Last verified: October 14, 2026.
A Chattanooga-area credit union is giving away $300,000 to 15 small businesses, with applications due October 26, 2026. In Tennessee, most open grant money right now comes from regional contests, not the state. You pitch, and judges pick winners.
Grants are only one option. See every way to fund your business.
New to grants? Start with the small business grants hub and how to apply for a small business grant.
Local and state sources in Tennessee
| Source | What it offers | Status on October 14, 2026 | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union | Idea Leap Grant pitch competitions | Open; see program below | https://www.tvfcu.com/business/idea-leap/grant/ |
| The Biz Foundry (Cookeville) | Start Here Pitch Competition | Open; see program below | https://thebizfoundry.org/events/pitch |
| Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development | State business programs | See official page | https://tnecd.com/ |
In Tennessee, a good pitch is the grant application.
Programs open now, verified today
TVFCU Idea Leap Grant
- Amount: $300,000 across three regions, with a $50,000 top prize. Winners take a share of that pool.
- Who qualifies: for-profit businesses in TVFCU's 17-county service area (Chattanooga, Ocoee and Northwest Georgia regions), open and earning revenue for at least 12 months, with 2 to 25 employees and under $2.5 million in revenue. Owners must be 18 or older. Apply to one regional contest only.
- Deadline: apply by Monday, October 26, 2026 at 5 p.m. Eastern.
- Official page: https://www.tvfcu.com/business/idea-leap/grant/
Start Here Pitch Competition (Upper Cumberland)
- Amount: $10,000 for first, $5,000 for second, $2,500 for third, and a $250 fan favorite award.
- Who qualifies: concept or startup-stage businesses planning to reach or add $1 million in revenue and more than five employees within three years, serving a regional or national market, with a tie to Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.
- Deadline: applications close Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Finals are November 18 in Cookeville.
- Official page: https://thebizfoundry.org/events/pitch
Skip $10,000 Growth Grant (nationwide)
- Amount: one $10,000 grant.
- Who qualifies: U.S.-based entrepreneurs and small business owners age 18 or older, so Tennessee owners can apply.
- Deadline: apply by Thursday, December 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
- Official page: https://helloskip.com/funding-details/10k-grants-fall-2026
Tips: free help in Tennessee
Tennessee SBDC offices help with plans and pitch practice. Find an SBDC, SCORE mentor or Women's Business Center with the SBA local assistance locator.
How to apply without missing a step
- Confirm your address is inside the program area before anything else.
- Read who qualifies: employee counts, years open and revenue limits knock out most applicants.
- Gather your business license, recent tax return, quotes or photos the page asks for.
- Note the time zone and hour on every deadline, then submit a day early.
Example
Here's a hypothetical. Marcus owns Ocoee Ridge Outfitters (a made-up business), a kayak rental shop in Polk County with four employees. He has run it for three seasons. He applies to Idea Leap in the Ocoee region contest and asks the local SBDC to review his answers first.
Scam red flags
- Grants.gov says applying for a federal grant is completely free.
- Nobody legitimate asks for a fee to release a grant you won.
- The SBA only emails from addresses ending in @SBA.gov.
- Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.FTC.gov. See Grants.gov on grant fraud and our grant fee scams guide.
Next steps if no grant fits
See small business grants open now, or use the full funding guide linked near the top of this page.
Related: grants by business type: women-owned, minority-owned, startups, veteran-owned, sole proprietors and rural businesses.
Sources
All checked October 14, 2026.
- TVFCU Idea Leap: https://www.tvfcu.com/business/idea-leap/grant/
- Start Here Pitch Competition: https://thebizfoundry.org/events/pitch
- Tennessee ECD: https://tnecd.com/
- Skip Growth Grant: https://helloskip.com/funding-details/10k-grants-fall-2026
- SBA, Grants: https://www.sba.gov/loans/additional-funding-opportunities/grants/
- Grants.gov, Grant fraud: https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-fraud
- FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/