Growth Fund

Crece

Starting and sustaining a successful small business is no small feat. For those poised to scale their enterprise, the Groundswell Growth Fund presents opportunities with awards of up to $10,000. This grant funding is versatile, applicable for equipment, technology, expansion, or any other means necessary to foster business growth and good jobs in Tucson.

Application Window:
Jan 1, 2024 - Feb 11th, 2024
CLOSED

Application Instructions

Please read through all of the following information and instructions fully and carefully.

The Changemakers Grant Program provides direct support to Tucson-based small businesses to support the economic growth of our entrepreneurial and small business community. These funds are a part of the The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and are being administered by the financial nonprofit Groundswell Capital, powered by the City of Tucson.

Applications are due Sunday, Feb 11th 2024 at 11:00pm AZ

Once you are ready, you will launch your application by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. The application will require some information to be submitted via digital survey and some information to be uploaded as documents. Please ensure all documents are either PDFs, Word Documents, or Excel. If you need access to computers or software or individual assistance, please use the available office hours.

YOU CANNOT SAVE YOUR APPLICATION AND RETURN TO IT. ALL OF YOUR MATERIALS MUST BE PREPARED PRIOR TO LAUNCHING YOUR APPLICATION.

Applications can be submitted in Spanish or English. Please ensure all components have been completed and uploaded, as incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Please Download and Read Full Instructions

Descargue y lea las instrucciones completas

Application Instructions_English

Download the Growth Fund Description and Criteria

Descarga el Descripción y criterios de Crece

Description & Criteria / Descripción y criterios

Instrucciones de solicitud_Español

Company Eligibility:

Our most flexible grant, the Groundswell Growth Fund is designed to provide mature companies (5+ years of revenue) with the opportunity to invest in taking their business to the next level. Preference will be given to companies who have a strong track record of high-quality job creation in Tucson and have high growth potential. Your narrative section on the impact of the dollars should include a discussion of the growth opportunity of your company in Tucson and why awarding your business will support your vision for high-quality job growth and robust revenue returns.

In order to be eligible to submit for any of the Changemaker Grants you must:

Be a for-profit business based within the City of Tucson (including the City of South Tucson)
Have 50 or fewer employees
Be registered to do business in the State of Arizona unless the business is a sole proprietorship (or will be registered prior to disbursement of funds)
Be registered as a DBA if the sole proprietorship does business under a name other than the owner’s
Be independently owned and operated and not be dominant in its field of operation
Not be facing any pending litigation or legal action
Not have any business owners, including all managing members and/or officers, who have been convicted of financial crimes within the past three years
Not have received alternate federal, state, or local grant funding to cover the same costs and/or uses included in this application
Not be suspended or debarred from the use of federal funds

Example of Eligible Use of Funds (include but not limited to):

Software & equipment upgrades
Facade Improvements
Expansion efforts
Internship programs

Ineligible Uses include:

Costs incurred prior to grant window
Payment of non-business expenses (e.g., personal credit cards, family car, home repairs)
Direct financing to political activities
Religious activities, such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization and/or those that promote or inhibit religious interest
Costs previously covered by alternate federal, state, or local grant funding
Payment of fines or federal or state taxes
Purchase of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol
Entertainment
Bonuses
Non-business travel

Throughout the month of January, we will be hosting a variety of virtual info sessions and in-person Open Office Hours to provide application assistance. Support is provided in Spanish and English.

Please review our Events Calendar for the full list of times, locations, and links.

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A lo largo del mes de enero, organizaremos una variedad de sesiones de información virtuales y horarios de atención abiertos en persona para brindar asistencia con la solicitud.

El soporte se brinda en español e inglés. Revise nuestro calendario de eventos para obtener la lista completa de horarios, ubicaciones y enlaces.

Event Calendar / Calendario de eventos

A Complete Application Includes:

Company Overview Survey (submitted electronically). This asks for general information about your company. Please be prepared to enter information such as:

A brief (2-3 sentence) description of both your company and project
Estimated annual revenue
Estimated annual expenses
How much you intent to apply for?
Business address and contact information
How long you have had paying customers?

2. Attached Documents

Project Description (PDF format)
Project Budget (template provided)
Appendix Package (optional)

1. Project Description

Your project description will be a brief, written document. Detailed description of this deliverable is outlined in the Instructions Packet.

2. Project Budget

We have included a project budget template as part of the application materials in Excel format. Please complete and submit, in Excel format, with your application materials. If you need access to Excel or any other technological support, you can attend any of the open office hours in January with the City Navigators. Your project budget must demonstrate that you have clearly thought through how you will use the funds and articulated it through a researched, accurate, reasonable budget.

3. Appendix Package For Growth Fund

There are no required additional appendix items for this grant, but you may choose to upload no more than three documents that support your project proposal or outline your businesses growth track record and future opportunity. Please note you are limited to 10 items TOTAL for upload per application.

Download Budget Template

Scoring Process:

To ensure transparency and fairness, applications are initially received and scored by a neutral scoring professional outside of Tucson.

Top-scoring applicants will then be reviewed by a community committee. Finalists will be invited for an interview.

Grading Rubric:

The company has a compelling, clearly defined project plan with a viable implementation strategy that can be executed meaningfully during the funding period.
The company’s use of funds is thoughtful, well-researched, impactful, and reasonable with the budget
The company has overwhelmingly demonstrated the positive impact that this fund would have on their business growth opportunity that would result in high-quality jobs, increased revenue, or decreased expenses (ie. high impact).
The company has a clearly defined growth goal and a clear strategy for achieving it.

Growth Fund

Crece

Application Window: Jan 1, 2024 - Feb 11th, 2024 CLOSED

Application Instructions

Please read through all of the following information and instructions fully and carefully.

Application Window:
Jan 1, 2024 - Feb 11th, 2024
CLOSED