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1. Purpose of Request and Program Overview: Fall 2024 Grant Opportunity–WSMA 2024-2025 Statewide Grant Program  

A. Overview

The Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) is dedicated to strengthening Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) as they engage with economic development partners and others to help the smallest businesses to grow sustainably, equitably and financially throughout Washington state.

Thanks to the support from the Washington State Department of Commerce, WSMA is opening this statewide grant opportunity to fund nonprofit organizations that provide business training, technical assistance and support with accessing financing for small businesses, especially those with five or fewer employees in Washington. 

Eligible applicants of these funds include nonprofit Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Small Business Resiliency Partners (SBRN), and other organizations that serve Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), veterans, people with disabilities, returning citizens, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and others in every industry sector. 

This grant opportunity is intended to support nonprofit ESOs and others that provide businesses with the training, technical assistance, and financing tools they need to grow their businesses in rural and urban communities. To ensure that business services are available to businesses in every county of the state, applicants will need to designate which areas they are predominantly offering their programs.

Washington is among the most innovative states in the nation when it comes to available and accessible business technical assistance resources for small businesses. Ensuring that business resources are available in every region of the state and in leading industry sectors is vital for microenterprises to start and grow their competitive edge. WSMA funding has helped ESOs support small businesses in ways that stimulate innovation, create social inclusion and advance sustainability principles and/or support businesses in key sectors of our economy. Funding in this program is intended to serve all businesses and industry sectors. However, priority will be given in sectors that include, but are not limited to agriculture/food, childcare, clean materials/clean tech, creative economy/arts, energy/efficiency, home building and construction, life sciences, maritime trades, small scale manufacturing and tourism. 

These Grant Guidelines reflect a change in approach to our application, budgeting and review process in response to feedback from grantees, final reports and a recent questionnaire.  This approach seeks to strengthen the capacity of ESOs by providing a clearer funding strategy.  It also offers opportunities for ESOs to apply funds to build their capacity as an organization to better serve businesses on the ground.

The application period is short with a deadline of EXTENDED TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2024 at 12:00pm , so we encourage you to review these Grant Guidelines as soon as possible.  

B. Definitions

• 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.
• Rural communities include those non-metro projects (basically defined as areas around the state not defined as Urban).
• Statewide projects include programs that have a demonstrated history of being accessed by businesses from all parts of the state. 
• Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs): Business technical assistance providers, including CDFIs, that predominantly offer business training, technical assistance and/or microloans for the companies with 5 or fewer employees, including small businesses, gig entrepreneurs, business owners with limited incomes, rural businesses, people with disabilities, those from historically marginalized communities and others. 
• Embedded ESO: ESO that provides business support services as outlined above, but as a division or department within a larger organization.  
• Emerging ESO: An organization that offers some business programming to entrepreneurs on a limited basis but has no dedicated staff providing services and seeks to grow the organization into an ESO. 
• Resource Partner: Organizations that provide vital business support services to  and referrals for businesses of all sizes. This could include local Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Development Centers, Economic Development Councils, libraries, workforce development partners, academic partners, lending institutions, or SCORE volunteers. 
• Collaborative Partner: Organizations that support networks of providers offering broad technical assistance and support to geographic, industry-specific, demographic or other sectors of Washington state. This could include WA Workforce Association, WEDA, SBDC, AWB, etc. 
• Microenterprise/Microbusiness: Employs between 1 and 5 people, including the business owner and requires less than $50,000 in financing.

C. Timeline

• October 30,  2024: Notice of RFP & Grant Guidelines
• October 30 through November 22, 2024: Application Technical Assistance Available (contact lisa@wamicrobiz.org) 
• November 07, 2024: Information Session Webinar. Register HERE
• November 13, 2024: Grant Portal Opens on or before this date
• November 14, 2024: Grant Portal Walk-through Webinar. Register HERE
• Application deadline EXTENDED TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2024 at 12:00pm
• December 20, 2024: Applicants will be notified of funding decision(s) on or before this date
• June 16, 2025: Project Completion and Report Due

2. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible organizations include Existing, Embedded, or Emerging non-profit Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) or other non-profit organizations located in Washington State that support and provide business development services to microenterprises, especially in historically marginalized and under-resourced communities in Washington state. Unfortunately, academic institutions are not eligible for funding at this time.

WSMA is committed to ensuring that access by all communities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), veterans, rural, woman-owned enterprises, LGBTQ+, entrepreneurs with disabilities, justice involved entrepreneurs, young adults and others historically shut out from funding, training programs, financing and other opportunities.  Grantees will be required to describe how their current and intended programs ensure diversity, equity and inclusion in delivery of services and their sensitivity to the issues of race and gender. When considering funding, WSMA will prioritize organizations that focus on and have demonstrated experience with serving one or more of these communities.

Applicants must have: 

• Applicants must have IRS 501c3 nonprofit status documented. If orgs 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 the 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 an application submitted.

3. Eligible and Required Use of Funds 

Applications may apply for funds to provide direct services to the businesses in their network.  These business training, technical assistance and/or microlending services are intended to support small businesses, especially those with 5 or fewer employees. 

Applicants may also apply these funds to strengthen their organizational capacity to better serve targeted microenterprises. Though these are not considered traditional capacity building grants, they are designed to support the ESOs in building systems, awareness, skills and strategies as an organization to strengthen their services. 

These activities must be tied to training, technical assistance and/or access to financing services your organization provides to the businesses in your network. As an example, these funds could be spent on training staff, board or other volunteers in ways that focus on business development services. Other capacity building examples include exploring innovative outreach strategies, testing new business programs, technical assistance tools and/or financing options that support small businesses or expand programming into underserved communities. Your organization will need to be clear about your organization’s capacity building needs that the grant request is seeking to address.  

Support for programs that provide:  

• Training: Provide multi-session training programs or comprehensive business training webinars or workshops that build the capacity of small businesses to attract new customers, manage their finances, fine tune their operations, apply for financing, etc.

• Business Technical Assistance: 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 organizations 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.

Grants approved under this contract may be used to pay project related expenses, including but not limited to rent and utilities, consultants providing technical assistance, training, outreach and education materials, translation and interpretive services and efforts to help keep businesses in operation. 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 entrepreneurs or businesses.

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.

‍This is a short project period and all funds must be expended by June 16, 2025. Initial grant funds will be available to grantees within 20 business days of contract signature with final disbursement of funds upon the submission of the final report. All applicants will be required to upload a 2024 WSMA Funding Request Form (Excel)  to the grant portal. See Section 9, Tab 3 of the Program Guidelines for the format required.

‍Please note, funds cannot go directly to businesses, entrepreneurs or employees. 

4. Budget Request

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 higher funding levels will be addressing multiple priorities and may involve more comprehensive programing, partner engagement and innovative delivery of services.  Organizations may apply for only one funding category. We will clarify questions you may have at the information session and through the FAQs. Application requests should be for one of three options: $20,000, $40,000, or $80,000.

Applicants will use the 2024 WSMA Fund Request Form (Excel) in Section 10. A written budget justification for each line item is required on the form. 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:  

‍$20,000 (Best for Beginning ESOs)

• 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 track and document grant impact and outcomes;
• Intention to develop the organization as an ESO or an embedded ESO.

‍$40,000 (Best for Emerging 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); 
• Ability to reach an average of at least 15-20 entrepreneurs per month 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.

 $80,000 (Best for Established ESOs)

• Must have 5+ years of comprehensive experience providing business training, technical assistance or financing services to very small businesses;
• Innovative, effective approaches to providing business services to an underserved community, microenterprises within a priority industry, programming with specialized content or reaching a new geographic region, etc.;
• Serves a priority industry sector, community, and/or region with specialized services;  
• Experience engaging in a multi-organization collaborations with formal relationships with existing business financing partners;
• Existing connections to an underserved community;
• Ability to reach an average of at least 20-35 entrepreneurs per month with comprehensive business services over the grant period;
• Project could be used as a model for other organizations.

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 lisa@wamicrobiz.org for more information.

