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Small business grants to jumpstart, upskill, grow, and green your Tucson-based small business.

Register to receive a notification when grants are live.
Read below for eligibility, rules, and application information.

Small business grants to jumpstart, upskill, grow, and green your Tucson-based small business.

Register to receive a notification when grants are live.
Read below for eligibility, rules, and application information.

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Applications Now Closed

Jan 1, 2024 - Feb 11th, 2024

Small business grants to jumpstart, upskill, grow, and green your Tucson-based small business.

Register to receive a notification when grants are live.
Read below for eligibility, rules, and application information.

changemakers Tucson groundswell
We Are Here To Help!

In order to support small businesses through the application process we will be hosting both in-person and virtual info sessions and open office hours throughout the month of January.

 

Se habla español! â€‹

Business Meeting

Application 
Assistance

Purpose

The Changemakers Grant Program provides direct support to Tucson-based small businesses to support the economic growth of our entrepreneurial and small business community.  These funds are a part of the The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and are being administered by the financial nonprofit Groundswell Capital and the City of Tucson. 

 

The programs objective are to support a variety of direct and indirect economic outcomes such as: 

 

Direct Economic Benefits: 

  • Increased business revenue 

  • Decreased businesses expenses

  • Workforce development and upskilling

  • High-quality job growth and retention 

 

Indirect Economic Benefits: 

  • Clean energy transition support for small businesses (reduced exposure to on-site pollution, reduced emission ect) 

  • Increased community awareness and support for local small businesses 

  • Increased awareness and usage among small businesses of the many free community resources available for businesses in Tucson.

 

Application Information

The application window is January 1, 2024 - Feb 11th, 2024. The application includes the following components. 

Company
Info Survey

An overview profile about your company and your business needs.

Brief Narrative

A written section (2-6 pages) that covers:

  1. Your project and how it achieves the goal of the grant.

  2. How you intend to use the funding. 

  3. The anticipated impact of the funding on your business

​

Spanish and English narratives accepted.

Budget

We will provide you with a budget template where you will list how how you will use the funds specifically.

Appendix

Each grant will allow the appendix for additional supporting materials.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to submit for any of the Changemaker Grants (apart from the [CREATE] Content for Good Grant) you must: 

  • Be a for-profit business based within the City of Tucson (including the City of South Tucson)

  • Have 50 or fewer employees

  • Be registered to do business in the State of Arizona unless the business is a sole proprietorship (or will be registered prior to disbursement of funds)

  •  Be registered as a DBA if the sole proprietorship does business under a name other than the owner’s

  • Be independently owned and operated and not be dominant in its field of operation

  • Not be facing any pending litigation or legal action

  • Not have any business owners, including all managing members and/or officers, who have been convicted of financial crimes within the past three years

  • Not have received alternate federal, state, or local grant funding to cover the same costs and/or uses included in this application

  • Not be suspended or debarred from the use of federal funds

  • Not be a franchise, unless the franchise is not a subsidiary of a larger corporation

 

Please note that specific grants may also have additional eligibility requirements (ex. years in business) that must also be observed. 

Rules & Guidelines

  • No company may receive more than $10,000 in total funding, though you may choose to apply to multiple grants. 

  • Funding cannot be used for ineligible uses (listed in a section below) 

  • Your business must be based in the City of Tucson (including the City of South Tucson)

 

If your company is selected, you will be required to adhere to the following: 

  • Submit a copy of IRS Form Tax Form W 9, you will receive a 1099 at the end of the year reporting 

  • Submit an IRS EIN #, ITIN #, or SS #

  • Provide a business bank account for fund disbursements. Funding cannot be disbursed to a personal bank account.

  • Grantees will be required to provide verification that funds were received once the funds have been disbursed, for our reporting purposes. 

  • Grantees must agree to complete all surveys and date forms associated with the reporting for this funding. 

  • Each finalist may be required to attend an in-person final interview prior to award disbursement as well as an in-person grant kick-off session. 

Ineligible Use of Funds

  • Costs incurred prior to grant window

  • Payment of non-business expenses (e.g., personal credit cards, family car, home repairs)

  • Direct financing to political activities

  •  Religious activities, such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization and/or those that promote or inhibit religious interest

  • Costs previously covered by alternate federal, state, or local grant funding

  • Payment of fines or federal or state taxes

  • Purchase of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol

  • Entertainment

  • Bonuses

  • Non-business travel

Help Us Spread the Word!

If you would like to help us spread the word about this great resource, click below to download flyers and social media graphics for Changemaker Ambassadors!

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