Credibly Small Business Award: Small Business Funding Grants Worth $60,000 for USA Entrepreneurs

Grant Overview

For U.S. small business owners looking for real capital boost—this grant gives business funding grants that don’t need repaying, but demand clarity, impact, and a strategic proposal.

Business funding grants don’t get much better than this. The Credibly Small Business Award hands out $60,000 total in non-repayable funding to three U.S. entrepreneurs making real community impact. With first place taking home $30,000, second place earning $20,000, and third place securing $10,000, this program cuts through typical grant complexity with a straightforward mission: find businesses that matter and fuel their growth.

What makes this different from other business funding grants? Simple. No lengthy applications, no endless requirements, just proof that your business has been operating for six months and creates genuine community value.

Donor: Credibly

Focus: small business funding, community impact, entrepreneurship, business growth, startup capital

Region: United States

Eligibility:
– Must be a U.S.-based active small business
– Business must have been operating for at least 6 months
– Must use a business banking account
– Business must be for-profit (nonprofits are not eligible)
– Winners will be selected through a randomized raffle

Benefits:
– Financial Award: $30,000 (1st), $20,000 (2nd), $10,000 (3rd)
– Flexibility: Funds may be used for hiring, expansion, equipment, or easing financial strain (use depends on business needs)
– Visibility & Prestige: Winning can raise profile, credibility with customers, partners, or lenders (while not officially mentorship, this kind of award often brings exposure) — implied by media / PR of winners.

Deadline: September 30, 2025

Here’s what most people miss about business funding grants like this one. They think it’s about having the perfect pitch or the most polished presentation. Wrong.

The beauty of Credibly’s approach lies in its democratic selection process. Winners get chosen through a randomized raffle system, which means your chances depend more on meeting the basic requirements than crafting the perfect proposal. That’s refreshing in a world where most business funding grants require months of preparation and MBA-level business plans.

Who This Is Really For

If you are a U.S. small business owner with something to show—six months of operations, a legitimate bank account, and a clear story of growth or impact—this award is for you. If your business is very new (less than 6 months), or nonprofit, or lacks formalized financials, this might be tougher. But even then, this is a good benchmark: planning for next year, you could build in what this requires.

This falls under the broader domain of business funding grants because it doesn’t need to be paid back, yet expects concrete results. Many business grants work this way: some from government, others corporate or foundation-led.

What Sets This Apart from Traditional Business Funding Grants

Let me paint you a picture of what usually happens when small business owners hunt for grants. You spend three weeks filling out forms, gathering tax documents from 2019, and writing essays about your five-year strategic vision. Six months later, you get a rejection letter suggesting you “strengthen your application for next cycle.” Sound familiar?

Credibly flipped that script entirely – winners will be selected through a randomized raffle. Yes, you read that correctly. No beauty contest. No pitch competitions where the smoothest talker wins. Just straightforward eligibility requirements: your business needs to be U.S.-based, for-profit, operating for at least six months with a business banking account, and winners get selected through a randomized raffle after submitting a short online application.

Minyang Jiang, Credibly’s Chief Strategy Officer, points out a critical gap: “Cash flow is critical for small businesses, but many small business owners don’t realize resources like awards and grants exist – essentially free money that can help fuel growth. We’re excited to continue this tradition and support entrepreneurs who are making a difference.”

Q: How is this different from a business loan?
A: Zero repayment, zero interest, zero obligations.

Q: Can previous Credibly customers apply?
A: Absolutely, all eligible businesses can apply.

Q: What happens after I win?
A: Funds transfer directly to your business account.

The Real Numbers Behind Credibly’s Investment

Here’s something most business funding grants programs won’t tell you upfront. Founded in 2010, Credibly has provided access to more than $2.6 billion in capital to over 50,000 SMBs, while maintaining a strong emphasis on risk management and a culture of compliance. This award program represents their commitment to supporting businesses through multiple channels, not just traditional lending.

As a fintech lending company, Credibly improves the speed, cost, experience, and choice of capital for SMBs, having provided access to more than $2.6 billion in capital to over 50,000 SMBs since operating from 2010. They understand the funding landscape because they live in it daily. When they designed this award, they eliminated the barriers that typically exclude working businesses from grant opportunities.

