• Free (non-dilutive) cash grant of $1,000
• The Learning Series, a 10-week comprehensive entrepreneur training program that helps participants realize their potential,  introduces them to the St. Louis business ecosystem and brings them industry experts every week that also includes one on one time with each presenter after the session. (Valued at $20,000+ in-kind professional services)
• One-on-one mentoring 

Interchange is a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance made possible with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Interchange is designed to strengthen communities and individual artists within our region by supporting artist-led projects focused on social impact.

Interchange grants will be awarded to 16 artists with an active, socially engaged creative practice in the Mid-America Arts Alliance region through:

• $20,000 in direct project support
• Professional development retreats with Interchange grantees
• Mentoring
  
  Follow the link to learn more: interchangeartistgrant.art/apply

Digital Sandbox KC: Where Innovators Come to Play (Ongoing)

Digital Sandbox KC brings together people, ideas and resources to build thriving companies. The program provides much needed early-stage funding to rising stars. The region's longtime leaders including private companies, government agencies and universities have united to help this new wave of entrepreneurs. It's an unprecedented metro-wide effort to help make KC America's most entrepreneurial city.

RESULTS SO FAR:
93 proof-of-concept projects funded for area startups
35 new KC-based companies created
53 companies have secured follow-on investment
$38.2 million in follow-on funding
More than 480 new jobs created, with more than $12 million in payroll

Digital Sandbox KC broadly seeks new innovation in information technology.  The Sandbox provides innovators with proof-of-concept resources to support early-stage commercialization processes. The Sandbox may cover expenses for project consultants, market research, legal support, equipment and other market validation, prototyping and beta testing needs.

The Digital Sandbox KC process requires:
- Completion of the Digital Sandbox KC Online Application
- A Meeting/Pitch Evaluation
- A Board Vote

With the financial support of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Downtown Shareholders is pleased to announce the launch of the third round of Pop-Up! Downtown KCK, a retail development initiative to enliven Downtown Kansas City, Kansas. Pop-Up! Downtown KCK matches select entrepreneurs with high-visibility, well-sited spaces at free or reduced rent, and provides an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to test a retail concept or determine whether Downtown KCK is a viable long-term location for their business.

The Emerging Leaders Initiative is an intensive executive-level series intended to accelerate the growth of high-potential small businesses in America’s underserved cities.  Developed by SBA and drawing on the experiences of advisors and business leaders in urban communities across the country, this comprehensive curriculum provides the tools to catapult your company to the next level and help it emerge as a force in your community.

Do I qualify to participate?

This training is for established business owners and is not for start-ups or people who are thinking about starting a business. The Emerging Leaders Initiative advanced training series is open to small business owners and executives that:

• Have annual revenues of at least $250,000
• Have been in business for at least 3 years
• Have at least one employee, other than self

What are the key program highlights? 

• Customized training for “C” (CEO, COO, etc.) level executives with demonstrated business sustainability of at least 3 years in business and annual revenue of at least $250K 
• Participant recruitment begins in February through SBA’s local district offices and classes typically begin in April
• A three-year strategic growth action plan with benchmarks and performance targets to help the participant emerge as self-sustaining businesses that creates jobs and build communities
• Includes 100 + hours of professional specialized training and peer-to-peer counseling delivered over the course of seven months
• Specialized areas of training include:
  • Growth Strategies Plans
  • Financing and Access to Capital
  • Government Contracting
  • CEO Mentoring

What types of businesses participate in the program?

There are currently no restrictions on the types of businesses that can participate. Some examples of participating businesses include:  manufacturers, retail/wholesalers, contractors, professional services and food service.

In what ways does the training help my business?

The training is specifically designed to stimulate and support the expansion of your business. The curriculum provides strategies to help you access new avenues of capital. It offers practical tools to pursue new paths for business development. It surrounds you with a network of government resources and local business leaders prepared to invest time and energy in your business.

What are the overall benefits of participation? 

The end result of the executive education prepares and encourages small businesses to move to the next level on their growth trajectory and to help them emerge as self-sustaining businesses that create jobs and build communities.  At the conclusion of the training, entrepreneurs produce a three-year strategic growth action plan with benchmarks and performance targets that will help them access the necessary support and resources to move forward.  

Is participation in the Emerging Leaders Initiative free?

The only cost is your time and commitment to complete the curriculum over the course of seven months. All other costs are covered by SBA and our local partners. 

Learn more and apply here!

While COVID-19 took a tremendous toll on our lives and livelihoods, it also unleashed a wave of creativity and energy as our community developed responses to the pandemic. Comeback KC Ventures is an effort to help turn the innovative solutions developed during the pandemic into a permanent part of our economic recovery. The Comeback KC Ventures program is designed to highlight new solutions that have emerged in response to COVID-19 and to support entrepreneurs developing these solutions into ongoing products, service lines, and businesses.

Here are the specific ways you can get involved:

• Share solutions you have seen that have impact and promise
• Participate in an upcoming discovery workshop
• Serve as a mentor to Comeback KC Venture Fellows

As solutions are discovered, and on a rolling basis, at least 20 entrepreneurs will be invited to become part of a Comeback KC Venture Fellows group. Through Comeback KC Venture Fellows, entrepreneurs will importantly connect with each other, but also to training, counseling, and industry experts help provide needed support to rapidly develop solutions to meet these opportunities.

Each Comeback KC Venture Fellow will:

• Create and meet with an advisory board
• Build community through peer-to-peer roundtables
• Increase visibility to investors
• Attend classes and educational sessions
• Have an opportunity and get application support for funding through programs like SBIR and Digital Sandbox

This program is being funded through an 18-month grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, led by KC Digital Drive and the UMKC Innovation Center and is open to people that reside within the 9-county Kansas City region. We are hoping to sprint toward 10 new high-growth potential companies that generate 30 new jobs and $5 million in follow-on funding by October 2022.

All Participants are encouraged to apply for Digital Sandbox KC proof-of-concept project support.  An average of $20,000 in direct technical assistance is available per project. See www.digitalsandbox.kc.com

SLUStart I-Corps is a program managed by the Research Innovation Group in Saint Louis University's Office of the Vice President for Research. It is designed to help academic researchers, community inventors and innovators, and aspiring entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region extend their focus beyond academia, the laboratory, and the workshop so that they create successful products and services that deliver real value.

By participating in SLUStart I-Corps you can get help pursuing your innovation or new venture concept and possibly qualify for up to $50,000 in non-dilutive financial support.

SLUStart I-Corps helps participants ensure that their research and innovations will have greater economic and societal benefit. It integrates the original SLUStart program and the National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Site program at Saint Louis University. As such, SLUStart I-Corps projects that qualify as NSF I-Corps Site projects have full access to the NSF I-Corps ecosystem.

SLUStart I-Corps aims to:

• Train participants in the lean startup methodology (i.e., customer development process) popularized by Steve Blank.
• Increase the quality and impact of research conducted at Saint Louis University.
• Advance the commercialization of SLU intellectual properties.
• Increase the effectiveness of inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the St. Louis, Missouri region.
• Increase the participation of underrepresented groups, such as women and African-Americans, in entrepreneurship and the technology industry.

SLUStart I-Corps holds cohorts on a rolling basis throughout the year.  It also partners with local community-based organizations to reach target populations and deliver the SLUStart I-Corps curriculum.  SLUStart I-Corps partners include:

• Arch Grants
• Inventors Association of St. Louis
• IT Entrepreneurs Network (ITEN)
• Veterans Business Resource Center

If you have questions about SLUStart I-Corps, contact Malcolm Townes in the Research Innovation Group at malcolm.townes@slu.edu. To participate in the program, submit your application.

In honor of Innovation Day, join us for an IdeaBounce® and pitch your best, innovative idea. Receive feedback from local community leaders, network with fellow students, alumni, and faculty, and make connections.

This event is open to everyone. Prizes will be awarded to those with the best ideas! Sign up to pitch or to cheer on your favorite ideas – all are welcome!

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 @4:00pm - 5:30pm

Skandalaris Center, Mallinckrodt 128, 6465 Forsyth Blvd #128, St. Louis, MO 63105

Registration: https://skandalaris.wustl.edu/event/2022/01/06/innovation-day-ideabounce/

The grant funds are in turn granted to projects and organizations to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers. Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.”

Applications will be evaluated by a team of external reviewers. The team will rate proposals on their ability to successfully promote specialty crops in Kansas and make a positive impact on the Kansas economy. Those recommendations will be submitted to the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, who will make the final awards.

Applications are due to KDA no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on March 31, 2022. For more information, please download and carefully read the 2022 KDA Request for Applications from the KDA website: agriculture.ks.gov/specialtycrop.

• Seed Funding
• Mentorship
• Access to a Network of Global Startups
• Connections to Customers and Strategic Partners
• Co-Working Space in St. Louis

At Builders + Backers, we believe great ideas exist in every corner of the country. As Winston Churchill once said, “There are plenty of good ideas, if only they can be backed with the power of action.” 

With the Idea Accelerator, we’re doing just that. They help you put your idea into action in a no-cost, no-risk way. Their Builders learn and then apply world-class entrepreneurial ways to run short, high-impact tests of their ideas. No entity, business plan or traction required to apply. Bring your biggest and boldest ideas and let’s get started!

Apply here: https://www.buildersandbackers.com/apply

At Builders + Backers, we believe great ideas exist in every corner of the country. As Winston Churchill once said, “There are plenty of good ideas, if only they can be backed with the power of action.” 

With the Idea Accelerator, we’re doing just that. We help you put your idea into action in a no-cost, no-risk way. Our Builders learn and then apply world-class entrepreneurial ways to run short, high-impact tests of their ideas. No entity, business plan or traction required to apply. Bring your biggest and boldest ideas and let’s get started!

The Idea Accelerator—a rapid-pace, 90-day, virtual program to get your idea off the sidelines and into action. All fueled by up to $5,000 in non-dilutive Pebble Funds and powered by our partners at Heartland Forward.

Register: https://www.buildersandbackers.com/idea-accelerator-learn-more