• All proposals will be electronically submitted utilizing the WSMA grants portal located at https://www.wamicrobiz.org/microenterprise-grant-opportunities. 

• 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 October 30 and November 22, 2024. Please contact lisa@wamicrobiz.org
  • Portal technical assistance will be available between November 13 and November 22, 2024. Contact Lisa Smith at lisa@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 EXTENDED TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2024 at 12:00pm, 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 November 22, 2024 at Washington State Microenterprise Association P.O. Box 1914, Olympia, WA 98507, providing notification is sent to WSMA at lisa@wamicrobiz.org ahead of the deadline. WSMA assumes no responsibility for delays caused by any delivery method.

• Questions can be directed to Lisa Smith, WSMA Executive Director at lisa@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 complete their capacity building work and deliver the business programming, services and resources, etc. within this grant period.

WSMA is seeking and will prioritize applicants that:

• Meet eligibility requirements (See Section 2)
• 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. 

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.

Priority will be given to organizations with capacity to work effectively with very small businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), veterans, people with disabilities, returning citizens, LGBTQ+ people, and others historically shut out from opportunities, funding, training programs and financing opportunities. 

Each proposal will be independently evaluated. WSMA is dedicated to ensuring that funds are distributed throughout the state to achieve geographic and demographic equity. 

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 2024 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.  
• For new WSMA grantees, ESOs must attend a post-award one-hour meeting to learn about payment processing, reporting requirements and more. Former grantees are also welcome to attend, though it is not required. 
• All grantees will be required to attend a mid-grant check-in meeting with WSMA staff virtually or in-person.
• 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 16, 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 Lisa Smith at lisa@wamicrobiz.org for additional details. 

We want to minimize the impact of the grantee reporting requirements and will be using a similar but slightly pared down version of the Grantee Final Report Template from recent years.  Here are some examples of questions that will be included in the report template:  

• Share your successes, challenges and lessons learned during the grant period;  
• Share some of the ways you were able to collaborate with other business technical assistance providers; and,
• Describe stories, strategies or insights you learned during the process.
• Identify the consultants you worked with, if any were used.  What is their name/business name, what did they do on the project and how much were they paid?  

9. Information Session(s) and Applicant Questions 

• Technical Assistance regarding this RFP and Guidelines should be addressed to Lisa Smith, WSMA Executive Director at lisa@wamicrobiz.org‍
• Information Session: November 7, 2024 at 2:00pm. Register HERE. FAQs will be posted on the WSMA website after the Information Session. This session will also be recorded and made available on the WSMA YouTube Channel.

• Grant Portal Walk-through: November 14, 2024 at 9:00am. Register HERE.  This session will be recorded and made available on the WSMA YouTube Channel.

• Additional Grant Writing Resources can be found on the Nonprofit Association of Washington website. 

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. 

Tab 1: Contact Information

1. Organization Information (if a grantee account is not already set up) 

• Organization Name
• Organization Address - Official, stated in W9 Form
• Organization City, State, Zip
• Organization Phone
• Contact Name
• Contact Address
• Contact Phone
• Contact Email
• Organization UBI (Unique Business Identifier)

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.  

1. Tell us about your agency/organization with specific focus on your ability to provide business training, technical assistance and/or access to credit services or financial support for microbusinesses in Washington State (1,000 character limit)

2. Which level of funding are you requesting? $20,000, $40,000 or $80,000? Applicants should only apply for the amount they can practically deploy in the short window of the grant period.  A written budget justification for each line item is required on the Fund Request Form.

3. Will you be using WSMA funds for capacity building tied to direct services of your organization to better serve businesses as outlined in Section 3 (Eligible and Required Use of Funds)?   

4. If yes, explain what your organization’s capacity building needs are that the grant request is seeking to address and how the awareness, skills and/or strategies your organization gains from this funding will be applied to the businesses you serve. You will share specific details about how this approach will be applied to businesses in Question 15 below in the areas of training, technical assistance or support with financing (1,500 characters)

5. Select which areas your organization will be focusing its efforts: Indicate all that apply.  

• Training: Provide multi-session training programs or comprehensive business training webinars or workshops that build the capacity of small businesses to attract new customers, manage their finances, fine tune their operations, apply for financing, etc.

