How to Use This List
Every program below falls into one of three buckets: recurring programs that open on a monthly or quarterly cycle, deadlines this month, and always-open federal programs. Recurring programs are the ones most owners overlook — if you miss this month's window, the same grant opens again next month. Always confirm details on the program's official site before applying; amounts and dates can change after we publish.
This is the October 2026 refresh. The September deadlines are gone, and so is the Outta Excuses Grant: when we checked its official page this month it still showed the window that closed September 30, with no fourth-quarter dates posted. We would rather drop a program than guess at its next deadline. If a program you were tracking is missing here, it closed or has not announced its next round.
Recurring Programs — Open Every Month or Quarter
Amber Grant — Three $10,000 Awards Every Month
WomensNet awards three $10,000 Amber Grants every month to women-owned businesses, and three $50,000 year-end grants on top of that. You must be a woman 18 or older, and the business must be at least 50% women-owned and based in the United States or Canada. Each monthly cycle closes at 11:59:59 PM Eastern on the last day of the month, so October's window closes October 31, 2026, and winners are announced by the 21st of the following month. There is a $15 application fee (WomensNet says waivers are available by email), and it says it never asks for money to pay out a grant. If you are a woman business owner and you apply for exactly one grant this month, make it this one.
Hey Helen Grant — $10,000 Every Month
Run by Visionaries, the Hey Helen Grant gives one $10,000 unrestricted cash award each month to a U.S.-based, for-profit business that is at least 50% women-owned and brings in under $1 million a year. Pre-revenue businesses are welcome, which makes it a natural second application next to the Amber Grant. Applications close at 11:59 PM Eastern on the last day of each month, so October's cycle ends October 31, 2026. You need a U.S. business bank account to receive the money. A $15 administrative fee applies, and nothing is deducted if you win. One winner a month is a thin pipe, so treat it as a lottery ticket you can afford, not a plan.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready — $10,000
Verizon, in partnership with LISC, is awarding $10,000 grants to for-profit businesses based in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands that register for the free Digital Ready portal and complete any two eligible courses or events. Ten businesses are selected each month from June through December 2026, and one application keeps you in the running for every remaining month instead of expiring. All applicants get a final decision by January 12, 2027. With only October, November, and December left, the time to finish the two courses is now. The coursework is the whole reason this one is worth your time: most people who hear about it never finish, so the field thins out before review.
Secretsos Small Business Grant — $2,500
Secretsos runs a $2,500 grant on a quarterly calendar, and the fourth-quarter window opened October 1 and closes December 31, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM Central. The bar is low on purpose: you must be at least 21 and run an active, registered business in a U.S. state or territory. The review committee scores your story as a founder, your business and growth plan, and exactly how you would use the money, so be specific on that last part. A $15 application fee applies. Small award, small field: the kind of program worth an hour of your time precisely because it will never make a national headline.
NASE Growth Grants — Up to $4,000
The National Association for the Self-Employed accepts Growth Grant applications year-round and reviews them on a quarterly cycle. Awards of up to $4,000 go toward concrete growth needs like marketing, equipment, or hiring. You must hold an active NASE membership when you apply: annual, veteran, silver annual, and gold members can apply immediately, while monthly members wait 90 days after joining. Weigh the membership cost honestly against a $4,000 ceiling before you sign up for it, and confirm the current terms on NASE's own site.
Deadlines This Month
Small private programs move their dates without notice. Treat every date below as the deadline reported when we checked, and confirm it on the administering organization's own site before you commit a weekend to the application.
Makers Mindset x The Equity Studio — Five $10,000 Grants
Five women-led consumer brands in beauty and wellness (skincare, supplements, functional foods and the like) will each get a $10,000 equity-free grant plus mentorship. The filters are tight, which is good news if you clear them: a U.S.-registered business at least 51% women-owned, ten employees or fewer, annual revenue between $50,000 and $2 million, and at least one full year of revenue. Applications are reported to close October 9, 2026, with recipients chosen in November. If you sell a CPG product in this space, this is the best-odds application on the page.
Tadlock Veteran Business Grant — $1,000 Plus Accelerator
Founders First CDC's Kenneth B. and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant picks 25 finalists from a $25,000 fund, and each gets a micro-grant plus free access to one of its training programs. Applications opened September 15 and close October 15, 2026, with semifinalists named October 22 and finalists November 10. It is open to U.S. military veterans and military spouses who own or run an active U.S. business that is at least a year old, with 2 to 100 employees and no more than $5 million in annual revenue. The money is small, but the applicant pool is limited to people who pass all of those tests.
Always Open — Federal Programs
SBIR / STTR — America's Seed Fund
If your business does research or technology development, eleven federal agencies fund SBIR/STTR awards on rolling solicitation cycles — Phase I awards commonly run from $50,000 into the hundreds of thousands, non-dilutive. New solicitations post year-round. See our full SBIR/STTR guide for how phases work.
Grants.gov — The Federal Firehose
Every federal grant opportunity is posted to grants.gov. Most listings target nonprofits and research institutions, but filtering by "for-profit organizations" surfaces the business-eligible ones. Set up a saved search and let new opportunities come to you. Our federal grants guide explains which agencies actually fund small businesses.
Don't Forget Your State
Some of the easiest grants to win never show up on national lists — they're state and city programs competing over a much smaller applicant pool. Start with your state's page: Texas, California, Florida, New York, Georgia, or browse grants by state.
Need Funding Before a Grant Comes Through?
Even the fastest grants above take weeks to award, and most competitive programs run three to six months from application to check. If your business needs capital now — inventory, equipment, payroll, a growth opportunity that won't wait — working capital funding can close the gap while your grant applications are pending.
See What Funding You Qualify For