Starting a business can be expensive, but you don’t have to fund your company alone if you’re a veteran business owner. From government-funded business grants to scholarships from nonprofit organizations, here are some top funding opportunities you should take advantage of:
Second Service Foundation Military Entrepreneur Challenge
Hosted by the Second Service Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping veteran entrepreneurs, the Military Entrepreneur Challenge is an annual coaching and competition event that awards grants to veteran, military spouse and Gold Star family entrepreneurs. Participants are given the opportunity to prepare and present a pitch to a panel of judges that award monetary funds to the top competitors. While exact funding amounts may vary, past winners have received between $4,000 and $15,000.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program
Created by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the SDVOSB program is designed to award service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs a portion of the 5% of federal funding that is put aside for SDVOSB businesses each year. Veterans must be certified with the SBA to be eligible to compete for the funds and can gain access to other resources and networking opportunities created explicitly for veteran entrepreneurs.
Each year, the package delivery service FedEx, in collaboration with Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, awards $300,000 in grants and educational resources to 30 entrepreneurs and small business owners. Each awardee is given $10,000; the applicants must be military-connected small business owners or disabled entrepreneurs. Applications are expected to open soon for the 2025 competition.
Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Grant
Founders First, an organization dedicated to diverse business founders, offers the Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Grant, a $1,000 prize awarded annually to 25 veteran-owned small businesses. The CEO, president or business owner must be a veteran and must be the one applying to qualify. The grant winners who join the Founders First organization will also gain access to webinars, training and other resources designed to help entrepreneurs grow their business.
Texas Woman’s University Veteran Woman Entrepreneur Grant
For women veterans living in Texas, the Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Texas Woman’s University offers a small business grant program specifically for you. Through this fund, women veterans can apply to be considered as one of the business owners to receive $5,000 for equipment, marketing, advertising or other business-related expenses. The grants are awarded annually and require documentation proving veteran status. The 2025 cycle will open soon and can be found at https://twu.edu
Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund
Created by the Farmer Veteran Coalition, the organization offers the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund—a monetary assistance program designed to help veterans in the early stages of their agricultural business. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 and exclusively go to members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. The 2025 application will open soon and should be submitted by the spring of 2025.
Southern California Job Creators Grant
Small businesses based in Southern California are eligible to apply for Founders First CDC’s Southern California Creators Grant, which awards up to $100,000 in funding to military and diversely-owned businesses. Founders First CDC said the program was designed to “create and promote premium wage jobs to small businesses in underserved communities.” The complete application is available on October 15th, and participants must live in one of the following counties to apply: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Imperial, San Bernardino or San Diego.
Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab
The Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab is for veterans and military spouses looking to start their businesses in Michigan. Hosted by Grand Valley State University, prospective military-associated business owners are invited to receive training, resources and networking opportunities to help get their businesses off the ground. Additionally, the program offers a pitch competition where the winners are awarded grants. Cohorts take place throughout the year. Applications are available on the college’s website at gvsu.edu/mve.
Grants.gov is a government-sponsored website connecting small business owners with grants. These federally- and privately-sponsored grants can be browsed for free and offer funding opportunities in all sizes. Grants.gov is updated frequently, listing new opportunities daily and hosting free articles for business owners.
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