Spring 2025 Grant Opportunity: Washington Urban Grants – Tools and Resources for Assisting Small Businesses
1. Purpose of Request and Program Overview: Spring 2025 Urban Grant Cycle
A. Overview
The Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) is dedicated to strengthening nonprofit business technical assistance providers as they engage with economic development and other partners to assist the smallest businesses to grow sustainably, equitably and financially throughout Washington State.
Thanks to support from the Washington State Department of Commerce, WSMA is opening this statewide grant opportunity to fund nonprofit organizations in urban settings that provide business training series, training workshops/webinars, technical assistance, and/or access to financing for the smallest businesses in Washington State.
Eligible applicants for this grant program include nonprofit Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Small Business Resiliency Partners (SBRN) and other nonprofit organizations providing business services to rural entrepreneurs, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), veterans, people with disabilities, returning citizens, LGBTQ+ and other very small businesses.
This cycle invites organizations that are eager to apply their existing business tools, programs and resources to support the smallest companies in Washington. Although not the entire focus, WSMA will be building on prior efforts involving workers/entrepreneurs in the gig economy for this grant initiative.
This quick deployment of very small, focused grants (total of $80,000 is available for this round) is targeted toward nonprofits working in urban communities that have seasoned experience providing business support services to small businesses, including sole proprietors/gig workers, and in all industry sectors. However, priority in this round will be given to ESOs and others that provide business services to small scale manufacturing, construction, and childcare companies in urban communities.
The application period is short with a deadline of Friday, April 4, 2025 at 5 p.m., so we encourage you to review these Program Guidelines as soon as possible.
B. Definitions
- Microenterprise/Microbusiness/Small Businesses: Companies with five or fewer employees (including gig workers, sole proprietors) that require less than $50,000 in financing.
- Urban communities include businesses in incorporated communities within/immediately adjacent to the metropolitan core of the following urban counties or in these urban counties and having a population of more than 20,000 people: Benton, Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, and Whatcom.
- Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs): Business technical assistance providers, including CDFIs, nonprofit organizations and trade associations, etc., that predominantly offer business training, technical assistance and/or microloans for the companies with five or fewer employees, including small businesses, gig entrepreneurs, cooperatives, business owners with limited incomes, rural businesses, people with disabilities, those from historically marginalized communities and others.
C. Timeline
- March 19, 2025: Notice of RFP & Grant Guidelines
- March 19 through April 23, 2025: Application Technical Assistance Available (contact lisa@wamicrobiz.org)
- March 21, 2025: Grant Portal Opens
- March 24, 2025 at 1 p.m.: Grant Information Session and Grant Portal Walkthrough Webinar Video replay coming soon!
- Application deadline Friday, April 4, 2025 at 5 p.m. PST
- April 23, 2025: Applicants will be notified of funding decision(s) on or before this date
- June 23, 2025: Project Completion and Report Due
2. Eligible Applicants
WSMA is committed to ensuring that equal opportunity is provided to all business owners including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), veterans, woman-owned enterprises, entrepreneurs with disabilities, justice involved entrepreneurs and others historically shut out from funding, training programs, financing and other opportunities. Eligible organizations include ESOs, nonprofit organizations and trade associations, etc. that provide business development services to Washington-based microenterprises, especially in historically marginalized and under-resourced communities in Washington State. Unfortunately, academic institutions are not eligible for funding at this time.
Applicants must have:
- Applicants must have IRS 501c3 nonprofit status documented. If orginzations do not currently have a 501c3 filed with the IRS, they must have a relationship with a fiscal partner with a federal 501c3 status to apply for these funds. Note: WSMA will only fund organizations with a Fiscal Sponsor for two (2) years. After that time, ESOs will be required to have their own federal status as a nonprofit.
- Nonprofit or quasi-governmental applicants with different formal IRS designations will also be considered. For example: Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Districts, etc. that provide business services to small businesses are eligible to apply.
- Unfortunately, academic institutions are not eligible for funding at this time.
- Organizational ability to provide business training, technical assistance, microlending or referrals to financial services to microbusinesses in Washington State.
- Track record of collaboration with relevant and diverse community stakeholders in planning, implementation, and evaluation of the work.
- Must be a Resource Partner on Evergreen BizLink or have a profile submitted.
3. Required Use of Funds
This is a short project period and funds must be expended by June 23, 2025. Activities can begin on the date of contract signing. Initial grant funds will be available to grantees within 20 business days of contract signature with final disbursement of funds upon the approval of the grantee’s Final Report.
