The US Chamber of Commerce has compiled a continuously updated catalog of more than 100 grants, loans, and funding programs designed to help small business owners at every stage of growth, from startup to expansion. Whether you're launching your first venture or scaling an existing operation, the chamber's resource guide—called CO—maps pathways to federal, state, and local funding that often goes untapped simply because business owners don't know where to look.
The challenge of financing a small business is universal across industries and geographies, but the solutions available are surprisingly diverse. Federal funding often flows not directly to businesses but through state and local governments, nonprofits, and institutions that deliver technical assistance on the ground level. This layered approach means entrepreneurs may qualify for multiple programs simultaneously, each addressing different needs or business profiles.
Take the Illinois infrastructure initiative, which Governor JB Pritzker launched in 2020 as part of a $45 billion statewide investment. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity allocated approximately $3 billion in capital grants specifically designed to support projects benefiting local communities and businesses. These grants, tracked through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act website, come in both general and project-specific forms, giving businesses flexibility in how they apply.
Minnesota's Emerging Entrepreneur Loan Program offers another model worth noting. Rather than distributing money directly, the state provides grant funds to certified nonprofit lenders, which then offer loans to startup and expanding businesses owned by minorities, low-income individuals, women, veterans, and people with disabilities. The program explicitly ties lending to job creation and economic strengthening in disadvantaged areas, creating a multiplier effect where a single grant supports both business owners and their communities.
For businesses working in research and biomedical technology, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has opened grant opportunities focused on COVID-19 research, with application deadlines running through 2026 and beyond. Meanwhile, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund serves as a federal entity offering financial support to certified lenders in low-income communities, with specific initiatives supporting Native American entrepreneurs and affordable housing projects.
Even highly specific local opportunities exist. San Francisco small business owners can apply for accessibility grants up to $10,000 to remove barriers, install accessible equipment, or conduct ADA compliance inspections—with the city promising a response within 15 days of application. Eligibility requires less than $2.5 million in gross revenue at a single location and 100 or fewer employees, meaning the program targets genuinely small operations.
The broadest entry point remains Grants.gov, the federal government's comprehensive database housing thousands of grant opportunities across all sectors and business types. The chamber encourages entrepreneurs to check local and state resources simultaneously, recognizing that the landscape of available funding is constantly shifting. Each week, CO— updates its listings to reflect new opportunities, reflecting the reality that small business financing is less a one-time search and more an ongoing conversation between business owners and the institutions designed to support them.