$10,000 For finishing two free classes sounds fake. It isn't. Verizon and LISC are still picking ten small businesses a month through December, and three other grants close on October 31.
Grants are competitive. Treat each one like a lottery ticket you earn with 30 minutes of honest paperwork. We opened every official page today. If a number below doesn't match when you click, trust the page.
1. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant
- Amount: $10,000. Ten businesses are picked every month from June through December 2026.
- Who qualifies: for-profit businesses in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, owner 18 or older. Finish any two free courses or events on Digital Ready between January 1 and December 7, 2026 to unlock the application, then apply once.
- Deadline: courses and events must be done by December 7, 2026. Monthly picks run through December. Final decisions by January 12, 2027.
- Official link: Verizon Digital Ready grant details
2. Galaxy Grant (Hidden Star)
- Amount: $2,500. Free to apply. The form takes about 30 seconds.
- Who qualifies: U.S.-based women and minority business owners, including people who haven't launched yet. Hidden Star is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Deadline: October 31, 2026. Winners are announced the following week.
- Official link: Galaxy Grants
3. Hey Helen Grant (Visionaries)
- Amount: $10,000 unrestricted cash, one founder per month. Apply once and stay eligible for 12 monthly rounds.
- Who qualifies: U.S. residents 18+, at least 50% women-owned for-profit businesses under $1M in annual revenue (pre-revenue is welcome), with a U.S. business bank account that can take ACH. Nonbinary founders are also welcome. Nonprofits are not.
- Deadline: this round closes October 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET (last day of each month). Note: there is a $15 administrative fee to apply. There is no fee if you win.
- Official link: Hey Helen Grant
4. CCU Business Incubator Grant (Illinois)
- Amount: $10,000 grand prize, $7,500 second, $5,000 third. Top three pitch live, Shark Tank-style.
- Who qualifies: applicants 18 or older with an early-stage business based in Lake, DuPage, Cook, Kane, or McHenry County, Illinois. Finalists must pitch in person on December 3, 2026 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at CCU headquarters in Lake Forest.
- Deadline: October 31, 2026.
- Official link: CCU Small Business Incubator Grant application
5. Lifting Up Small Business Grant (Georgetown, Texas)
- Amount: $5,000 each, for up to 25 businesses ($125,000 total).
- Who qualifies: brick-and-mortar businesses open at least one year, fewer than 25 employees, Primary Contact owns 51% or more (or is the largest equity owner), in these zip codes: 78626, 78628, 78633, 78641, 78642, 78660. Read the official rules before you apply. Prior winners of this program are not eligible.
- Deadline: applications open October 5, 2026 and close November 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST.
- Official link: Georgetown Chamber small business grant
Before you apply
A real grant never asks for a processing fee, a gift card, or your bank login to "release" the money. The one exception above is labeled: Hey Helen charges $15 to submit, and nothing if you win. If someone cold-calls you about a grant you never applied for, hang up. Don't pay for a list of grants, and don't pay up-front fees to unlock an award.
Pick the one or two you actually qualify for. A tight, specific application beats ten rushed ones every time.
Verified on each official page: October 3, 2026.