Grants and in-kind support to Michigan small businesses in eligible regions to mitigate the negative economic impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Successful applicants will receive business coaching from a dedicated business consultant and services from local vendors. Eligible applicants are those located in Washtenaw County.
Small business owners impacted by the COVID pandemic are invited to apply for the new grant program — Advance Your Business. The program is administered by Ann Arbor SPARK and funded by Washtenaw County.
Every qualified and participating company will be paired with a dedicated business consultant.
Your assigned consultant can work with you on strategic planning, marketing, sales, a current challenge, or the next big project you’d like to tackle.
One-on-one working sessions will be held either in-person or via Zoom, with flexible scheduling options available.
Enrolled companies will also be eligible for up to $2,500 in services from a local vendor (for marketing, accounting, law services, etc.) and a $5,000 direct grant to support your business.
Services will be available in both English and Spanish.
To be eligible, companies meet the following criteria:
- The business must be located in Washtenaw County. Brick & mortar shops or offices, service-based businesses like lawncare or electricians, and online companies are all eligible.
- The business cannot have more than five employees (including the business owner or owners, there must be five or fewer employees).
- The business must have been founded before March 16, 2020. (If the business closed after that and you would like to re-open the business, you are welcome to apply.)
- The business owner must meet the income requirements listed on the Full Grant Text RFP link.
Pre-Application Information
The program is limited to 20 participants and eligible companies will be accepted in order of application.
If you would prefer to complete a hard copy of the application, you may download a copy and drop it off or mail it to:
SPARK East Innovation Center
attn: Jose Figueroa
215 W. Michigan Ave
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Before starting your grant application, please review
the funding source's website listed below for updates / changes / addendums /
conferences / LOIs.
