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Main Street Initiative

SMALL BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT CENTER

Foundation Small Business GrantsCommunity Development GrantsFood Security GrantsHealth Education Grants
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Funding Amount

$30,000

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Grant Type

foundation

Overview

Main Street Initiative

Overview: A grant program designed to help small businesses grow and sustain their operations while making positive community impact and supporting retirement savings.

Award Amount: $30,000 total per grantee

Geographic Scope:

  • Primary markets: St. Louis, MO; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Birmingham, AL; Baltimore, MD; Milwaukee, WI

  • Other metropolitan markets also considered

  • Preference for businesses located in historic main streets, downtown areas, or commercial districts

    • Business Focus Areas:

  • Access to Healthy Food (food stores, green grocers, farmers markets)

  • Access to Physical Fitness (gyms, bike shops, recreation suppliers)

  • Access to Healthcare (drug stores, community clinics)

  • Access to Arts and Culture (bookstores, art supply stores)

  • Access to Sustainability and Clean Energy (eco-friendly product stores, clean energy providers)

  • Other community health and well-being initiatives

    • Eligibility Requirements

    Business Requirements:

  • Age: Business owner must be 18 years or older

  • Independence: Independently owned, not a franchise

  • Business Status: In good standing (certificate of good standing, current with taxes, has EIN, not under investigation)

  • Operating History: Minimum 3 years in operation

  • Employees: 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees

  • Entity Type: For-profit entity (not non-profit)

  • Revenue: Annual revenue between $100,000 - $5,000,000

  • Location: Not home-based, online/virtual, or in shopping mall; location in historic main street, downtown, or commercial district preferred; storefront preferred

  • Community Impact: Products/services make positive impact on community health and well-being

    • Fund Allocation

    Grants must be allocated across three focus areas:

    1. Grow and Sustain Your Business: $5,000 - $15,000 minimum/maximum for business development and/or greening initiatives
    2. Impact Your Community: Minimum $5,000 for community health and well-being initiatives
    3. Support Your Retirement: May use funds for retirement savings initiatives (establishing/maintaining retirement plans, financial education materials/programs)

    Program Requirements

    • Time Commitment: 4-7 hours per month over 6-month program period
    • Engagement: Active participation with program team and specialists
    • Meetings: In-person, remote, or hybrid format
    • Reporting: Progress and outcomes reporting required
    • Resources: Access to business development resources, specialists, and support services

      Contact Information

    • Email: mainstreet@newleaffund.com

      Partners

    • Small Business Empowerment Center (SBEC)
    • New Leaf Climate Partners
    • Edward Jones & Co., L.P.
    • Small Business Administration (SBA) resource partner: Small Business Development Center

    How to Apply

    Application Process

    The application is a multi-step online form with the following sections:

    1. About You - Personal information
    2. Eligibility - Verification of eligibility requirements
    3. Business Information - Company details and metrics
    4. More Info & Project Plan - Detailed questions about business and fund use
    5. Agree & Sign - Legal consent and agreements
    6. Review & Submit - Final review and submission

    Required Materials and Information

    Personal Information:

  • Full name

  • Company name

  • Email address

  • Primary phone number

  • Mobile number (optional)

    • Eligibility Verification (Yes/No confirmations):

  • Age 18 or older

  • Independently owned (not franchise)

  • Business in good standing

  • Minimum 3 years operation

  • 50 or fewer FTE employees

  • For-profit entity

  • Annual revenue $100K-$5M

  • Non-home-based, non-virtual location

  • Positive community health/well-being impact

    • Business Information:

  • Company name and ownership structure

  • Number of owners

  • Website (with https:// or http://)

  • Title/position/role

  • Business email and phone

  • Organization type (C-Corp, LLC, Partnership, Sole Proprietorship, S-Corp)

  • NAICS Code

  • Business focus area selection

  • Date established

  • Number of full-time and part-time employees

  • Retail storefront details

  • Metropolitan market location

  • Business location type (historic main street, downtown, commercial district, other)

  • Building ownership status (owned or leased)

  • Full business address

  • Ownership certifications (Women-Owned, Veteran-Owned, LGBTQ+, SDB status, etc.) with certification dates

  • Business metrics:

    • - Number of customers in past year
    - Revenue for prior three fiscal years (2022-2024) and current forecast
    - Net income for prior three fiscal years (2022-2024) and current forecast
  • Edward Jones affiliation disclosure

    • Business Story and Strategy (Short-answer, 3 sentences or less each):

  • How you started the business and why

  • Current products/services and their features/benefits

  • Target market and customer acquisition methods

  • Competitors and competitive differentiation

  • How products/services further community health and well-being

  • How business contributes to community identity/character

    • Business Development and Greening Use of Funds ($5,000-$15,000):

  • Detailed description of fund use for business development and/or greening initiatives

  • Specific needs or challenges this funding addresses

  • How funding furthers business growth, sustainability, and long-term goals

  • Details on external stakeholders/organizations involved

  • Suppliers/contractors identified

  • Permits needed and status

  • Estimated budget and timeline (bullet points acceptable)

  • Document Upload: Budget and timeline (max 50 MB, 1 file)

  • Types of services/support needed (marketing, tax assistance, customer relations, accounting, etc.)

  • Importance of environmental sustainability to future of business

  • How environmental sustainability factors into current operations

  • Steps taken to increase/prioritize sustainability

  • Challenges/barriers to adopting sustainable practices

  • Optional: Additional details on operations, growth, and sustainability

    • Community Impact Use of Funds (Minimum $5,000):

  • Current community engagement and giving back activities

  • Description of planned community project

  • Specific community needs/challenges addressed

  • Desired impact to achieve

  • Steps already taken

  • Anticipated challenges

  • Estimated budget and timeline

  • Document Upload: Budget and timeline (max 50 MB, 2 files)

  • External stakeholders/organizations involved

  • Suppliers/contractors identified

  • Permits needed and status

  • Aspects needing assistance (planning, stakeholder engagement, etc.)

  • Optional: Additional details on community engagement and impact

    • Retirement Savings Use of Funds:

  • Importance of retirement planning (personal and for employees)

  • Steps taken toward retirement setup/planning

  • Current employee retirement plan status

  • Current retirement savings prioritization

  • Retirement goals and accounts

  • Biggest barriers to retirement preparation

  • Meaning of receiving funding and guidance for retirement savings

  • Long-term financial security plans

  • Long-term employee financial wellness support plans

  • Meaning of receiving funding for employee retirement/financial wellness programs

  • General breakdown of grant fund use for retirement savings

  • Optional: Additional details on saving for future

    • Legal Consent:

  • Agreement to release and waive claims for grant funds and counseling

  • Request for SBA Small Business Development Center counseling (optional)

  • Request for SBEC, New Leaf Climate Partners, and Edward Jones counseling and assistance (optional)

  • Self-certification of not being debarred, suspended, or ineligible from federal business

      • Submission Format

    • Online form with mandatory field indicators (*)
    • Progress saves as you complete forms
    • Document uploads (PDF/image formats)
    • Text entry fields with character/length limits where specified
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    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    small-businessescommunity-developmentfood-securityhealth-educationenergy-efficiency

    Categories

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