• Technical Assistance: 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 organizations 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.

6. Does your proposal primarily serve businesses in rural or urban communities? Is it statewide?
   • Please see Section B - Definitions in the Program Guidelines. Note: Statewide projects include programs that have a demonstrated history of service delivery primarily accessed by businesses located in all parts of the state.

7. Is your organization an Existing ESO, Embedded ESO, Emerging ESO or Other? Please see Section B - Definitions in the Program Guidelines.

8. Does your organization have demonstrated experience providing services for agriculture/food, childcare, clean materials/clean tech, creative economy/arts, energy/efficiency, home building/construction, life sciences, maritime trades, small scale manufacturing and tourism (please select up to two) and for how long? 

9. Which counties does your organization 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.

10. 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

11. Is your organization led by a Person of Color (BIPOC)?

12. 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
• Women Owned Businesses
• Minority Owned Businesses 
• LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses
• Entrepreneurs with disabilities
• Returning Citizens (People exiting the justice system)
• Refugees and/or immigrants

13. Provide a 1,000 character (approximately 100 words) abstract (brief summary of your proposal). For example:

• Sample 1: Sophisticated Resources (SR) will provide outreach, tools  and business services to small scale manufacturers in Southeast Washington. SR specializes in training, technical assistance and other resources that help the very small businesses we serve reach new markets and strengthen their business practices so they can grow their capacity to thrive in rural Washington.  This program will offer hands-on training and technical assistance to manufacturers and will help them complete applications for permitting, licensing new products and access procurement services.‍
• ‍Sample 2: Elegant Opportunities (EO) supports predominantly French speaking elder entrepreneurs through a 12-week Business Planning Series in Hopeful and Diligent Counties that includes financial education, marketing, business plan development, financial projections and more. EO will provide our training and technical assistance services in one-on-one and in small groups all in French.  Outreach events in several communities will enable EO to build connections for these entrepreneurs and enroll them into business programs.  A unique strength of our work is how past graduates are becoming trainers and mentors in the program.  

14. Scope of Work Summary:  This section draws details from the Outcomes in Tab 4 and describes the specific work your organization will be providing to business owners.  Write a simple and clear description of the work to be done (how many training programs/workshops, where and how often), how many people will participate in the programs. We understand that this is your proposed plan for what your organization will accomplish with this grant. WSMA recognizes that you will also need to be flexible to make changes as needed to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. 
    
    Your narrative must match the numbers of workshops, participants served, etc. outlined in the Economic Outcome section. (2,000 character limit).
    
    ‍Example for a $40,000 level application: 
    ‍Based on our past experience and surveys, we will reach and connect with 60 entrepreneurs in Jan-Feb, provide business programming for 25 business owners from March-May. Translations and interpretation and other support will be provided as needed for participants. Our plan is to provide 3 training programs. Each training program will likely include eight 3-hour sessions each, depending on the need and cover the following topics: Technical Assistance: Total 12 sessions, 18 hours total. At least 12 sessions (1.5 hour) of individual or small group technical assistance for at least 30 businesses with the following topics that include, but are not limited to:

• How to overcome fears of scaling
• Legal advice
• Panel discussion of business owners in the industry to share their experience and advice
• Access to resources
• Other topics as identified by participants: resale opportunities, stores, transportation, warehouse.

15. Project Narrative:  Describe how the organization will accomplish the specific activities highlighted in the Scope of Work section.  This section describes what is going to happen and tells a story about why the specific services are important, who will be doing the work, what vital partners are involved and how the programming will unfold.  
    
