What it is: A national grant program awarding 400 small businesses across the U.S., each receiving $10,000 to help address challenges, grow operations, and strengthen community impact.

Eligibility: Open to small businesses in all 50 states, including Indiana, that demonstrate economic need and a strong local footprint in their communities.

Timeline: Applications are open now through **Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CT

The Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express, provides support to locally significant small businesses with community reach.

The program is accepting applications for grants of $10,000 to fund projects that promote sustainable growth, enhance long-term resilience, and increase local impact. Following the Disaster Recovery Grants, the Backing Small Businesses grant program will launch a broader round of grants, offering 400 additional $10,000 grants to locally significant small businesses to overcome economic hardship, grow, and drive community impact.

Applications are open for the Backing Small Business grant program from Wednesday, July 16 at 9:00 a.m. CT to Thursday, July 31 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Please note that project proposals for the $10,000 grant application should be feasible to achieve with only the $10,000 award and completed by the end of the calendar year. Recipients of the $10,000 grant will be required to submit a final grant report using a template provided.

Of the five hundred (500) recipients selected through our 2025 Backing Small Business grant program, including the one hundred (100) recipients of the Disaster Recovery grants, a limited subset of twenty-five (25) will be awarded $30,000 Enhancement Grants to support transformative projects that strengthen their businesses and deepen their impact within their communities. To be eligible for a $30,000 Enhancement Grant, a recipient must have received the initial $10,000 grant and successfully completed their projects, and must not have previously received an Enhancement Grant from the Backing Small Businesses grant program. Enhancement Grant recipients will be considered based on Enhancement Grant project proposals, which must be submitted through the final grant report for the initial $10,000 grant.

Click here to apply. If you need help with your grant application, contact mel@indianaowned.com for more information about her services through Indiana Owned.