All applicants will be required to upload a 2025 WSMA Funding Request Form (Excel) to the grant portal. Refer to Section 10, Tab 3 of the Program Guidelines for the format required. Please note, funds can not go directly to microbusinesses.
Funding is intended to serve all industry sectors with the comprehensive business services outlined below. In this cycle, priority will be given to applicants that provide support to small scale manufacturing, construction, and childcare businesses in the following areas:
- Training Programs that build the capacity of small businesses to formalize their operations, attract new customers, manage their finances, comply with regulations and/or apply for financing, etc. Proposals can offer either or both of the following:
- Business Training Series that provides participants with a connected, multi-session or cohort training experience where one session is connected to the next and attendance is expected at all sessions, typically with a culmination event or certificate.
- Business Training Workshops/Webinars that are one-time or stand-alone events that provide vital training programs but as individual or separate, unconnected events where attendance at all workshop/webinar sessions is optional.
- Business Technical Assistance: One-on-one and/or small group assistance to small businesses that includes but is not limited to support for accessing federal and state loans/grants, business coaching, helping businesses with implementing their business plans, troubleshooting, improving marketing strategies or accessing financing, etc.
- Microlending or Financing Support: Assistance to small businesses that provide support for accessing microloans and other financing resources for microenterprises. Funding is available to provide technical assistance, loan processing, outreach, business counseling, and other services. However, the loan amount itself and/or any fees associated with it that are normally paid by the borrower cannot be covered with these funds; this funding prohibition applies as well to any type of other lending or financial instrument. Section 4 outlines more details on the ineligible use of funds.
4. Budget Request
Because of the specific focus of this short cycle of urban grant funding, there will be a limited number of grants awarded in the amounts of either $10,000 or $20,000 based on the applicant's proposed deliverables and other selection criteria as noted in Section 6.
Application requests should be for $10,000 or $20,000. Applicants will use the 2025 WSMA Fund Request Form (Excel) in Section 10. A written budget justification for each line item is required on the form.
Grants approved under this contract may be used to pay project related expenses, including but not limited to technical assistance, training, outreach and education materials, translation and interpretive services. However, funds may not be used for equipment (tangible property including but not limited to copiers, vehicles, furniture, software and technology infrastructure) nor delivered directly to microbusinesses or entrepreneurs. This includes but is not limited to stipends, grants, transportation support, or other funds of any kind provided to businesses and/or business owners. Further restrictions will be highlighted in the contract for services once grants are awarded.
Based on feedback from multiple stakeholders, we are seeking to provide better access to different levels of appropriate funding opportunities. The Guide outlined below is designed to inform your decision making as you apply for the right category of grant support. There is an expectation that applications for the higher funding level will be addressing multiple priorities and may involve more comprehensive programing, partner engagement and innovative delivery of services.
An organization can apply for only one category. All grants that are accepted will receive the full amount of funding in the specified category, provided there is adequate detail and clarity about the work outlined in the respective category.
Regardless of the category applied for, the total fund request must be no more than 20% of the organization's total prior calendar or last 12-month actual budget. If this is an embedded ESO the 20% would apply to the budget dedicated to the organization’s business services.
Guide for Funding Categories:
$10,000 (Open for all eligible organization types)
- Must have at least 1 year experience providing business training, technical assistance or financing services to very small businesses;
- Existing relationships with businesses from historically marginalized communities outlined in Section 2;
- Ability to reach at least 35 unduplicated microbusinesses/entrepreneurs with comprehensive business services over the grant period;to track and document grant impact and outcomes;
- Experience engaging in a multi-organization collaborations with formal relationships with existing business financing partners;
- Ability to track and document grant impact and outcomes;
- If applicable, experience with serving small scale manufacturers, construction and child care businesses.
$20,000 (Best for established ESOs)
- Organization has at least 3 years experience providing business training, technical assistance or financing services to very small businesses;
- Dedicated business training and/or technical assistance capacity (the ability to deliver business programing, multi-session curriculum or specialized content);
- If applicable, experience with serving childcare, small scale manufacturing, or construction businesses;
- Ability to reach at least 65 unduplicated microbusinesses/entrepreneurs with comprehensive business services over the grant period;
- Existing relationships with businesses from historically marginalized communities;
- Existing internal reporting processes;
- Relationships with regional business resource partners;
- Innovative, effective approaches to providing business services to an underserved community, microenterprises within a priority industry (childcare, small scale manufacturing or construction businesses), programming with specialized content or reaching a new geographic region, etc.;
- Experience engaging in multi-organization collaborations with formal relationships with existing business financing partners.