Q: Do I need perfect credit to apply?
A: No credit check required.

Q: Can I use the money for payroll?
A: Yes, completely unrestricted.

Q: What if my business is only 7 months old?
A: You qualify.

The Story Behind This Grant

Credibly built this award program because they understand something fundamental about small business financing. Most entrepreneurs can’t access traditional business funding grants due to bureaucratic barriers, complex applications, or narrow eligibility requirements. So they created something different – a straightforward funding opportunity that rewards businesses making genuine community impact.

Since launching their small business award program, Credibly has distributed thousands of dollars to entrepreneurs across diverse industries. From local restaurants keeping neighborhoods fed to tech startups solving everyday problems, past winners share one trait: they create value beyond their bottom line.

What Community Impact Actually Means

Don’t overthink this part. Community impact doesn’t require running a charity or solving world hunger. It means your business makes life better for people around you. The corner bakery providing fresh bread and local jobs? That’s impact. The tutoring service helping kids succeed? Impact. The small manufacturer creating quality products while employing local workers? Definitely impact.

Q: How do they measure community impact?
A: They don’t provide a strict rubric. Focus on real ways your business improves lives in your community.

Q: Can online businesses qualify?
A: Yes, as long as you’re U.S.-based and can demonstrate community benefit.

Q: What counts as “active” business?
A: Regular operations, ongoing revenue, active business banking account usage.

The Six-Month Rule Explained

This requirement weeds out brand-new ventures that haven’t proven market viability. Six months shows you’ve survived the initial startup chaos and built something sustainable. You don’t need massive revenue or hundreds of employees – just consistent operation over half a year.

Many business funding grants require years of operation or specific revenue thresholds. Credibly’s six-month minimum recognizes that impact-driven businesses need support during their critical early growth phase, not just after they’ve already succeeded.

Banking Requirements That Matter

The business banking account requirement isn’t arbitrary bureaucracy. It demonstrates legitimate business operations and provides a clear channel for fund distribution. If you’re still mixing personal and business finances, this grant gives you extra motivation to separate them properly.

Q: Can I open a business account just to apply?
A: Technically yes, but you need six months of business operations history.

Q: What if I use multiple business accounts?
A: Any business banking account works – just be consistent in your application.

Why The Randomized Selection Changes Everything

Most business funding grants create competitions where polished presentations beat genuine need. Credibly’s raffle system levels the playing field. Your neighborhood coffee shop has the same odds as a tech startup with venture capital backing.

This approach recognizes that community impact comes in many forms and shouldn’t be judged solely on presentation skills or marketing budgets. It also means you can focus energy on running your business instead of crafting perfect grant applications.

Does random selection mean preparation doesn’t matter? Not exactly. You still need to meet eligibility requirements and clearly communicate your community impact. But you won’t lose because someone else hired a professional grant writer.

Timeline / Key Dates

– Application Open: As soon as the Credibly Award portal opens in 2025
– Deadline: September 30, 2025
– Winners Announced: October 2025 (after verification & selection)
– Funds Disbursed: Typically by ACH / lump sum after verification (for U.S. businesses, in line with Credibly’s process)

Beyond The Money – What This Grant Really Provides

Sure, $30,000 changes a small business overnight. But winning a recognized business funding grant program provides benefits beyond the cash prize. You get credibility that opens doors with customers, suppliers, and even traditional lenders.

Previous winners report that the Credibly recognition helped them secure additional funding, attract better employees, and build customer trust. In business, third-party validation carries serious weight.

The publicity that comes with winning can drive new customers and partnerships. Local media loves celebrating small business success stories, especially when they involve community impact.

Q: Do I need to pay taxes on grant money?
A: Consult your tax advisor, but grant income is typically taxable.

Q: Can I apply if I’ve received other grants?
A: Yes, previous grant awards don’t disqualify you.

Q: Can I apply for other grants simultaneously?
A: Yes, no exclusivity requirements.

Q: Will winning affect my eligibility for SBA loans?
A: No, grants don’t impact loan eligibility.

Q: Do I need to be profitable to apply?
A: No profitability requirement stated.

Common Mistakes That Kill Applications

The biggest error? Applying without clearly meeting the six-month operational requirement. If your business launched in May 2025, you need to wait until November to apply for the next cycle.

Second mistake: failing to articulate community impact. Don’t assume evaluators understand how your business helps people. Be specific. Instead of “we serve the community,” try “we’ve provided 500 local jobs and donate 10% of profits to area food banks.”

Third problem: ignoring the for-profit requirement. This seems obvious, but nonprofit organizations regularly apply despite clear eligibility restrictions.

Documentation That Strengthens Your Case

While not explicitly required, having clean business records ready helps. Bank statements showing six months of activity, basic financial records, and clear documentation of community impact activities demonstrate serious business operations.

You don’t need audited financial statements or complex reports. Simple, organized records that tell your business story effectively will serve you well.

Comparing This To Other Business Funding Grants

Most federal business funding grants through programs like Emergent Ventures require extensive applications, detailed business plans, and specific industry focus. State-level business funding grants often target particular demographics or geographic areas with complex compliance requirements.

Credibly’s award stands out for its simplicity and broad eligibility. You don’t need perfect credit, extensive business experience, or connections to the right people. Just a legitimate business making positive community impact.

Corporate business funding grants from companies like FedEx or Chase typically involve competitions with multiple application rounds, pitch presentations, and industry-specific requirements. This program eliminates those barriers while maintaining focus on meaningful business impact.

Q: Can I apply for other grants simultaneously?
A: Absolutely. Diversifying your funding sources is smart strategy.

Q: What if my business spans multiple states?
A: As long as you’re U.S.-based with a business banking account, you qualify.

Q: Do they favor certain industries?
A: No industry preferences mentioned – impact matters more than sector.

Application Strategy That Actually Works

Keep your community impact description concrete and measurable. Instead of vague statements about “helping people,” provide specific examples: “Created 12 local jobs, source ingredients from 8 area farms, host monthly financial literacy workshops attended by 40+ residents.”

Quantify everything you can. Numbers tell stories that emotional appeals often miss. How many people benefit from your business? What specific problems do you solve? How long have you been solving them?

But don’t ignore the human element entirely. A brief story about how your business started or why community impact drives your decisions can make your application memorable.

Timeline and Next Steps

The application window runs until September 30, 2025, with winners announced shortly thereafter. Given the randomized selection process, there’s no advantage to submitting extremely early, but don’t wait until the last minute either.

Plan to submit by mid-September to avoid technical issues or overlooked requirements. Use the extra time to refine your community impact description and ensure all eligibility boxes are checked.

After submission, winners get notified directly and funds are distributed according to Credibly’s standard procedures. The process moves relatively quickly compared to traditional business funding grants that can take months or years to finalize.

Looking at business funding grants landscape overall, opportunities like this one represent a shift toward more accessible small business support. Traditional grant programs often favor established businesses or those with specific credentials, leaving many worthy entrepreneurs without options.

Credibly’s model recognizes that community impact comes from diverse sources and shouldn’t require jumping through unnecessary hoops to access support. Whether this approach gets copied by other funders remains to be seen, but it certainly provides a refreshing alternative to typical grant bureaucracy.

The $60,000 total prize pool might seem modest compared to larger business funding grants, but for small businesses operating on tight margins, these amounts can fund significant growth initiatives, equipment purchases, or market expansion efforts.

Q: Can partnerships or LLCs apply?
A: Yes, all U.S. business structures appear eligible.

Q: What happens if I win but can’t accept the prize?
A: Contact Credibly immediately – they may select an alternate winner.

Honestly, putting together a solid grant application takes time and strategic thinking, even for straightforward programs like this one. If you’re serious about maximizing your chances across multiple business funding grants and want expert guidance on application strategy, that’s exactly what we do at Grantaura. Sometimes a little professional insight can make the difference between winning and wondering what went wrong. Just something worth considering. CLICK HERE to get GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING help.

Common Questions About Business Funding Grants

Q: What are the chances of winning this grant?
A: Since winners are selected through a randomized raffle, your chances depend on how many eligible businesses apply. The multiple prize tiers actually improve your overall odds compared to single-winner grants.

Q: Can I use the grant money for any business expense?
A: Yes, once you win, the money is yours to use as you see fit for your business. There are no restrictions on how you allocate the funds.

Q: Do I need to pay taxes on the grant money?
A: Generally, yes. Grant money is typically considered taxable income, so you should consult with a tax professional about reporting requirements.

Q: What happens if I win but my business situation changes?
A: As long as you met the eligibility requirements at the time of application, you should still receive the award even if your business circumstances change afterward.

Check Your Eligibility

Use our interactive tool below to quickly determine if you qualify for this business funding grant opportunity. Answer a few quick questions about your business structure, operational history, and banking setup to instantly see if you meet all criteria for these valuable business funding grants.

14 More Business Funding Grants Opportunities For Small Businesses In The United States

Diversifying your grant applications across multiple business funding grants increases your chances of securing the capital you need. Here are additional opportunities specifically chosen for entrepreneurs seeking non-repayable funding for business growth and community impact initiatives:

1. Idea Cafe Small Business Grant: $1,000 Women Entrepreneur Funding: Specifically designed for women business owners, this grant offers $1,000 in funding with no application fees and straightforward requirements for established or startup ventures.
2. Nehemiah Davis Greatness Grant: $2,500 Quarterly Funding for First-Time Founders: Perfect for startup-phase entrepreneurs, this quarterly grant provides $2,500 plus mentorship opportunities for founders in their early business journey.
3. McKinsey Fast Grants: $10,000 Plus Consulting Support for Chicago Businesses: Chicago-based businesses can access $10,000 funding plus six months of professional consulting support from McKinsey experts.
4. EmpowHer Grants by Boundless Futures Foundation: Focuses on female entrepreneurs addressing social issues like poverty, hunger, and sustainability with both funding and advisory network access.
5. Emergent Ventures Grant: High-Impact Fellowship for Bold Innovators: Supports moonshot ideas and innovative projects that advance prosperity and well-being, with funding amounts varying based on project scope.
6. Breva Thrive Grant: $5,000 for Community-Driven Growth: Secure quarterly $5,000 awards through this business funding grant program focused on businesses making positive community impacts with flexible use of funds.
7. Grantaura – Grants for For-Profit Businesses: A curated list of grants aimed especially at businesses like yours. This category shows grants currently open for for-profit and revenue-generating enterprises, often with flexible uses including product development, hiring, innovation, or expansion.
8. Global Business Grants and International Opportunities: Access funding opportunities available to businesses operating internationally or seeking to expand globally across various industries and sectors.
9. Technology Business Grants and Innovation Funding: Specialized grants for tech startups, software companies, and innovation-driven businesses developing cutting-edge solutions and digital products.
10. United States Business Grants Directory: Comprehensive database of federal, state, and local business funding grants available throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories.
11. Women Entrepreneur Grant Programs: Dedicated funding opportunities for female business owners across industries, including both startup and expansion capital grants.
12. Minority Business Enterprise Funding Opportunities: Grants specifically designed to support minority-owned businesses and promote diversity in entrepreneurship across various sectors.
13. Veterans Business Grants and Military Entrepreneur Funding: Specialized support for veteran-owned businesses, including transition assistance and capital for military entrepreneurs starting or expanding businesses.
14. California Small Business Grants and State Funding: State-specific opportunities for California entrepreneurs, including innovation grants, manufacturing incentives, and local economic development funding.

Grantaura’s free platform provides access to thousands of additional business funding grants, updated daily with new opportunities. Our advanced matching system connects your business profile with relevant grants based on your industry, location, demographics, and funding needs. Creating your free account takes minutes and gives you immediate access to personalized grant recommendations that align with your specific business goals and eligibility requirements.

Terms

Understanding key terminology in business funding grants helps you navigate applications more effectively and communicate clearly with funders about your needs and qualifications.

• Business Funding Grants: Non-repayable financial awards provided to businesses by government agencies, corporations, or foundations to support specific business activities, growth initiatives, or community impact projects.
• Community Impact: Measurable positive effects a business creates in its local area, including job creation, economic development, social service provision, environmental improvement, or addressing specific community needs.
• For-Profit Enterprise: Business structure designed to generate profit for owners or shareholders, as opposed to nonprofit organizations that reinvest surplus funds into their mission rather than distributing to stakeholders.
• Business Banking Account: Financial account specifically established for business operations, separate from personal accounts, used to manage business income, expenses, and financial transactions with proper business documentation.
• Operational History: Documentation of active business operations over time, typically including revenue generation, customer service, expense management, and consistent business activity rather than just business registration.
• Randomized Selection: Grant award process where eligible applicants are chosen through random drawing rather than competitive evaluation based on proposal quality, ensuring equal opportunity regardless of presentation skills.
• Grant Eligibility Requirements: Specific criteria applicants must meet to qualify for funding consideration, including business age, location, structure, industry, demographics, or operational characteristics defined by the grantor.
• Non-Repayable Funding: Financial assistance that does not require repayment to the grantor, unlike loans which must be repaid with interest according to specified terms and schedules.
• Unrestricted Funding: Grant money without predetermined use requirements. Winners can allocate these business funding grants toward any legitimate business expense including payroll, inventory, marketing, or equipment.
• Small Business Classification: Business designation typically based on employee count, annual revenue, or industry-specific criteria established by organizations like the Small Business Administration for qualification purposes.
• Grant Compliance: Adherence to grantor requirements regarding fund usage, reporting, documentation, and other obligations that recipients must fulfill to maintain grant awards and avoid penalties.
• Application Deadline: Final date and time by which grant applications must be submitted, often strictly enforced with late submissions automatically disqualified regardless of proposal quality or applicant qualifications.
• Award Distribution: Process by which grant funds are transferred to recipients, including verification procedures, tax documentation, and timeline for fund availability after award announcement.
• Business Impact Metrics: Quantifiable measures demonstrating business effects on community, economy, or target population, such as jobs created, revenue generated, customers served, or problems solved.
• Corporate Grant Programs: Funding initiatives established by private companies as part of corporate social responsibility efforts, often focusing on community development, innovation, or supporting specific demographics.
• Grant Funding Cycle: Regular schedule on which grant programs accept applications, review submissions, announce winners, and distribute funds, which may be annual, quarterly, or ongoing throughout the year.
• Startup Capital: Initial funding needed to launch or expand business operations, including equipment purchases, inventory, marketing, facility costs, and working capital for early operational phases.
• Tax Implications: Potential tax obligations associated with grant awards, as funding may be considered taxable income requiring proper reporting and planning for tax payment responsibilities.
• Grant Application Strategy: Systematic approach to identifying suitable grants, preparing competitive applications, and maximizing chances of award success through careful planning and professional presentation.
• Business Validation: Evidence demonstrating viable business model, market demand, operational capability, and sustainability that grantors use to evaluate funding requests and predict success likelihood.
• Entrepreneurship Support: Resources, mentorship, networking, and funding designed to help business owners succeed, often provided alongside financial grants to increase recipient success rates and business impact.
• Scalability Potential: For many business funding grants, funders like to see that your business can scale or that the grant will unlock growth, rather than just maintain status quo.

Author

Imran Ahmad understands the hustle of finding business funding grants because he’s walked that path himself. As founder of Grantaura, Imran has spent years decoding the grant landscape to make funding accessible for entrepreneurs who often get overlooked by traditional systems. His mission started simple: too many brilliant business ideas die not from lack of merit, but from lack of capital and guidance on where to find it.

Through Grantaura, he’s helped hundreds of business owners connect with over $50 million in available funding opportunities, proving that the right resources can transform ambitious ideas into thriving enterprises. When Imran reviews opportunities like the Credibly Small Business Award, he sees beyond the dollar amounts to the real impact these grants create for communities nationwide.