If you’ve been a service member in the U.S. military and you have an entrepreneurial spirit, small business grants for veterans are an invaluable resource that can help you start or grow your venture.
Check your eligibility for these grants and join the ranks of nearly two million veteran-owned businesses that provide jobs to over five million Americans.
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A grant is a financial award given to support business development for veteran business owners. Unlike small business funding from loans, grants aren’t paid back, which means you can invest every dollar to advance your business goals.
These are some of the top grants designed with former active duty vets in mind.
The America’s Top Small Business award is perfect for veterans who’ve been in the business ownership battlefield for at least a year. If your for-profit business has fewer than 250 employees or less than $20 million in revenue over the past two years, you could compete for the grand prize: A $25,000 grant to scale your operations.
Warrior Rising is an assistance program that supports veterans and their families starting in entrepreneurship or looking to expand. With a grant competition and a six-step business program for development, this nonprofit offers more than just funding. This “one stop shop for veterans” provides training, coaching, mentoring, funding and networking to help facilitate small business growth.
If you manage your own business, NASE Growth Grants offer $4,000 quarterly to help you expand operations. Veterans can benefit from a 15% discount on annual membership and apply for a grant as soon as they join. This org can help businesses secure funds for marketing, advertising, staff and other business needs.
The Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Grant provides valuable small business grants for disabled veterans and veteran-owned small businesses with a modest team of two to 100 employees. It offers microgrants that distribute $1,000 to 25 recipients annually to fund business activities. If your revenue is under $5 million, this grant could offer a financial boost to keep your business on track.
The Military Entrepreneur Challenge (MEC) is a grant program from the Second Service Foundation. It features speed coaching and a private pitch session with a judging panel for a chance to win a small business grant for veterans. Register online, participate in coaching, submit your small business grant application, and if accepted, prepare to impress with a compelling two-minute business pitch.
The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest awards ten grants of $30,000 and provides an additional $20,000 to one of the grant recipients. To be eligible, your business should be profit-oriented, employ fewer than 99 workers and maintain a FedEx business shipping account.
Although not exclusively for veterans, the Venmo Small Business Grant program awards a $10,000 grant to 20 small business owners. Imagine having that as part of your business plan! Recipients also gain access to industry leaders for guidance and support, as well as opportunities to feature their business on Venmo’s social media platforms.
For veterans pursuing a calling in agriculture, the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is tailored to those in the early stages of a farm or ranch business. It offers awards from $1,000 to $5,000. You must join the Farmer Veteran Coalition to qualify, and membership grants access to a community and resources that can help support your business.
As a veteran entrepreneur, you have access to state-specific funding options designed to strengthen small businesses in your local area, including:
Other small business funding opportunities include finding lenders if you qualify for a small business loan. These loan programs include:
To explore additional small business grants for veterans and non-veterans alike, Grants.gov is a database of over 1,000 federal funding programs from the Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Commerce and more.
Another resource is GrantWatch, featuring over 27,000 funding programs. Similar to Grants.gov, GrantWatch is open to a wide audience, but its search tool lets you filter veteran-specific opportunities. Browsing is free, but a paid subscription is required for full access.
NEXT is fully committed to the success of veteran-owned small businesses. We honor your service and support you as an entrepreneur.
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Amy Beardsley, insurance expert and contributing writer at NEXT Insurance, is a content marketing writer who specializes in small business coverage. Leveraging her background in the legal field, Amy brings a deep understanding of laws, regulations, and compliance requirements to her work. As a content marketing writer since 2016, she has contributed to publications like Legal & General, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, Insurify, and NerdWallet. Her work has also appeared in CNBC, Kiplinger, and US News. When she’s not writing, Amy enjoys playing cards with her family and experimenting with new recipes.