5. RFP Process
- This RFP provides a practical online application to reduce waste, improve accessibility and provide a simple platform that supports communication, documentation and reporting.
- Language translation services and support are available. Guidelines can be translated on WSMA’s website. Contact WSMA at catherine@wamicrobiz.org for more information.
- In line with WSMA’s commitment to conduct an equitable and accessible application process, technical assistance will be offered to support organizations with determining their eligibility and in completing their application. some text
- Eligibility, programmatic, translation and project assistance will be provided between March 19 and April 4, 2025. Please contact catherine@wamicrobiz.org.
- One-on-one technical assistance will also be available for the organizations who need additional support with their applications.
- Submittal is required by FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2025 by 5 p.m. PST, to facilitate the review and selection process.
- Submitted proposals require an electronic signature in the WSMA portal.
- In extenuating circumstances, an official signed hard copy original with proper attachments will be accepted by mail up to April 4, 2025 at Washington State Microenterprise Association P.O. Box 1914, Olympia, WA 98507, providing notification is sent to WSMA at catherine@wamicrobiz.org ahead of the deadline. WSMA assumes no responsibility for delays caused by any delivery method.
- Questions can be directed to Grant Specialist Catherine Borgeson catherine@wamicrobiz.org.
6. Selection Criteria
Funding will be awarded based on the quality of the strategies, demonstrated relevance to the needs of the businesses being served and the capacity of the organization to accomplish the goals of the initiative within the timeline of the grant.
Applicants must be able to deliver the business programming, services and resources, etc. within this grant period.
WSMA is seeking and will prioritize applicants that:
- Meet eligibility requirements (Outlined in Section 2);
- Offer tested training and/or technical assistance services that specifically support the unique challenges gig entrepreneurs face with formalizing and operating their businesses;
- Serve microbusinesses in the small scale manufacturing, construction, or childcare industries;
- Understand the impact of their services on the businesses they reach and be able track and document that impact using recognized metrics and outcomes, including technical assistance provided, businesses started, jobs created, etc.;
- Are able to effectively describe the needs of the businesses they are serving and show how the proposed business services will impact the outcomes, including new business start-ups, job creation, access to capital, leveraging of resources, etc.;
- Organizational ability to reach and impact geographic areas, industry sectors and communities that have previously not been served by an existing or emerging ESO.
Applicants may apply for funds to strengthen businesses the organization serves. Funded programs will provide best practice tools, resources, education, training and other supports specifically designed to support entrepreneurs in every sector. Programs can include webinars, workshops, or training programs, technical assistance or other innovative strategies to build the capacity of entrepreneurs to stabilize their businesses, attract new customers, manage their finances, fine tune their operations or access financing.
Each proposal will be independently evaluated. WSMA is dedicated to ensuring that funds are distributed throughout the state to achieve geographic and demographic equity.
Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate their ability to understand, reach and deliver business services that are effective in supporting entrepreneurs and be able to document their impact and outcomes.
WSMA encourages applications that inspire innovation, ensure social inclusion and the use of circular economy principles in key sectors of our economy. For this grant, these sectors include, but are not limited to, childcare, small scale manufacturing, and construction.
In the past, WSMA has received requests in excess of our available grant funds and we may not be able to fund all applicants. While we hope to continue to support this work, funding is not guaranteed to continue in future years.
7. Expectations
WSMA Grantees will:
- Execute a contract with WSMA to carry out proposed activities within the timeline established.
- Accomplish work outlined in an approved Scope of Work.
- Submit a completed and signed 2025 W-9 or one from the fiscal sponsor, if applicable.
- If the organization is a new WSMA grantee, paperwork for electronic distribution of funds will be provided by WSMA and required of the grantee.
- If new to the WSMA grant program, will meet with staff to review payment processing, reporting requirements and more.
- Enroll as a Resource Partner on Evergreen BizLink. This robust online business search engine connects entrepreneurs with trusted referrals that provide technical assistance, business training and funding in Washington state. This hub links networks to entrepreneurs and to each other building a cohesive community to support new and existing business growth.
- Submit a Final Report addressing the questions from the Final Report Guidelines.
- Provide evidence of liability, auto and other existing insurance coverage upon request.
