Grant Overview

Most pages you will find when you search for this grant right now are describing the wrong program entirely. They are showing $10,000 awards and December 2025 deadlines. That was a separate national cycle, and it has closed. What is actually open right now is a California-specific round of the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready grant: $5,000 per winner, 25 California businesses selected, deadline of March 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

The access requirement is one free course or eligible event on the Digital Ready platform. Just one. After that your application unlocks and takes around 30 minutes to complete. No grant writer needed. No matching funds. No repayment ever. If your California for-profit business qualifies, this is genuinely one of the most accessible $5,000 grants currently running in the state. The window closes March 31, 2026 so there is real urgency here but still enough time to act if you move now.

Key Grant Information

Active

40 days left

01

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready California $5,000 Grant

Funded by Verizon | LISC

02

Grant Snapshot

Grant Award

$5,000

Application Deadline

March 31 2026 40 days left

Eligible Region

California, United States

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Eligibility and Benefits

Eligibility Criteria

• Your business must have its primary address in California
• Your business must be a for-profit entity (nonprofits are not eligible)
• You must be 18 years of age or older
• You need a free account on the Verizon Digital Ready platform
• Complete one eligible course or event on Digital Ready between January 1 and March 31 2026
• Virtual events including recorded sessions count toward this requirement
• In-person events count only if listed on the official Digital Ready events page and you scan the QR code on-site
• One application per person and per business tax ID per cycle
• If you own multiple businesses apply only for your largest one
• You must not be a current employee director officer or contractor of LISC or Verizon
• Immediate family members of LISC and Verizon staff are also excluded
• Prior grant recipients may reapply but are given lower selection priority

Grant Benefits

• $5000
• Unrestricted cash: spend it on anything that serves your business
• Paid via ACH direct bank transfer
• No repayment required ever
• No reporting requirements after you receive the funds
• Free access to hundreds of Digital Ready courses coaching events and networking sessions
• Application available in English and Spanish

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Focus Areas

Small Business Grant California Verizon Digital Ready Grant 2026 LISC Grant Program California Business Funding For-Profit Small Business Grant

Does Your California Business Qualify for the Verizon Digital Ready $5,000 Grant? Check in 2 Minutes

The eligibility checker below screens for the four core requirements of this specific California cycle: state location, business type, age, and course completion status. It takes about two minutes to run through. Use it before investing time in the full application. The tool will tell you whether you likely qualify, whether there is a requirement you still need to meet, or whether a different program might be a better fit for your situation right now.

If the checker confirms you are likely eligible, your immediate next step is simple: log into your Digital Ready account at digitalready.verizonwireless.com or create a free account if you do not have one yet, complete one eligible course or event before March 31, 2026, and the California grant application will unlock automatically. If the result says you do not qualify for this round, the related grants section further down this page lists California-specific and national alternatives worth exploring. And if anything in your result felt unclear or your situation is more complicated than a simple yes or no, the plain-language eligibility breakdown below walks through every requirement individually. You can also reach our team directly if you want a human to check your specific situation before you commit time to an application.

Verizon Digital Ready California Grant 2026: Is It $5,000 or $10,000?

This is the most damaging piece of misinformation currently floating around this program. Let us settle it directly. The current 2026 California-specific cycle awards $5,000 per winner. Not $10,000. The $10,000 figure is accurate for the previous national cycles (Spring 2025 and Fall 2025) but those programs have both closed. You can reference historical details about those cycles on our main Verizon Digital Ready grant listing, but they are not accepting applications anymore.

What is running right now is a state-specific bridge cycle while Verizon prepares its next national round. California, New York, and West Virginia each have their own simultaneous grant: 25 winners per state at $5,000 each. Verizon has stated publicly that a national 2026 grant will be announced in spring 2026 but as of this writing there is no confirmed date, amount, or eligibility criteria for that round. Watch digitalready.verizonwireless.com/grants for that announcement.

One more meaningful shift for 2026 worth knowing: in-person Digital Ready events now count toward the one-resource requirement for the first time. All prior cycles excluded them entirely. If you attend a qualifying in-person event listed on the official Digital Ready In-Person Events page before March 31, 2026 and scan the event QR code while physically on-site, that satisfies the course requirement and unlocks your application.

Q: Is Verizon planning a national 2026 grant and what do we know about it?
A: Verizon has confirmed on its official grants page that a national 2026 grant opportunity will be announced in spring 2026. As of February 2026 there is no confirmed date amount or eligibility criteria. The current California cycle is running as a bridge program in the meantime. Bookmark the official grants page and check back in March or April 2026.

How to Unlock the Verizon Digital Ready California $5,000 Grant Application

There is a prerequisite step before you can access the application and this is where a lot of people get confused. The grant application does not open directly. You first complete one eligible resource on the Digital Ready platform within the January 1 to March 31, 2026 window. Once your participation is recorded, a Get Started button appears on the California grant promotion page in your account. That button takes you directly to the LISC application form. Here is what counts.

• Standard courses: Any eligible course on the platform qualifies. Topics include finance, marketing, social media, SEO, hiring, pricing, operations, and digital tools. Many run 15 to 30 minutes. You do not need to pick something related to grants. Any qualifying course works.
• Virtual events: Both live virtual events and recorded sessions count. Recorded options mean you can watch at your own pace without scheduling around a live session.
• In-person events (new for 2026): Qualifying in-person events now count but only if they appear on the official Digital Ready In-Person Events page. You must physically scan the QR code at the venue during the event to receive credit. An event you heard about outside the official platform will not count even if you attended in person.

Creating an account at digitalready.verizonwireless.com/onboarding is free and takes about five minutes. You do not need to be a Verizon customer. There is no subscription. No cost at all to sign up or use the platform.

Q: Can I complete the course now even if I have not decided whether to apply?
A: Yes and it makes sense to do it first. Completing one course costs nothing and takes minimal time. If you decide to apply later the requirement is already done. The courses offer real business value on their own so you are not wasting time either way.

Q: Do recorded virtual events from before January 1 2026 count toward the requirement?
A: No. The resource must be completed between January 1 and March 31 2026. Completion dates are tracked by the platform and must fall within that window.

California Small Business Grant Eligibility: Who Qualifies and Who Does Not

The requirements for this program are genuinely short but a few of them have details worth understanding before you spend time on an application.

The Hard Requirements

• California primary business address: Your business must have its primary address in California. This is verified for finalists. If your business is registered in another state but primarily operates in California, or if your home is your primary business address and it is in California, this becomes a case-by-case situation that the official eligibility language does not resolve clearly. See the ambiguity note below.
• For-profit entity only: Nonprofits of any kind are explicitly excluded. All for-profit legal structures qualify: sole proprietorships, LLCs, S-Corps, C-Corps, partnerships. Industry does not matter.
• Age 18 or older: The business owner submitting the application must be at least 18 years old.
• Free Digital Ready account: You need a registered account at digitalready.verizonwireless.com. Free to create.
• One completed resource in window: One eligible course or event completed between January 1 and March 31, 2026 as described in the section above.
• One application per person and business: Only one application is accepted per applicant and per business tax ID per cycle. Apply for only one business. If you own multiple apply for your largest.

Priority Factors That Shape Your Selection Odds

• LMI community location: Businesses located in low-to-moderate income communities receive priority in the selection algorithm. This is not a hard eligibility gate. You can apply regardless of your community's income level. Disclosing LMI status on the form is optional and a prefer-not-to-say option is always available.
• First-time applicants: Prior Digital Ready grant recipients can reapply but LISC states they are not likely to be awarded a second grant. First-time applicants are given priority in selection.

Who Is Excluded

• Nonprofit organizations of any structure
• Current directors, officers, employees, and contractors of LISC or Verizon
• Immediate family members of the above (spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their spouses)

Q: Do I need to be a Verizon customer to apply?
A: No. You do not need Verizon phone service internet service or any Verizon product. The Digital Ready platform is free and open to anyone regardless of their provider.

Q: Can a home-based California business apply?
A: The eligibility language says your primary business address must be in California. Home offices are not explicitly addressed in published materials. Based on the plain language of the rules a California home address appears likely to qualify but this is not formally confirmed. If your situation falls into this gray area contact LISC directly at smallbusinessservices@lisc.org before applying or reach out to us for help reviewing it.

Is This Grant Worth Your Time? A Practical Look

Twenty-five slots across a state with millions of active small businesses means competition is real. LISC does not publish total applicant counts per state cycle so there is no precise win rate available. But the application costs nothing, takes about 30 minutes once you have completed one free course, and delivers $5,000 in unrestricted cash with no repayment and no reporting. That effort-to-reward ratio is hard to match for a small business that qualifies.

The California-specific pool is actually a real advantage compared to past national cycles where you competed against businesses from all 50 states. If you are a California for-profit, the deadline works for your schedule, and you have not received a prior Digital Ready grant, this is worth the 30 minutes. If you are a nonprofit, outside California, or the timeline genuinely does not work, scroll to the related grants section at the bottom for alternatives that may be a better fit.

How to Apply for the Verizon Digital Ready California Grant: The Full Step-by-Step Process

LISC describes this as a 30-minute application requiring no grant writer. That is accurate if you go in prepared. The most important practical warning: the application form cannot be saved mid-way. If you lose your internet connection or navigate away before submitting your work will be lost and you will need to start over. Set aside uninterrupted time and gather everything you need before you open the form.

Prepare These Before Opening the Application

The Full Application Process

Q: I am getting an error saying I am creating a duplicate record. What do I do?
A: This happens when you have applied in a previous cycle. The system links records by first name last name and email address. Use the exact same three fields you used in your prior application. If you used a different email previously and cannot access it contact LISC at smallbusinessservices@lisc.org before submitting.

How LISC Selects the 25 California Winners: The Three-Stage Process

Understanding the selection process is genuinely useful for preparing a stronger application. LISC does not simply review submissions in order of arrival. There is a structured three-stage approach and each stage rewards something different.

Stage 1: Anonymous lottery. Every complete and eligible application enters a random draw. Names, demographics, and business types are not visible at this stage. Every qualified applicant has the same statistical starting point.

Stage 2: Geographic and industry balancing. From the lottery group an algorithm ensures the eventual winners represent a spread of California industries and geographic regions. This prevents all 25 winners from coming from one county or sector. The LMI community priority is applied here.

Stage 3: In-depth review. A subset of applications receives closer scrutiny for accuracy, community impact, and the proposed use of funds. This is where specificity matters most.

Q: Does applying earlier in the window improve my chances?
A: No. The anonymous lottery means submission timing does not affect your odds. A complete application submitted on March 30 has identical lottery odds to one submitted on January 15. What matters is that you meet all requirements and complete the application fully and accurately.

Q: What are my realistic odds of winning?
A: LISC does not publish total applicant counts per state so there is no precise win rate available. The program attracts thousands of applications nationally for a small number of slots. The lottery gives everyone equal starting odds but competition is real. The application is 30 minutes. The upside is $5000 in unrestricted cash. Whether that math works for your business is your call.

What Happens If You Are Selected as a Finalist for the California Verizon Grant

Becoming a finalist means you have cleared the selection stages but have not yet been confirmed as a grantee. LISC will notify finalists by email from an @lisc.org domain starting the week of May 17, 2026. All applicants, both selected and not selected, will receive a status notification that same week. Check your spam folder regularly after May 10.

Being a finalist does not guarantee the grant. You must complete a verification process and respond promptly. Missing a finalist notification deadline results in disqualification and the selection of a substitute.

As a finalist you will be asked to provide:

• Date of birth
• Social Security Number, Tax Identification Number, or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
• Employer Identification Number (EIN) if applicable
• A completed W-9 form
• Bank account information for ACH direct transfer

LISC will also conduct a background check at their own expense. This is not a credit check and will not affect your credit score. It confirms good legal and financial standing. Businesses with active legal judgments may not pass this step.

Q: What happens if my W-9 information does not match my original application?
A: LISC states explicitly that if your W-9 and banking information do not match your original application you may be ineligible to receive the grant even after being selected as a finalist. Use consistent and accurate information throughout.

Q: Does being a finalist mean I will definitely receive the grant?
A: No. Being selected as a finalist means you have cleared the selection stages but the grant is not confirmed until verification is complete. You must respond promptly to all finalist communications and successfully pass the verification process.

Taxes and Grant Stacking: What to Know After You Receive the $5,000

This grant is taxable income in the year you receive it. LISC will issue a Form 1099 to every grantee. All taxes are entirely your responsibility as the business owner. The grant does not need to be repaid but the tax obligation does need to be planned for. A quick note to your accountant before accepting the funds will prevent surprises at tax time.

The grant has no restrictions on stacking with other funding sources. Since funds are unrestricted cash with no reporting requirements, combining this with other small business grants is generally possible. Always review the terms of any other grant you are pursuing to confirm it does not restrict concurrent outside funding.

Q: Can I use the $5000 grant for any business expense?
A: Yes. The grant is unrestricted. Equipment marketing payroll inventory professional services software or any other legitimate business expense all qualify. There are no approved expense categories and no receipts or reporting required after you receive the funds.

Q: Will receiving this grant affect my eligibility for other grants?
A: The Verizon Digital Ready grant places no restrictions on applying for or receiving other funding. Whether other programs restrict stacking depends on their own terms. Review the specific requirements of any concurrent grants separately.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Verizon Digital Ready California $5,000 Grant

Q: When exactly does the California grant application close?
A: March 31 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. This is the hard cutoff for both completing your Digital Ready resource and submitting your completed application.

Q: Are New York and West Virginia running the same grant right now?
A: Yes. The same $5000 grant cycle is running simultaneously in California New York and West Virginia. Each state has 25 winners and its own application page. Apply only to the state where your business is located.

Q: What if I complete a course and the application button still does not appear?
A: Give it up to 24 hours after completing the resource for the system to register your participation. If the button still does not appear contact digitalready@verizon.com with your account email and the details of what you completed. Platform support is also available at 888-483-3206.

Q: Can I submit my application by email or fax?
A: No. Only applications submitted through the LISC FormAssembly form accessed via your Digital Ready account are accepted. Applications sent by email fax or through any third-party website will not be reviewed regardless of how complete they are.

Q: Will LISC notify me even if I do not win?
A: Yes. All applicants both winners and non-winners receive an email notification during the week of May 17 2026. You do not need to check a portal. Make sure the email address on your Digital Ready account is current and monitor your spam folder after May 10.

Q: I applied in a prior cycle. Do I need to reapply?
A: Yes. Applications do not roll over between cycles. Every cycle requires a new application. Prior recipients are eligible to apply again but are given lower priority in selection compared to first-time applicants.

Key Terms Every Verizon Digital Ready California Grant Applicant Should Know

• LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation): The independent nonprofit organization that administers this grant on behalf of Verizon. LISC handles application review, winner selection, finalist verification, ACH payment disbursement, and Form 1099 issuance. All grant-related emails come from an @lisc.org address. LISC is a federally certified Community Development Financial Institution with a documented track record of awarding over $14.5 million through this program since 2021.
• ACH Transfer: The payment method used to deliver the $5,000 to grant winners. Funds go directly into the business bank account you provide at the finalist verification stage. You need an active bank account in good standing. There are no physical checks or wire transfers involved in this program.
• Form 1099: The IRS tax form LISC sends to grant recipients after the calendar year ends. It reports your $5,000 as business income. You will need this document when filing taxes for the year you receive the grant. This is a standard obligation for any taxable business grant and is not a penalty or a red flag.
• For-Profit Business: Any business entity structured to generate profit for its owners. LLCs, sole proprietorships, S-Corps, C-Corps, and partnerships all qualify for this grant. The key exclusion is nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations are explicitly ineligible regardless of how small or community-focused they are.
• LMI Community (Low-to-Moderate Income): A geographic designation where median household income falls below a federal threshold relative to the surrounding area. LISC builds LMI community location into their selection algorithm as a priority factor. This refers to where your business is located, not your personal income or business revenue. Providing this information on the application is optional and prefer-not-to-say is always available.
• Unrestricted Grant: A cash grant with no conditions on how you spend the money within your business. This grant is fully unrestricted. Equipment, payroll, rent, marketing, software, inventory, professional services, or anything else that serves your business qualifies. No receipts required and no audit or reporting expected after you receive the funds.
• Grant Cycle: A defined application window for a specific round of grant funding. Each cycle is independent. Applications do not roll over. Prior cycles are closed permanently. The current California 2026 cycle closes March 31 2026. You must submit a new application in every cycle you wish to be considered for.
• Finalist: An applicant who has cleared the lottery and review selection stages but has not yet been confirmed as a grantee. Finalists must successfully complete LISC's verification process before funds are released. Being a finalist is a strong positive signal but is not a guaranteed award. Failing to respond promptly to finalist communications results in automatic disqualification.
• FormAssembly: The secure third-party form platform LISC uses to collect grant applications. The application is only accessible through your Digital Ready account after completing a qualifying resource. Applications submitted outside this system through email fax or any external website are not accepted under any circumstances.
• Anonymous Draw (Lottery Stage): The first stage of LISC's three-part selection process. All complete and eligible applications enter a random draw where no identifying information is visible to reviewers. This is designed to give every qualified applicant an equal statistical starting chance regardless of business size owner background or application timing.
• Background Verification: A standard due diligence check LISC runs on finalist businesses to confirm legal and financial good standing. This is not a credit check and will not affect your credit score. LISC pays for the check. It is a legal requirement before releasing grant funds. Businesses with active legal judgments or compliance issues may not pass this step.
• EIN (Employer Identification Number): A federal tax identification number for your business issued by the IRS. Similar to a Social Security Number but specific to your business entity. If you operate as an LLC corporation or have employees you likely already have one. Sole proprietors without employees may use their SSN instead. EIN is requested at the finalist stage and must match what you provided in your application.
• W-9 Form: A standard IRS form collecting your taxpayer identification information for payment processing and tax reporting. LISC requests a W-9 from finalists to process the ACH payment and file the required 1099. The W-9 details must match your original application exactly or you risk disqualification even after being selected as a finalist.
• ITIN (Individual Tax Identification Number): A tax processing number issued by the IRS for individuals who do not have a Social Security Number. LISC explicitly accepts ITINs at the finalist stage which means business owners without SSNs are still potentially eligible to receive the grant. This is a meaningful accessibility detail for some California applicants.
• Digital Ready Platform: The free online educational platform at digitalready.verizonwireless.com that serves as the entry point for this grant. It offers hundreds of courses on business topics, coaching events, and networking opportunities. No Verizon service subscription is required. The platform has independent value for small business owners regardless of whether they apply for or win any grant.
• In-Person Event QR Requirement: New for the 2026 grant cycle. In-person Digital Ready events can now satisfy the one-resource requirement. However the event must be listed on the official Digital Ready In-Person Events page and you must physically scan the on-site QR code during attendance. Events attended without a QR scan will not register as credit even if you were physically present.
• Grant Stacking: The practice of applying for and receiving multiple grants for the same business simultaneously. The Verizon Digital Ready grant places no restrictions on stacking with other funding sources. Since funds are unrestricted cash with no reporting requirements combining this grant with other small business grants is generally permissible. Always verify that other grants you pursue do not restrict concurrent outside funding.
• Course Completion Credit: The record in your Digital Ready account showing you have finished a qualifying resource within the January 1 to March 31 2026 window. Completion requires finishing all required modules and any associated surveys or knowledge checks. The grant application button will not appear until this credit is recorded. If there is a delay of more than 24 hours after completing a course contact Digital Ready support directly.

More California Small Business Grants and Related Funding Worth Exploring

Only 25 California businesses will win this particular round. If you apply and are not selected, or if this cycle does not fit your situation, there are other programs worth knowing about. Some are California-specific. Some run nationally with no state restrictions. And some offer rolling or quarterly deadlines so you are not limited to a single annual window. Women-owned businesses may find dedicated options through our grants for women entrepreneurs section. Founders from underrepresented communities can explore programs like the Galaxy of Stars grant and the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant. If you want a recurring option with no fixed annual window the NASE monthly grants offer up to $4,000 on a rolling basis throughout the year. And for digital-focused businesses the Lenovo Small Business AI Grant aligns well with the digital economy theme this program emphasizes.

Need Expert Help With Your Verizon Digital Ready California Grant Application?

Competitive grant rounds like this one are not just about checking eligibility boxes. The in-depth review stage of this program specifically scores how clearly and specifically you describe your proposed use of funds and community impact. Those things can be meaningfully improved before you submit. At Grantaura we work with California small business owners to identify the right grants for their situation, review use-of-funds narratives before submission, and flag eligibility edge cases that published guidelines leave ambiguous.

We are not here to fill out the form for you. We are here to make sure the 30 minutes you spend on it are worth spending. If you want a grant specialist to review your application approach or confirm eligibility for an unusual business structure, book a free consultation below.

About The Writer: Why Accurate California Small Business Grant Research Matters

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