B-Cubed program aids minority-owned businesses
A minority business assistance program in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County has helped 15 businesses and disbursed $21,700 in grant money in its first year of operation. With $200,000 in state and federal grant awards announced in October 2021, organizers of the Black- and Brown-Owned Business Growth Program, known as B-Cubed, hope to attract more business […]
Industrial space gets boost in Amherst
Amherst County has received a $3 million federal grant to attract manufacturing firms with a new 45,000-square-foot, $4.6 million industrial facility. In September, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it awarded a $3 million grant to the county Economic Development Authority to build a new county-owned facility, with hopes that the project would create […]
GO Virginia funds two NoVa tech projects
GO Virginia Region 7 is allocating $2.2 million to two projects in Northern Virginia focused on developing the area’s technology industry, the Northern Virginia arm of the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative announced Wednesday. “The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased the demand for high-tech jobs, giving our region a unique opportunity to make workforce [&he[...]
ODU announces $3.9M cybersecurity scholarship program
Old Dominion University announced Thursday its School of Cybersecurity and Center for High Impact Practices has received a $3.9 million National Science Foundation grant to offer scholarships to cybersecurity students. Through the grant, ODU will work with Tidewater Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College to provide full in-state tuition scholarships, an annual stipend ranging [&hell[...]
Three Hampton Roads revitalization projects receive $1M from state
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that $1 million in Port Host Communities Revitalization Fund (PHCRF) grants will go toward three projects in Hampton Roads including revitalizing the vacant 57,792-square-foot Willis Building in Norfolk, making updates to the Menchville Marina to aid the state’s oyster industry and redeveloping the 51-acre Lovett Point property in Portsmouth for […[...]
$29.6M state grants to expand broadband in 11 localities
Nearly $30 million in Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) grants will be disbursed among five projects to expand broadband access in 11 localities in the Northern Neck, Southwest and Southern Virginia and Botetourt County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The projects will connect more than 11,700 households, businesses and institutions to high-speed internet. VATI provides funding [[...]
Liberty University sues state over tuition assistance cut for online students
Liberty University, the large, private nonprofit Christian school in Lynchburg, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam and the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), alleging that amendments to the 2020 state budget “wrongly exclude Virginia students who access higher education through online content” from receiving the Virginia Tuition […]
CIT announces $7M grant funding round
The Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) on Thursday opened the application process for $7 million in grant funds from its new Commonwealth Commercialization Fund, focused on promoting innovation and technology commercialization initiatives. The fund started six months ago. This round will provide grants up to $100,000 to support companies’ commercialization and market entry [...]
Roanoke, local credit union launch small business relief fund
The city of Roanoke and Roanoke-based credit union Freedom First announced Tuesday a partnership that will disburse small business relief grants of up to $25,000 to those affected by the coronavirus. The $416,250 program will use Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) federal funding. The program is intended for businesses that are at risk of closing […]
Goodwill of Central and Coastal Va. receives $10M gift
Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia announced Tuesday it has received a $10 million grant from novelist MacKenzie Scott, who has donated more than $4.2 billion across 384 organizations during the past four months. Scott is the former wife of Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos. The gift will help Goodwill provide job-readiness training to people […]
Richmond extends deadline for second small business grant fund
The city of Richmond announced Monday it has extended the deadline for its Richmond Recovers II Grant Program through Dec. 18. The program will provide applicants with grants of $15,000 for COVID-19 pandemic relief and will be funded with $2 million from the city’s CARES Act appropriation. Small businesses other than restaurants, retail and beverage […]
Amherst County disburses $450K to 48 local small businesses
Amherst County announced Tuesday it has disbursed $450,000 in CARES Act funding to 48 area businesses that were affected by the pandemic. The local Economic Development Authority and the Amherst County Finance Department partnered to manage the grant program. “As a small business trying to navigate through the ups and downs of this pandemic, we […]