- Contact WSMA staff if problems occur that will inhibit work.
8. Reporting Requirements
All awarded grantees will be required to submit a Final Report on or before June 23, 2025. WSMA will provide a template for reports and all grantees will be required to use the WSMA grant portal for report submission. Please contact Grant Specialist Catherine Borgeson at catherine@wamicrobiz.org for additional details.
9. Information Session and Applicant Questions
- Questions regarding this RFP should be addressed to WSMA Grant Specialist Catherine Borgeson at catherine@wamicrobiz.org.
- Information Session & Grant Portal Walkthrough Webinar: March 24, 2025 at 1 p.m. Video replay coming soon!
10. Application Template (in the WSMA Grant Portal)
Before You Begin: We strongly encourage applicants to create and edit your answers in a separate Word document to copy and paste into the grant portal. Make sure your responses do not exceed the word count for each question. Once you are finished, paste your responses into the online form when you are ready to apply, so that you don’t lose your work. Once submitted, you will not be able to edit your application.
Portal Instructions: If your organization already has a grant portal account, create a draft application by selecting “Funding Opportunities” on your dashboard. After saving a draft, continue to access your application by selecting “In Progress” under “Applications” on your dashboard. Do NOT try to access your active draft application by opening a new application under the "Funding Opportunities" as this will create a duplicate application. If you are a first-time applicant, you must first register your organization with the grant portal.
Tab 1: Contact Information
1. Organization Information (if a grantee account is not already set up)
- Organization Name
- Organization Address - Official
- Organization City, State, Zip
- Organization Phone
- Contact Name
- Contact Address
- Contact Phone
- Contact Email
- Organization UBI (Unique Business Identifier)
- Organization EIN (Employer Identification Number)
2. Organization's Washington State Legislative and Congressional District
Tab 2: Project Information
Each proposal will be independently evaluated. WSMA is dedicated to ensuring that funds are distributed to nonprofit organizations serving businesses throughout the state to achieve geographic and demographic equity.
- Describe your organization’s ability to reach and serve business owners with five or fewer employees, in your urban area. Provide details of your connections with these workers and how you know you are on track with what they need. Provide examples of how and for how long your organization has been successful in providing business technical assistance, training and/or financing services to microbusinesses in Washington State. If applicable, include background and examples of your organization’s expertise providing these business services to small businesses in the childcare, construction, and/or small scale manufacturing industry sectors. (700 words limit)
- Which urban counties does your program serve? Note: Your organization serves businesses in a particular county if entrepreneurs from that county have attended your virtual webinars and/or if you have provided programs or business events in that county in the last six months. Indicate all that apply:
- Benton
- Clark
- King
- Kitsap
- Pierce
- Snohomish
- Spokane
- Thurston
- Whatcom
- Regarding your outreach, engagement and services for BIPOC-owned businesses in your service area, identify the communities you serve below. Indicate all that apply:
- American Indian or Alaskan Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latino
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI)
- White
- Other/Mixed Race
- Does the executive director of your organization identify as BIPOC?
- Identify the communities below for which you currently provide dedicated services and/or seek to provide with this grant funding. Indicate all that apply:
- Veteran Owned Businesses
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Owned Businesses
- Women Owned Businesses (who identify as such)
- Businesses Owned by People with Disabilities
- Businesses Owned by People Exiting the Justice System
- LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses (who identify as such)
- OMWBE certified businesses
- Businesses Owned by Refugees and/or Immigrants
- List the primary deliverables your organization will provide with these grant funds. How do you intend to use WSMA grant funds? What tools and resources will you provide to microbusinesses? Include the number of businesses, sessions, and hours of instruction per deliverable business service type - cohort training series, module/single workshops/webinars/events, or one-on-one/small group technical assistance (as outlined in Section 3). For proposal alignment, your narrative must match your numbers reported in Tab 4, Economic Outcomes. (750 words limit) Here are some examples of how you could describe your deliverables:
- Provide three, two-hour virtual or in-person workshops for 15 microbusinesses each (45 businesses, 6 hours total) on documenting income, bookkeeping resources, completing taxes, etc.;
- A training series with eight, three-hour sessions for 16 entrepreneurs; and one, two-hour workshop for 25 businesses along with 25, one-hour sessions of technical assistance for 25 manufacturers to source materials, expand, purchase equipment or manage waste;
- Two, four-hour webinars for 20 businesses each on contracting and certifications for business owners to be able to scale their companies (2 sessions, 8 hours, 40 businesses total);
- Four, two-hour workshops on “Tips and Tools for Start-ups” to focus on 15 entrepreneurs each that have not yet been formally established. (4 sessions, 8 hours, 60 businesses total) Participants will receive follow-up technical assistance (30 businesses, 60 sessions, 30 hours total);
- Three, three-hour turnkey training workshops to help 30+ new or existing childcare providers expand their businesses for accessing financing for staff, supplies or facilities, etc. (3 sessions, 9 hours, 30 businesses total);
- Three, one-hour orientations and two, three-hour workshops providing “Tool Kits” for helping 25 construction contractors each become more established and capable of becoming subcontractors (5 sessions, 9 hours, 125 businesses total);
- Provide three, two-hour training workshops for 15 businesses each on federal and state tax for just starting or established microbusinesses (3 sessions, 6 hours, 45 businesses total)
Tab 3: Funding Request Form
Amount requested: Requests need to be $10,000 or $20,000. Applicants should only apply for the amount they can practically deploy in the short window of the grant period.
