Maryland will hand up to $50,000 to a small business that has been losing customers to Purple Line construction. The window shuts Saturday, November 7, and there is no fee to apply.
Here's a hypothetical. Marrowbone Noodle Bar (a made-up restaurant) sits a few blocks from the tracks, and the detours have cut its lunch rush in half. That owner is exactly who this grant was written for.
Also below: a $2,500 grant for women and minority founders that closes this Saturday, matching storefront money in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a $10,000 grant for tech founders anywhere in the world, and a $12,000 top prize for a team of high schoolers.
Grants are competitive. We opened every official page today; trust the page if a detail differs. Listed by deadline, soonest first.
1. Can-Do CORE Grant (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
- Amount: Matching grants from $1,000 to $7,500 for smaller exterior projects.
- Who qualifies: Business owners and commercial property owners in the city's Council Priority Redevelopment Areas, such as Raeford Road, Bragg Boulevard, Murchison Road and Downtown Fayetteville.
- The catch: It's a match, and your application must be approved before any work begins.
- Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026. The city lists an October 1 to 30 window for its Can-Do programs, but the CORE page itself still shows the July dates, so call the city at 910-433-1329 to confirm before you start.
- Official link: Fayetteville Can-Do programs page
2. Galaxy Grant (women and minority founders, nationwide)
- Amount: One $2,500 grant this round.
- Who qualifies: Women and minority business owners. The program is powered by Hidden Star, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- The catch: The page says it is free to apply and takes 30 seconds, so expect a big pool. Winners are announced the week after the deadline.
- Deadline: Saturday, October 31, 2026.
- Official link: Galaxy Grants application page
3. MIT Solve 2027 Global Challenges (tech founders, worldwide)
- Amount: Every selected Solver team gets a $10,000 grant from Solve. Solve says teams receive an average of $40,000 each, from a prize pool of more than $1 million.
- Who qualifies: Anyone, anywhere, with a tech-based solution to one of the challenges, including economic prosperity, health and climate. Your solution must be at least at the working prototype stage. Concept-stage ideas are only reviewed for the Indigenous Communities Fellowship.
- The catch: Applicants report the form takes several hours. U.S. teams working on income, savings, credit or housing can also be considered for a Community Catalyst Prize of up to $200,000.
- Deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST (noon, not midnight).
- Official link: MIT Solve Economic Prosperity Challenge
4. MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant, Round 3 (Maryland)
- Amount: Direct grants of up to $50,000. There are no fees or costs to apply, and grants are taxable.
- Who qualifies: Businesses open at their current location before January 1, 2025, serving customers onsite within one-quarter mile of the Purple Line tracks, with 50 or fewer employees and annual gross sales of no more than $2,000,000. Businesses at residential locations are not eligible.
- The catch: The page calls it highly competitive, and awards are prioritized by how close a business is to the heaviest construction.
- Deadline: Saturday, November 7, 2026. Awards are announced Wednesday, December 16.
- Official link: Purple Line small business grant page
5. Diamond Challenge (high school teams, worldwide)
- Amount: Prizes of $12,000, $8,000 and $4,500 for the top three teams in both the business and social innovation tracks, plus topical prizes.
- Who qualifies: Teams of 2 to 4 high school students aged 14 to 18 at the deadline, with one adult advisor aged 21 or older. Concepts must have made no more than $100,000 in total revenue.
- The catch: Round one needs a written concept narrative of 3 to 5 pages and a video of no more than 60 seconds.
- Deadline: Thursday, January 14, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
- Official link: Diamond Challenge competition rules
Before you apply
A real grant never charges a fee to release money. The Galaxy and Purple Line pages both say there is no cost to apply, and we saw no application fee on the other three pages. If anyone asks for a gift card, a "processing fee" or your bank login to unlock a grant, walk away.
Know a shop owner near the Purple Line? Send them #4 today. For more ways to pay for a business, read our guide to where to get business funding or browse every Grant Finder post.
Verified on each official page: October 25, 2026 (2026-10-25).
