually, each from separate regions in the U.S. (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West) every year to win $40,000 in free advertising, $10,000 in cash and free payroll services for one year. To apply, click here.
Citizens Small Business Community Champion Grant
Every year, Citizens Bank awards $10,000 each to 25 small businesses that are based within the states that the bank operates. Those states are New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Michigan. The awards are given to small businesses that have had positive effects on their communities. The grant program is usually launched in the first quarter. Interested small business executives should monitor the bank's website for an announcement of when the 2026 program will begin.
Lenovo Evolve Small Initiative
Every year technology company Lenovo selects 10 small businesses operating in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; San Diego, CA; Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; Toronto, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia to win $25,000 in cash, a customized AI package estimated to be worth $10,000 and inclusion in the Goodie Nation and Chantel Cohen mentorship programs.
To be eligible, small businesses in the selected areas must have an annual revenue of less than $7.5M, 75 or less employees, and use Microsoft 365 as their primary computer operating system. Lenovo has announced that there will be a contest in 2026, but has not yet given a time frame. Interested small business owners should monitor the grant contest's website for more details.
Also Read: Grants for Startups: Tips to Secure Startup Funding , Small Business Grant vs. Loan
Conclusion
There are several tremendous grants for small businesses opportunities expected to emerge in 2026. Choose the grant that you feel best aligns with your business' specialties and values. The earlier you begin to prepare, the better your chances are of winning much needed free money. That means starting your preparations before the grant is announced and studying the winners of last year's competition to see what gave them the competitive edge.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Grants for Small Businesses
1. Will there be small business grant opportunities in 2026?
There are several significant grant opportunities coming up in the next year for small businesses of every type – those opportunities including national, regional, government-sponsored and private grant opportunities.
2. How do I find small business grant opportunities?
Grant opportunities can be found in articles as well as private and government websites. For grants that occur annually, small business owners should monitor the grant's website throughout the year to check for when this year's competition will begin.
3. How should I prepare for to apply for grant opportunities?
Start early. Carefully check the grant requirements from the previous year and research winners from previous years and why they won. This should help put you in the best possible position to be a strong candidate.
4. Are grant opportunities only available to certain types of small businesses?
Some grants are only for certain types of small businesses, Carefully check the requirements of each grant before applying.
5. If I win a grant, am I free to spend the prize money on any aspect of my business?
Every grant is different, but many grant organizations require the winners to spend the prize money on certain aspects of their businesses. It's important to check the terms of the grant before applying.