- Fund Request Form: Please use the Excel format provided, which can be downloaded from the grant portal or the WSMA website. If you are unable to download a copy please reach out to Catherine Borgeson at catherine@wamicrobiz.org.
- Once you fill in your with written budget justifications AND amounts in the Excel form, you will upload the completed document to the portal. Please be sure to title your document with your organization name and name of the document (Ex: My Org Fund Request Form 2025.xls). Please upload in Excel, NOT PDF. (Refer to instructions under Section 11: Q&A Tips for Grant Application Portal Success below)
Tab 4: Economic Outcomes
Outcomes are vital for understanding the impact of these funds. Identify the anticipated economic outcomes your organization expects to reach, especially your unduplicated businesses served (entrepreneurs being served, surveyed or supported or business services being paid for, specifically with these funds) of your proposal. Intensive support for a smaller number of businesses is sometimes as valuable as reaching many companies with limited programing. Gauge your impact carefully. Put a zero (0) if this category does not apply to you. Of course, it is difficult to project into the future. This section is important for WSMA to evaluate your best understanding for the goals you want to achieve for these grant funds and to get a sense for how you will achieve them.
Jobs & Businesses
- Jobs created with these funds (If an existing business you served hires a new employee, that is a job created. If a person you served with business assistance starts a new business [see definition below], that is one job created.)
- Jobs Saved (If a business is able to keep a person on as an employee as a result of the business services your organization provided, it is a job saved.)
- Businesses Started (If the entrepreneur you served formalizes their business with a UBI number/business license, establishes an EIN, and/or sets up a business bank account, etc. it is considered a business started.)
- Businesses Expanded (If a business is able to reach new markets, increase their revenue, access financing, expand on their physical space or hire more employees as a result of the business services your organization provided to this business, it can be counted as a business expansion.)
- Total UNDUPLICATED Business (existing and start-up) Served (Unduplicated counts a business one time no matter how many services [a workshop, a webinar, a TA session] are attended or received.)
Business Training Series (Group-based, connected, multi-session or cohort training experience where one session is connected to the next and attendance is expected at all sessions, typically with a culmination event or certificate.)
- Sessions Provided (Number of sessions in a training series)
- Businesses (Existing and Start-up) served (Number of businesses that attended the training series)
- Total Hours of Instruction (Total number of hours of all the sessions)
Business Workshops/Webinars (One-time or stand-alone events that provide vital training programs but as individual or separate, unconnected events where attendance at all workshop/webinar sessions is optional.)
- Sessions Provided (Number of stand-alone workshops or webinars provided)
- Businesses (Existing and Start-up) Served (Number of participants that attended each of the workshop[s] or webinar[s])
- Total Hours of Instruction (Hours only. For example, two, one-hour workshops would be two hours of instruction)
Technical Assistance (Business provider or specialist supporting the needs of a specific business or small group of businesses)
- Sessions Provided (Number of meetings or appointments regardless of the number of hours)
- Businesses (Existing and Start-up) Served (Number of participants that received at least one business technical assistance hour of support)
- Total Hours of Technical Instruction (Hours only. For example, if business had two appointments, lasting two hours each, the total would be four hours)
Access to Financing (Loans/Grants)
- Businesses (Existing and Start-up) Served
- Referrals to Local/Regional Lenders as a Result of the Project (Number of businesses introduced to a financing partner)
- Loans/Grants Applied For (An application for funding is submitted)
- Loans/Grants Funded (Funding is awarded)
- Total Amount Funded/Received (Total funding dollars awarded to the business)
Demographics of Those to be Served
- # of Veteran Owned Businesses
- # of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Businesses
- # of Women Owned Businesses (who identify as such)
- # of Businesses Owned by People with Disabilities
- # of Businesses Owned by People Exiting the Justice System
- # of LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses (who identify as such)
- # of OMWBE Certified Businesses
- # of Businesses Owned by Refugees and/or Immigrants
Tab 5: Attachments to Upload
- Organizational Budget (not the project budget) for the current or 2025 calendar year.
