Business Grants

SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS

2026 Small Business Grants - RiseUp, ScaleUp and Media

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce will award five small business grants this year. Applicants must be members of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce in good standing prior to submitting an application.

The RiseUp and ScaleUp Grants will provide $2,500 each to four Chamber member businesses seeking to build or scale their operations.

The Media Grant will provide $5,000 in professional services from Addison Marketing Solutions to support customer-facing media initiatives, including website development, social media, and related marketing activities.

RiseUp Grant for small businesses (Value of $2500)

Revenue: The business must be revenue generating under $50K
Business size: The business may or may not have any employees
Business type: The business must be a for-profit business and a member in good standing of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Business stage: The business must be in the start-up stage and in operation for less than 2 years
Business purpose: The business must have a clear mission and purpose
Financial need: The business must demonstrate a clear need for funding and how the grant funds will be used.
Impact: The business must demonstrate how the grant funds will have a positive impact on the business and the broader community
Two (2) grants will be awarded in 2026

ScaleUp Grant for small businesses (Value of $2500)

Revenue: The business must be revenue generating between $51K and $200K
Business size: The business should have at least 1 employee or contract employee equivalent
Business type: The business must be a for-profit business and a member in good standing of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Business stage: The business must be in operation for at least 2+ years
Business purpose: The business must have a clear mission and purpose
Financial need: The business must demonstrate a clear need for funding and how the grant funds will be used.
Impact: The business must demonstrate how the grant funds will have a positive impact on the business and the broader community
Two (2) grants will be awarded in 2026

Media Grant for small businesses (Sponsored by Addison Marketing Solutions - value of $5000 to be used toward services provided by Addison Marketing Solutions)

Revenue: The business must be revenue generating up to $200K.
Business size: The business may or may not have any employees
Business type: The business must be a for-profit business and a member in good standing of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Business stage: The business must be in operation for 1+ years
Business purpose: The business must have a clear mission and purpose
Financial need: The business must demonstrate a clear need for the types of marketing services being offered by Addison Marketing Solutions.
Impact: The business must demonstrate how the marketing services will have a positive impact on the business
One (1) grant will be awarded in 2026

*ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT: All applicants must be members of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce in good standing prior to submitting an application

The grant application process is now open and will close on August 28, 2026. Businesses can apply by completing the application form. All applications will be reviewed, finalists will be interviewed and the recipients will be chosen.

Key dates are as follows: