$5,000 From Intuit if you finish the year. Up to $90,000 from Pave HER Way if your project helps women and girls. Both windows close this week: Intuit tomorrow, October 15; Pave HER Way on Friday, October 16 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
Veteran and military-spouse founders: the Tadlock $1,000 micro-grant also closes tomorrow, October 15. We listed it earlier this month; this is the last call. Official link: https://foundersfirstcdc.org/stephen-tadlock
Three more are still open after that: a campus pitch that can pay $500 on the spot, a Columbia student pitch for a share of $10,000, and a Santa Clarita corridor grant of up to $35,000.
Grants are competitive. Read who qualifies first, then the deadline. We opened every official page on October 13. If a detail below doesn't match when you click, trust the page. They're listed by deadline, soonest first.
1. Intuit IDEAS Program (selected U.S. markets + military cohort)
- Amount: a $5,000 cash grant paid upon successful completion of the 12-month program, not when you apply. Eligible participants may also receive a $1,000 technology grant. Selected businesses get free Intuit product access and training (valued at $10,000+), plus a year of executive coaching and business advising.
- Who qualifies: registered for-profit small businesses in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, or West Virginia (owners should live within about 40 miles of the metro area), or military veteran and military-spouse owned businesses nationwide (virtual cohort). Los Angeles has a separate LA28 cohort covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties, with the same October 15 deadline. Ideal applicants have at least one year in operation. Nonprofits and C Corporations are out.
- The catch: this is a year-long accelerator, not a same-week check. Expect 3 to 5 hours a month, and final acceptance depends on completing QuickBooks onboarding.
- Deadline: October 15, 2026. Late submissions are not accepted.
- Official link: https://www.intuit.com/ideas/
2. Pave HER Way Disruptor Award (women with public-benefit projects)
- Amount: up to $90,000 per award, at Pave HER Way's discretion. Mentorship and a cohort are required: about 5 hours per month across a 24-month award period.
- Who qualifies: women 18 or older who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with a project or idea that has a clear public benefit for women and girls. An established business or nonprofit is not required. Apply for either the Disruptor Award or the Financial Aid Award, not both.
- The catch: Disruptor applicants who advance must interview, and decisions are expected by December 31, 2026. If a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity sponsors your project, the grant goes to that charity; otherwise it is paid to you and is taxable to you.
- Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
- Official link: https://paveherway.org/
3. No Experience Necessary (NEN) Challenge (campus pitch tour)
- Amount: $500 on the spot if the judge picks your live pitch (at least 30 mini-grants across the tour). Mini-grant winners can then enter a later virtual pitch competition where ten founders win $25,000 each. That $25,000 final is governed by separate official rules.
- Who qualifies: individuals 18 or older, legal residents of the U.S. or Canada, registered for a campus stop. You pitch as a person, not as a company. No slides. 60 seconds.
- The catch: you must be at the Airstream in person, and a pitch slot is not guaranteed. Spend the $500 within 7 days, then submit receipts and a full pitch. Upcoming stops include George Washington (October 15), Brandeis (October 16), Michigan State (October 20), Vanderbilt (October 26), and Oregon (October 29).
- Deadline: the tour runs through November 19, 2026. Register for a stop you can reach.
- Official link: https://www.nenchallenge.com/
4. Columbia Fast Pitch (Columbia students and recent alumni)
- Amount: a share of a $10,000 prize pool split among the top teams, not $10,000 each, plus an audience-choice prize.
- Who qualifies: Columbia undergrad and grad students. Alumni no more than 2 years out (2024 or later) may apply; preference goes to current students and first-time participants. Mixed teams need at least 50% Columbia students or eligible alumni.
- The catch: you apply with a 60-second pitch video with no slides. The live event is November 18, 2026.
- Deadline: October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Official link: https://entrepreneurship.engineering.columbia.edu/fast-pitch/
5. Bouquet Canyon Business Assistance Grant (Santa Clarita, California)
- Amount: up to $35,000 per business, based on verified revenue decline, covering up to 50% of eligible fixed operating expenses for six months. One grant per business.
- Who qualifies: only businesses on the listed Bouquet Canyon corridor parcels (APNs 2812-038-005, 2812-038-006, 2812-038-007 and 2812-008-030). You must be a for-profit business or eligible non-religious nonprofit, operating there at least 12 months before the road closure, with a measurable revenue decline during the closure. National or regional chains (unless franchised) and commercial property owners are out.
- The catch: funds cover rent, utilities, insurance and payroll only. You must stay open two years after signing the grant agreement, or the city may require repayment of a pro-rata share. The October 5 info session already happened; the city posted the slides, and applications are open without it.
- Deadline: November 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Official link: https://econdev.santaclarita.gov/business-assistance-grant-program/
Before you apply
A real grant never asks for a processing fee, a gift card, or your bank login to release the money. None of the five above lists an application fee on its official page. If someone calls about a grant you never applied for, hang up.
If #1 fits, start tonight. Friday's $90,000 window will not wait either.
Verified on each official page: October 13, 2026.