- Organizational Profit & Loss (P&L) or Income Statement for the 2024 calendar year. This document shows how much your organization has spent and earned over a 12-month period.
- Organization (or fiscal sponsor) IRS 501c3 Letter of Determination. The IRS determination letter notifies a nonprofit organization that its application for federal tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) has been approved. If you do not currently have a 501c3 filed with the IRS, you must have a fiscal agency with a 501c3 to serve as your fiscal sponsor with documentation defining the relationship. As noted in Section 2, WSMA will only fund organizations with a Fiscal Sponsor for two (2) years. After that time, ESOs will be required to have their own federal status as a nonprofit. Nonprofit or quasi-governmental applicants with different formal IRS designations will also be considered. For example: Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Districts, etc. that provide business services to small businesses are eligible to apply. Unfortunately, academic institutions are not eligible for WSMA funding at this time.
Tab 6: Certifications & Attestation
- I certify this nonprofit does not discriminate with regard to employees, volunteers, delivery of programs or services, or clients served based on age, sex, religion/creed, race, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, marital status, military or veteran's status, pregnancy or genetic information.
- I certify that my non-profit is active and does not have any compliance or regulatory issues with state or federal agencies, as of the date of signature.
- I certify that I am authorized to submit this proposal to WSMA on behalf of the organization.
Please Note: By entering your name, title, and date into the WSMA Grant Portal, you are:
- Representing that you are an officer or other agent duly authorized to enter into legally binding agreements.
- Agreeing to submit this WSMA grant application in an electronic form which shall be bound by its contents as an electronic transaction.
- Agreeing that your insertion of this data constitutes an electronic signature.
11. Q & A and Tips For Grant Application Portal Success:
Can you walk me through the application portal?
An application walk through on the WSMA grant portal will be part of the Information Sessions & Grant Portal Walkthrough Webinar on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 1 p.m. The video will be posted on the WSMA YouTube Channel. If your organization already has a grant portal account, create a draft application by selecting “Funding Opportunities” on your dashboard. After saving a draft, continue to access your application by selecting “In Progress” under “Applications” on your dashboard. Do NOT try to access your active draft application by opening a new application under the "Funding Opportunities" as this will create a duplicate application. If you are a first-time applicant, you must first register your organization with the grant portal.
Can we save our application in sections in your online grant application?
Yes, the WSMA grant portal also allows applicants to save their work in draft form to come back to before submitting the final version.
If we submit our proposal before the deadline, can we go back into the portal and make changes?
Unfortunately, once an applicant submits their application, you can NOT make changes. However, if you accidentally submit before completion of the application, please contact WSMA Grant Specialist Catherine Borgeson at catherine@wamicrobiz.org.
Who needs to certify our application?
The person ultimately responsible for this project should certify the application. This could be an executive director, board president, chief financial officer, etc.
How will I know if my application was received?
You will receive a confirmation email to the address you provided from our grant portal from noreply@smartsimple.com, which will also include a PDF of your application for your records. You will also receive email communications as your application moves through the review process and if our reviewers require additional information.
How will I know if my application was awarded or declined?
You will receive a confirmation email from WSMA staff on or before December 20, 2024 to the address you provided.
What do we upload our Funding Request Form to the grant portal?
Once completed, you will upload this document to the portal (Tab 3) using the upload graphic that appears after you click Save Draft (outlined below). Please upload in Excel, NOT PDF.
On the WSMA grant portal (Tab 3: Funding Request), how do I access the upload button for the 2024 WSMA Grants Funding Request Form?
You must first enter the amount requested from WSMA ($10,000 or $20,000) and then click Save Draft. Once this is done, reopen the Funding Request tab (Tab 3) and an upload graphic (file with an up arrow) will appear and you will use this to upload your completed Fund Request Form.
Grant Forms:
