Grant Overview

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Most of what you'll find online about the Verizon small business grant covers the wrong program. The $10,000 national version closed December 2025. But a separate grant exists right now, built specifically for New York: $5,000 to 25 NY-based small businesses, deadline March 31, 2026. The barrier to entry is genuinely low. Register free on the Verizon Digital Ready platform, complete just one eligible course or event between January 1 and March 31, then apply. That's the whole process. Verizon funds it, LISC administers it. LISC is a respected national nonprofit that has put over $14.5 million into small business hands through this exact partnership since 2021. Almost no well-written page out there covers this specific NY version right now. Which means your real competition is just 25 winner spots.

Key Grant Information

Active

39 days left

01

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant New York

Funded by Verizon | LISC

02

Grant Snapshot

Grant Award

$5,000

Application Deadline

March 31 2026 39 days left

Eligible Region

New York, United States

03

Eligibility and Benefits

Eligibility Criteria

• For-profit small businesses only (nonprofits are not eligible)
• Primary business address must be in New York State
• Business owner must be 18 years of age or older
• Free account on Verizon Digital Ready platform is required
• Takes under five minutes to create and costs nothing
• No Verizon phone plan or internet service required
• Complete one eligible course or event between January 1 and March 31 2026
• Self-paced online courses count
• Live virtual events count
• In-person events count only if listed on the official Digital Ready events page
• In-person events require scanning the QR code on-site to receive credit
• Must be able to provide W-9 and bank account details if selected as a finalist
• These are only needed at the finalist stage not at the time of application
• Current employees and contractors of Verizon or LISC are not eligible
• Immediate family members including spouses and children and grandchildren are also excluded

Grant Benefits

• $5000

04

Focus Areas

NY Small Business Grant Verizon Digital Ready Grant LISC Grant New York

Is This the $10000 Verizon Grant? No. Here Is What Is Actually Open Right Now

This needs clearing up before anything else. There are two different Verizon Digital Ready grant programs and they have been confused constantly across search results and grant listing sites for months, including on our own existing national grant listing. The national Verizon Digital Ready grant that offered $10,000 to 50 businesses across the US closed on December 10, 2025. If you find a page showing that grant as currently open, it is working off outdated data. What is open right now is a completely separate program: $5,000, 25 NY winners, open until March 31, 2026.

Everything on this page was verified against the official Verizon Digital Ready grants page and LISC program documentation in February 2026. If a page you have already read lists numbers from the right column and calls the program open, it is working off stale data and will cost you time you don't have before March 31.

Who This Grant Was Actually Built For

Verizon and LISC designed this program to be fast and flexible by intention. No business plan. No matching funds. No spending reports after you receive the money. The right applicant is a working New York small business owner who needs cash to act on something specific: equipment, inventory, a contractor, a marketing push. Someone who doesn't have easy access to affordable, flexible capital through traditional lenders.

LISC has consistently prioritized businesses in historically underserved communities throughout this program's history. Looking at who actually uses the Digital Ready platform broadly: roughly 51% of registered users run women-owned businesses and 62% identify as Black or Hispanic business owners. That's not coincidental. The program was built with those founders in mind. If your business operates in an underserved area or you've faced real barriers to traditional small business financing, LISC's selection process actively works in your favor.

That said, any for-profit business with a real New York primary address can apply. The priority for underserved communities affects selection weighting, not hard eligibility. It is not a disqualifier to be in a well-served area. It is simply a factor that can help you.

Do You Qualify for the Verizon NY Small Business Grant? Use This Checker

The eligibility requirements for this grant are simpler than most programs but a few specific rules have tripped up applicants in prior cycles. The checker below walks you through the key conditions in the correct order. It takes about two minutes and tells you whether you are ready to apply right now, whether you need to complete one step first, or whether a different grant might serve you better at this moment.

If the checker confirms you qualify, your immediate next step is securing a free Verizon Digital Ready account and completing at least one eligible resource before March 31, 2026. If you come up ineligible for the NY grant, check whether your business is based in California or West Virginia since identical $5,000 sister grants are running in both states with the same deadline. If any question left you uncertain, the full eligibility section below covers each requirement in plain language without jargon.