    Please share where the activities will take place, important information about how your proposed programs will ensure diversity, equity and inclusion in their delivery. Finally, include unique or important details about the services that will distinguish the program from the rest of the applications. As often as possible, provide the name and type of webinars, kinds of business technical assistance support and/or what translation and interpretive services you will provide and how your project is connecting businesses with financing resources, if applicable.  (6,000 characters)

16. Beyond the traditional measures of impact, please describe what you expect to be the impact of your proposed project on your organization, the businesses and/or communities served. Impact is measured differently for different communities. Some examples might include quality of life, increased revenue, new employees, wealth creation, new location, greater confidence expressed by businesses served, stability, hopefulness, etc. (1,000 characters) 

17. Explain how you will track your progress, including the total number of business owners served and the results of your work.  Identify the specific platforms, software, spreadsheets, or other tools that enable your organization to measure progress with economic outcomes. If applicable, please share how you will measure quality of life, greater stability, hopefulness, etc. through surveys and other strategies. (1,000 characters).

Tab 3: Funding Request

Fund Request Form: Please use the Excel format provided, which can be downloaded from the WSMA website. If you are unable to download a copy please reach out to Lisa Smith at lisa@wamicrobiz.org. Please be sure to title your document with your organization name and name of the document (Ex: My Org Fund Request Form 2024.xls). Please upload in Excel, NOT PDF. 

Once you fill in your REQUIRED Fund Request Form with written budget justifications AND amounts in the Excel form, you will upload the completed document to the portal (see instructions under Section 10: Q&A Tips for Grant Application Portal Success below)

Tab 4: Anticipated Economic Outcomes  

WSMA is required to provide information about the outcomes of the grants funds we provide. The purpose of this section is to gauge the impact of these funds on the communities you served through this support from WSMA grant funds. This is vital to ensure that programs are reaching communities in need or those who have been historically marginalized. It also helps to identify gaps in services. 

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 the category does not apply to the services you will provide. 

‍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, multiple related sessions with an end date)    

• # of Aessions to be provided (number of sessions in a training series)
• # of Businesses (existing and start-up) served (the number of businesses that attended each of the workshop[s] or webinar[s])
• Total hours of instruction (total number of hours of all the sessions)

‍Business Workshops/Webinars (A single webinar or workshop event)

• # of sessions provided (the number of stand-alone workshops or webinars provided) 
• # of businesses (existing and start-up) served (number of participants who attend each workshop)
• Total hours of instruction (Hours only. For example, 2 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)

• # of sessions provided (number of meetings or appointments regardless of the number of hours)
• # of 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 2 hours each, the total would be 4 hours)

‍Access to Financing (Loans/Grants)

• # of businesses (existing and start-up) served  
• # of referrals to local/regional lenders as a result of the project (number of businesses introduced to a financing partner)
• # of loans/grants applied for (an application for funding is submitted)
• # of loans/grants funded (funding is awarded)
• Total amount funded/received (total funding dollars awarded to the business)

‍Demographics of those to be served

• # Veteran owned businesses
• # BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Businesses Served
• # Women Served (who identify as such)
• # Entrepreneurs with disabilities served
• # Refugees and/or immigrants
• # Businesses owned by people exiting the justice system
• # LGBTQ+ Served (who identify as such)
• # OMWBE certified businesses

Tab 5: Attachments to Upload  

1. Organizational Budget (not the project budget) for the current or 2025 calendar year. 

2. Organizational Profit & Loss (P&L) / Income Statement (actuals) from the 2023 calendar or fiscal year or most recent 12-month period.  This document shows how much your organization has spent and earned over a 12-month period. 

3. 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  

1. 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.  

2. 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. 

3. 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:

1. Representing that you are an officer or other agent duly authorized to enter into legally binding agreements. 
2. Agreeing to submit this WSMA grant application in an electronic form which shall be bound by its contents as an electronic transaction. 
3. Agreeing that your insertion of this data constitutes an electronic signature.   

10. 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 held on November 14, 2024 at 9:00am. You can register HERE. The video will also be posted on the WSMA YouTube Channel. 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. 

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 Lisa Smith, WSMA Executive Director at lisa@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 (see 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 only ($20,000, $40,000 or $80,000), not the total of your project (if it is different) and then click Save Draft. Once this is done, reopen the Funding Request tab 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:

• Grant Guidelines: PDF Download
• Grant Application Questions: Microsoft Word (Automatic Download) and PDF Download
• Fund Request Form: Excel Sheet (Automatic Download) and Example Form (PDF)