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Funding Opportunities
  1. Economic Development
  2. Entrepreneurship
Economic Development

City Hall

144 Tichenor Ave, Suite 2
Andrea M. Mitchell

Andrea M. Mitchell

entrepreneurial & technology programs manager

There are many different funding opportunities and resources for startups and small businesses. We have compiled a list of various programs that you might find helpful when searching for and evaluating your financial options.

City of Auburn

Continually accepting applications.

General Competitions

Other Financial Assistance

Continually accepting applications.

Grants

There are Alabama organizations that offer training and assistance for grant writing and fundraising. Some resources are membership-based, while others offer free assistance.

For Women-Owned Businesses

  • 37 Angels: Angel investment group that invests $50,000 to $200,000 into each company.
  • Amber Grant: A small business grant for women business owners created in honor of a young woman who died before she could fulfill her entrepreneurial dreams. The program awards two $10,000 grant to a woman business owner each month. One winner will also be awarded an additional $25,000 at the end of the year. Applications reviewed monthly.
  • Association of Women's Business Centers: Works to secure entrepreneurial opportunities for women by supporting and sustaining a national network of more than 100 Women’s Business Centers that provide training, mentoring, business development, and financing opportunities to over 150,000 women entrepreneurs each year.
  • Cartier Women's Initiative Award: Awarded to 18 female entrepreneurs around the world each year. All 18 finalists will receive either a first prize of $100,000 and one-on-one mentoring or a second prize of $30,000 in prize money. There are two awards: Science & Technology Pioneer and Regional.
  • Female Founders Fund: Invests in business-to-business (B2B), consumer, fintech, and health care businesses that have at least one female founding member, and they primarily focus on investing in seed-stage businesses. Open to reviewing pitches from businesses in a variety of industries, and occasionally even before those businesses are ready for a formal funding round. They average between six to eight investments per year, with investments ranging from $500,000 to $750,000.
  • GrantsforWomen.org: Database of opportunities for women across industries.
  • Halstead Grant: For women entrepreneurs in the jewelry industry. A cash grant of $7,500 plus $1,000 toward Halstead jewelry supplies.
  • IFundWomen: Funding marketplace for women-owned businesses with access to small business grants from corporate partners, online fundraising, coaching and connections.
  • KKR Small Business Builders: $10,000 grants and mentoring to help owners sustain their businesses, maintain and create jobs, and spur economic opportunity.
  • Office of Minority Business Enterprise: Resource for small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
  • Opportunity Fund: Microloans to underserved small businesses, particularly those owned by low- and moderate-income immigrants, people of color, and women.
  • Red Backpack Fund: In response to the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, fund is donating at least 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female-identified entrepreneurs in the U.S. whose businesses have been impacted by the health crisis.
  • Visa Everywhere Initiative Women's Global Edition: A competition for startups and fintech companies to solve payment and commerce challenges of the future. Grants two winners $100,000 each.

For Minority-Owned Businesses

  • Black Girl Ventures: Competition for black/brown woman-identifying founders.
  • Camino Financial: Loans to small businesses to catalyze economic growth in low-to-moderate income communities. Up to $400,000 with low interest rates.
  • Coalition to Back Black Businesses Fund: Grants for those impacted by Covid-19.
  • IFundWomen of Color: Help diverse, early-stage entrepreneurs bring their dreams into reality through raising capital via crowdfunding and providing grants, coaching, and the connections needed to launch and grow successful businesses.
  • Kapor Capital: Focusing on African American and Latino communities that have lack of funding, this organization offers to help tech companies in the seed stage who are looking to close gaps in their local community.
  • Kiva: Crowdfunds loans up to $10,000 with 0% interest for borrowers who are either financially excluded or creating social impact in their communities.
  • Minority Business Development Agency: Access to expert assistance on securing financing, grants and other business essentials.
  • NAACP: various grants
  • National Black MBA Association Scale-Up Pitch Challenge: Competition with prizes up to $50,000. Membership required.
  • Office of Minority Business Enterprise: Resource for small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
  • For College Students / Faculty / Recent Graduates
  • LAUNCH (Auburn University faculty only)
  • Tiger Cage (Auburn University students only): $50,000 prize pool

For Veterans

For High School Students

Crowdfunding

Venture Capital

Non-Traditional Lender

CDFI (Community-Based Lender)