New York Small Business Grant Eligibility Explained: No Jargon Version

New York address and for-profit status

Your business must have its primary address in New York State. Operating from a New York home office counts. Being registered in another state but physically operating in New York does not. The primary business address is what matters, and that address gets verified for finalists so it needs to be accurate and current.

Nonprofits are excluded entirely. This is a for-profit only grant. If your business files taxes as a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, S-corp, or C-corp and operates with the intent to generate profit, you are in the right category. Registered as a 501(c)(3) or any other tax-exempt structure? This specific grant is not for you, but there are others that are worth exploring.

The free platform account

You need a free account on the Verizon Digital Ready platform to access the application at all. It costs nothing, takes under five minutes, and you do not need a Verizon phone plan, internet service, or any Verizon product to register. It is a learning platform, not a customer portal.

If you have registered on this platform before, use the exact same first name, last name, and email address you used previously. Different details trigger a duplicate record error that can break your application. More on this in the tips section below.

The one-resource requirement and where most pages get it wrong

Previous national Verizon grant cycles required completing two resources to unlock the application. This NY cycle requires only one. A single eligible course, virtual event, or qualifying in-person event completed between January 1 and March 31, 2026 will unlock your application.

Self-paced courses range from four minutes to a few hours. If you are short on time, choose the shortest course on a topic that is genuinely relevant to your business. For in-person events: they only count if listed on the official Digital Ready In-Person Events page. You must also scan the QR code on-site at the event to receive credit. Showing up without scanning does not count no matter how long you attended.

Q: Can I use a course I completed before January 1 2026?
A: No. The resource must be completed between January 1 and March 31 2026 to count toward this grant cycle. Anything completed earlier will not unlock the current application.

Q: Does the specific course I pick matter for my chances?
A: Any eligible course or event unlocks the application. There is no requirement to complete a particular one. That said, the courses are genuinely useful for running a small business and picking something relevant to a real challenge you face makes the whole process more valuable rather than just a box to tick.

Age and employee exclusions

You must be 18 or older. Current employees, officers, directors, and contractors of either Verizon or LISC are not eligible. Neither are their immediate family members: spouses, parents, children, grandchildren, and the spouses of those children and grandchildren. If you have any formal affiliation with either organization, review the full exclusion language on the LISC program page before investing time in an application.

How to Apply for the Verizon Digital Ready NY Grant: Step by Step

The process is genuinely simple. Five steps from zero to submitted.

A note on the application form itself

The form only becomes accessible after completing an eligible resource and logging in, so we have not been able to document every field in this listing. Based on LISC's stated program philosophy, the process is designed to be simple without heavy paperwork. Applications for similar LISC-administered programs typically ask for basic business information and a short description of how you would use the funds. That said, being honest about the gap is more useful to you than guessing at field names.

Q: I applied in a previous Verizon Digital Ready grant cycle. Do I have to reapply?
A: Yes. Applications do not carry over between cycles. You must submit a new application for this NY grant using the exact same first name, last name, and email address as your prior application. Different details create a duplicate record error. Prior grantees are eligible to reapply though selection may lean toward first-time recipients.

The deadline timezone matters for New York applicants

The deadline is 11:59 PM Pacific Time on March 31, 2026. For New York applicants in Eastern Time, that translates to 2:59 AM on April 1, 2026. Knowing this can prevent a missed submission if you are working close to the deadline. But do not count on those extra three hours. Platform traffic increases significantly near hard deadlines and technical slowdowns happen. Submit at least 24 hours early if at all possible. Applicants who have used LISC grant portals in prior cycles also report that the application form has no mid-form save function, so plan to complete it in one sitting when you have 30 to 45 uninterrupted minutes.

What Happens After You Submit: The Finalist Process Nobody Else Explains

Most grant pages stop at "hit submit." That leaves applicants guessing about everything that follows. Here is exactly what to expect from submission through to notification.

After March 31, LISC reviews all submitted applications. Every applicant, selected or not, will receive an email notification by May 17, 2026. Until that date, check your spam folder periodically. The reason that matters more than you might think is explained below.

If you are selected as a finalist

Being named a finalist doesn't mean you've won. It means you've made the shortlist for final verification. LISC will email you from an @lisc.org address and you need to respond quickly. Finalists who don't respond in time risk disqualification. LISC moves to the next eligible applicant with no second notice given.

As a finalist you will be asked to provide:

• A W-9 form (a standard IRS tax form requesting your legal name and Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number)
• ACH banking information (your bank account number and routing number for direct transfer)
• Your date of birth
• Your SSN, TIN/ITIN, or EIN depending on your business structure

LISC runs a background check on all finalists at their own expense. Two things are important to know clearly: it is not a credit check and will not affect your credit score in any way. And LISC will never request copies of personal identity documents. No driver's license, no passport, no green card. If you receive any request for those documents from someone claiming to be LISC, verify directly at smallbusinessservices@lisc.org before responding to anyone.

Q: What happens if I miss the finalist email or respond too late?
A: LISC can disqualify a finalist whose notification bounces back as undeliverable or who does not respond within the required window. They move to the next eligible applicant. There is no second notice. Being prompt at this stage is not optional.

Q: Does the background check affect my credit score?
A: No. LISC explicitly states the verification does not involve a credit check or credit score pull. It is a business identity and information check run entirely by LISC at their expense.

The Real Odds and Why Applying Is Still Worth Your Time

Only 25 businesses in all of New York will receive this grant. That's the real number and there is no sense softening it. But the effective competition pool is meaningfully smaller than the theoretical maximum. Not everyone who registers on the Digital Ready platform completes the resource requirement. Not everyone who completes a resource actually submits an application. And not every submitted application clears eligibility verification at the finalist stage. The pool of fully qualifying, complete, submitted applications is a fraction of all platform registrations.

The more practical point: the cost of applying is low. A few minutes to register, one short course to complete, and an application form to fill out. Even without the $5,000, you end up with free access to hundreds of courses, expert coaching sessions, and networking events. The platform has real standalone value for any small business owner. The downside of trying is close to zero.

And if your business is in a historically underserved community or you have faced real barriers to traditional small business financing, being specific and honest about that in your application is worth doing wherever it applies. LISC has stated these are active selection priorities.

Taxes on the Grant: What Most Pages Skip Right Past

The $5,000 is a grant. You never pay it back. But it is taxable income. LISC issues a Form 1099 to all grantees reporting the $5,000 to the IRS. You are responsible for any federal and state income taxes owed on that amount as part of your regular tax filing. Talking to your accountant before or shortly after receiving funds is a smart move. Setting aside roughly 15% to 25% of the award as a tax buffer is a reasonable starting point depending on your overall income picture for the year.

Do's and Don'ts When Applying for the Verizon New York Small Business Grant

Tips That Will Actually Strengthen Your Application

Verizon NY Grant Key Dates: What Happens When

California and West Virginia Have the Same Grant Open Right Now

This NY grant is one of three identical state-level programs running simultaneously. Verizon and LISC are awarding the same $5,000 to 25 businesses each in California and West Virginia, with the same March 31 deadline and the same single-resource requirement. If you are in New York this page is the right one. But if you know a business owner in another state, the California grant page and West Virginia grant page run on the same system. Your primary business address determines which one you apply to. You can only apply to one grant per cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Verizon Digital Ready NY Grant

Q: Is this the $10000 Verizon grant I've been seeing mentioned everywhere?
A: No. The national grant offered $10,000 to 50 businesses and closed December 10, 2025. This is a completely separate NY-specific program: $5,000 to 25 New York businesses, open until March 31, 2026. Different amount, different winner count, different deadline entirely.

Q: Do I need to be a Verizon customer to apply?
A: No. There is no Verizon service requirement of any kind. You only need a free account on the Digital Ready learning platform, which is open to any small business owner.

Q: Can nonprofits apply?
A: No. This grant is explicitly for for-profit businesses only.

Q: I run my business in New York City. Does the borough affect eligibility?
A: No borough-specific or zip-code restrictions appear in the official program documentation. What matters is that your primary business address is in New York State. All five boroughs qualify geographically.

Q: Can I apply if I received a Verizon Digital Ready grant in a previous cycle?
A: Yes. Prior applicants and prior grantees can reapply. Each cycle is independent and requires a fresh application. Use the same name and email as your previous application to avoid duplicate record issues. Selection may lean toward first-time recipients but prior history is not a disqualifier.

Q: Is there a minimum revenue or years-in-business requirement?
A: No minimum revenue and no minimum years-in-business appear anywhere in the official documentation. LISC has described this program as intentionally designed to be simple and trust-based without burdensome eligibility rules. Your NY address and for-profit status are what get verified at the finalist stage.

Q: Can I stack this with other grants?
A: Nothing in the program documentation prohibits it. Receiving this $5,000 does not disqualify you from other funding sources. Many small business owners apply to multiple grants simultaneously. The related grants section below has options that share a similar eligibility profile and can work alongside this one.

Q: How will I know if I was not selected?
A: LISC notifies all applicants whether selected or not. You will receive an email by May 17, 2026. If you haven't heard by then, check your spam folder first before drawing any conclusions.

Q: What business structures are considered for-profit for this grant?
A: Sole proprietorships, LLCs, partnerships, S-corps, and C-corps all qualify as for-profit. If your business is registered as a 501(c)(3) or any other tax-exempt nonprofit structure, you are not eligible. If you are unsure how your business is classified, your accountant or the state business registration office can confirm.

Key Terms Every Verizon NY Grant Applicant Should Know

• Verizon Small Business Digital Ready (VSBDR): The free online learning platform Verizon built to help small business owners develop digital and business skills. It hosts hundreds of self-paced courses, live virtual events, and expert coaching sessions. The platform is the gateway to this grant — you must register and complete one resource before the application unlocks. Registration is free and open to any small business owner regardless of Verizon service status. The platform has genuine standalone value worth exploring even if you do not receive the grant.
• LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation): A national nonprofit community development financial institution that administers this grant on Verizon's behalf. LISC handles application review, finalist selection, background verification, and fund disbursement. Since 2021 LISC has distributed over $14.5 million in grants through this partnership to approximately 1,450 small businesses across the US. All finalist and outcome communications come exclusively from @lisc.org email addresses. LISC is a well-established organization with decades of experience in community lending and small business support.
• Eligible Resource: Any approved course or event on the Digital Ready platform that counts toward unlocking the grant application. Includes self-paced online courses (some as short as four minutes), live virtual events, and qualifying in-person events listed on the platform's events page. Resources must be completed between January 1 and March 31 2026. For in-person events a QR code scan at the venue is required to receive credit. Attendance without scanning does not count regardless of duration.
• For-Profit Business: A business organized and operating with the intent to generate profit. This includes sole proprietorships, LLCs, partnerships, S-corps, and C-corps. Nonprofits organized under 501(c)(3) or similar tax-exempt structures are not eligible for this grant. Your for-profit status is one of the things LISC verifies at the finalist stage so accuracy on your application is essential.
• Finalist: An applicant shortlisted by LISC for final review and verification. Being a finalist does not guarantee the grant. Finalists are contacted by email from @lisc.org and must respond promptly with documentation. LISC conducts a background check on all finalists at no cost to the applicant. Finalists who do not respond in time or whose emails bounce can be replaced by the next eligible applicant without any further notice.
• Background Verification: A check LISC runs on finalist applicants to confirm business information and identity. This is not a credit check and will not affect your credit score in any way. LISC covers the cost entirely. The check confirms that information you provided is accurate and that you have no disqualifying affiliation with Verizon or LISC. LISC will never request personal identity documents such as passports or driver's licenses as part of this process.
• W-9 Form: A standard IRS tax form that collects your legal name, business name, address, and either your Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number. Finalists must submit this so LISC can process payment and issue a Form 1099. You can download a blank W-9 directly from the IRS website for free. Completing it takes under 10 minutes. It is not required at the time of application, only if you are selected as a finalist.
• ACH (Automated Clearing House): The electronic payment network LISC uses to transfer the $5,000 directly to your business bank account. To receive funds via ACH you need your bank account number and routing number, the same information used for direct deposit. There are no paper checks. Finalists provide this information during the verification stage, not at the time of application.
• Form 1099: A tax document LISC sends to grantees reporting the $5,000 as income to the IRS. You are responsible for any federal and state income taxes owed on that amount as part of your regular tax filing. This is standard practice for cash grants in the US. Consulting an accountant after receiving funds is recommended so there are no tax surprises when you file your return.
• Unrestricted Funds: Grant money with no conditions on how it must be spent. This grant is fully unrestricted. No budget approval from Verizon or LISC is required. No receipts need to be submitted after receiving funds. Common uses include equipment, inventory, software subscriptions, marketing spend, contractor fees, and working capital. This flexibility is one of the most practically valuable features of this grant compared to program-restricted alternatives.
• Historically Underserved Community: A community that has faced systemic barriers to capital access, financial services, and economic opportunity. LISC has stated that businesses in these communities receive priority consideration in selection. This is a weighting factor in selection, not a hard eligibility requirement. Businesses outside underserved areas can still apply and win. Being specific and honest about barriers your business has faced in your application is worth doing wherever it genuinely applies.
• National vs Local Grant Cycle: Verizon runs two types of grant programs. National grants are open to businesses in any US state or territory and typically carry larger awards. Local or state-specific grants like this NY program target a single state with smaller but more accessible awards. The most recent national cycle offered $10,000 to 50 businesses and closed December 2025. A new national cycle is expected to be announced in spring 2026. Until then the NY, CA, and WV local grants are the only active Verizon Digital Ready grant opportunities.
• QR Code Event Check-In: For in-person Digital Ready events the platform requires attendees to scan a QR code at the venue to receive completion credit. Without scanning the code your attendance will not count toward the resource requirement even if you were physically present for the full duration. Always bring your phone to any Digital Ready in-person event and scan the QR code when you arrive. Screenshots and manual sign-in do not substitute for the scan.
• Duplicate Record Error: A platform error that occurs when a returning applicant attempts to create a new account instead of logging into their existing one. If you have registered or applied on Digital Ready before, use the exact same first name, last name, and email address. Even minor differences such as a nickname instead of a legal name can trigger this error and complicate your application. If you are locked out of an old account, contact LISC at smallbusinessservices@lisc.org before attempting to create a new one.
• Safe Sender List: An email setting that ensures messages from specific senders bypass your spam or junk folder and land in your main inbox. Adding smallbusinessservices@lisc.org and notifications@lisc.org to your safe sender list after applying is one of the simplest and most important steps you can take. Missing a finalist notification because it landed in spam can result in disqualification with no appeal process available.
• Pacific Time Deadline: The deadline for this grant is set in Pacific Time, not Eastern Time. For New York applicants, the 11:59 PM PT deadline translates to 2:59 AM Eastern Time on April 1, 2026. Knowing this can prevent a missed submission if you are working late on March 31. However, submitting at least 24 hours before the deadline is strongly recommended given typical platform slowdowns near hard cutoffs.
• Sister Grants: The identical state-specific grants running simultaneously in California and West Virginia under the same Verizon and LISC partnership. Each state has its own pool of 25 winners and its own $5,000 award pool. All three share the same March 31 deadline and the same single-resource eligibility requirement. A business can only apply to the grant that matches its primary state business address. You cannot apply to multiple state grants in the same cycle.

More Small Business Grants Worth Exploring Alongside This One

A single $5,000 grant is meaningful but rarely the whole funding picture for a growing business. If you are already in a grant-seeking mindset, which applying for this one suggests, now is the right time to look at what else might be available to layer on top or to have as a backup. The grants below share a similar eligibility profile: for-profit small businesses, flexible cash, and lower barriers to entry. Several are designed specifically for underrepresented founders or NY-based businesses, which aligns with the priority profile LISC looks for in this program.

Applying for the Verizon NY Grant? Our Team Can Help You Get It Right

Grant applications look simple until you are staring at a question and not sure which answer actually helps your case. At Grantaura we work directly with small business owners to verify eligibility, strengthen application narratives, and avoid the quiet mistakes that cost people competitive grant spots. We have worked through LISC-administered grant applications before and understand what selection reviewers look for versus what applicants assume they want. Those two things are often different. Whether you want a second pair of eyes on your Verizon NY application before you submit, or you want to find a broader stack of grants your NY business qualifies for, we can help with both.

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About the Researcher Behind This Listing

This page was researched and written by Imran, founder of Grantaura. Imran built Grantaura to solve a specific problem: too many small business owners either miss funding that matches them or spend hours chasing the wrong grants based on outdated and incomplete information. His approach is practical and research-driven. Every listing on Grantaura goes through a structured verification process before publishing. This page was verified against the official Verizon Digital Ready grants page and LISC program documentation in February 2026 and reflects the current open NY grant cycle, not the closed national program that most other pages are still covering.

About Imran
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