Free funding resources to help start a small business this year

By Forrest Milburn and Angelica Arinze
January 24, 2024

In today’s newsletter:

The first in our Small Business Guide series breaks down different resources and tips to starting a small business in Greater Houston.
Picking a new school district can be hard. You can help us make the choice a little easieras we work to create tools that give families deeper information about Houston-area schools.
Former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo won’t take the interim assistant city managerposition in Austin, a job he was offered only a week ago.

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These 6 funding sources can help small-business owners this year

Joseph Bui for Houston Landing

Houston has plenty of resources for small-business owners, particularly those owned by women and people of color, but it’s not always easy to find everything that’s available if you don’t know where to look. Angelica Perez put together a guide to six funding resources that can help if you’re beginning the journey to launch your own company.

➕ This explainer is the first in a broader series called the Small Business Guide, where we’ll break down different resources and tips for starting a small business in Texas. If you would like your organization added to this list, please email [email protected].

Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready: This free online curriculum from Verizon offers coaching, courses and mentoring for small businesses. The program aims to help businesses in the digital economy and can be taken at your own pace. The application period for grants has closed, but you can start taking the courses now and become eligible once applications reopen in the spring.

Brookfield Properties’ Partner to Empower: This program offers funding for local minority-owned retailers to build out a store or a kiosk, and an opportunity to learn more about business planning and funding. The four-week virtual workshop, which is led by industry experts and offers networking opportunities, lets in 40 to 45 applicants three times a year and is currently accepting applications.

LiftFund: This nonprofit organization provides loans to women-owned and minority-owned small businesses, particularly with owners who traditionally don’t have access to a bank or a credit union. Loans are available for commercial real estate purchases, equipment, inventory and more, and they range from $500 to $500,000.

You can check out all six resources at the button below.