Small Business Grant Programs in California 2026

Matching reimbursement grants for Carson business tenants and property owners to improve storefront aesthetics and attract visitors along major commercial corridors. First come, first served. Complimentary architectural services and application assistance are available. Funding is only guaranteed once a formal agreement is executed with the City.

The City of Santa Monica offers matching grants to improve storefronts for small, brick-and-mortar businesses along Pico Blvd, funded by HUD CDBG, with a focus on LMI areas and historically capital-constrained owners. ​

Non-dilutive federal R&D funding for US-based startups developing high‑risk, high‑impact deep‑tech with strong commercial potential. Process begins with a short Project Pitch, then (if invited) a full proposal.

The Melissa Washington Small Business Award (MWSBA) is an annual award of up to $5,000, at the discretion of the awards committee and the Women Veterans Giving Board of Directors. Recipients also receive an assessment, coaching, a certificate of recognition, an MWSBA brooch, and other benefits.

The new Galaxy Grants page confirms the current award amount ($2,950), provides the deadline (September 30, 2025), details eligibility (women and minority entrepreneurs, 18+, US-based), and states that the application process is fast and simple. Previous winners and data on earlier grants add transparency and credibility.

The Changing the Game Grant is a $20,000 grant program from Stanley 1913, created in partnership with women’s sports media company TOGETHXR (co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird) and administered by Honeycomb Credit. Five founders will each receive $20,000 to build or reimagine a food and beverage space, such as a bar, restaurant, cafe, event venue, or community space, designed around women’s sports as the main event rather than a secondary broadcast.

The Hey Helen Grant is a privately funded initiative by Visionaries that invests in women entrepreneurs building impact-driven, for-profit businesses in the U.S. Each cycle, one founder receives a $10,000 unrestricted cash award to fuel whatever moves their business forward — operations, growth, marketing, hiring, or infrastructure. The grant is named in honor of the founder’s grandmother, Helen Roberts, who believed in people before the rest of the world caught up.

Giving Joy offers small microgrants to women entrepreneurs worldwide whose projects create social and economic impact for women, girls, and families in their communities. They prioritize innovative, creative ideas with strong potential for community benefit rather than polished applications.

The Breva Thrive Grant is a quarterly $5,000 grant program that provides catalytic funding to early‑stage and growing U.S. small businesses that are generating positive, measurable impact in their communities, with particular interest in those serving underrepresented or historically underserved areas.

Spectrum Reach’s Pay It Forward Program gives selected small businesses a free TV and streaming ad campaign, a produced 30‑second commercial, and access to marketing education and mentorship to support local business growth.