Believe in Bristol Announces 7th Annual Entrepreneur Grants Program — Training and $80,000 in Grant Money will be awarded!

**APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR 2022 GRANT PROGRAM**

A partnership with Believe in Bristol, Virginia DHCD, City of Bristol, VA and Wells Fargo Foundation.

• Do you have an idea that will help continue to grow Historic Downtown Bristol VA/TN?
• Are you an entrepreneur and local community advocate?
• Are you just getting started with your product or service idea and think that downtown is the right fit?
• Are you already in business downtown but have plan to expand your business offering new services or growing your current location?

If so, you are eligible to participate in the Ben Collins Memorial Entrepreneur Grant (e-Grant) Program.

Thanks to Virginia DHCD Community Development Block Grant, Virginia DHCD Resurgence Grant, and a Community Development grant from Wells Fargo, Believe in Bristol will be awarding a total of $80,000 in grant funding to FIVE winning and innovative businesses for downtown Bristol!

Grant awards will be broken down as follows: 1st Place will receive $25,000, 2nd Place will receive $20,000, 3rd Place will receive $15,000, and 4th and 5th Place will each receive $10,000.

Applicants will apply onlineor in person at the Believe in Bristol office located at 20 6th Street, Bristol, TN. Applications accepted January 10th – February 7th, 2022.

Applicants will be notified by Friday, February 11th, 2022 if they are selected to move forward with the interview process. Applicant interviews will be scheduled the week of February 14th – February 25th, 2022.

Special consideration will be given to SWaM (Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned)businesses and Small-Scale production businesses. Small-scale producers, or maker businesses, are defined as all types of small businesses producing tangible goods. This includes businesses producing goods in textile, hardware, wood, metal, 3D printing, and food. This also includes hardware prototyping, consumer product design and prototyping, breweries and distilleries, and local food production and packaging.

The top 15 businesses selected to move forward in the grant program will be notified by Monday, February 28th.

• Week 1 – What is a Business Plan?– March 8, 2022
• Week 2 – Business Structure:From a Tax and Legal Perspective– March 15, 2022
• Week 3 – Discovering the Bottom Line & Cash Flow– March 22, 2022
• Week 4 – Customer Service & Adaptability– April 5, 2022
• Week 5 – Understanding Your Market– April 12, 2022
• Week 6 – Planning for the Future (Raising capital, growth planning, goals)– April 19, 2022
• Pitch Day – Thursday, May 5th, 2022 – 6:00-9:00 PM (Location TBD)

Class Format: Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 PM at Bristol Public Library, unless notified otherwise. Refreshments will be provided.

• 6:00 – 7:00 PM : Expert on Topic
• 7:00 – 8:00 PM : Field Work Review / Co-Hort Networking

Please note that by participating in this grant process, no reasonable expectation of confidentiality can be expected.This is public grant funded monies and confidentiality can’t be guaranteed.

The grant money is contingent on;

• Opening or expanding a business in the Historic Main Street District of Downtown Bristol
• Participation and attendance in a 6-week training course, which includes 2-hour classes and outside field work.
• Becoming one of the top (5) businesses selected by a panel of judges during the final pitch day event.
• Opening or expanding your existing business by October 31, 2022.
• This reimbursement grant may be used for property ownership, leased space, business licenses, professional training, utilities, computer equipment, restaurant equipment, and/or other business supplies.A formal request to Believe in Bristol along with documentation will be required for the reimbursement.

For questions please call the Believe in Bristol office at 423-573-2201.

Believe in Bristol Accepts Applications for Ben Collins Memorial Entrepreneur Grant — Training and $7,500 in Grant Money to be awarded!

Thanks to a Community Development grant from Wells Fargo Foundation, Believe in Bristol will facilitate the 2019-20 Ben Collins Memorial Entrepreneur Grant Program and award a total of $7,500 in grant funding to TWO winning and innovative businesses for downtown Bristol!

Applications are open now through September 25th, 2019. Applicants will apply online at HERE or in person at the Believe in Bristol office located at 20 6th Street, Bristol, TN.

Applicants will be notified by Friday, September 28th, 2019 if they are selected to move forward with the interview process. Applicant interviews will be scheduled the week of September 30th – October 3rd, 2019.

The top 10 businesses selected to move forward in the grant program will be notified by Friday, October 4th, 2019 of their acceptance into the five-week training program, ending in a Shark Tank style pitch competition. Judges from all walks of local entrepreneurialism will score contestants and the winner will be announced that day.

Week 1 – What is a Business Plan?
Week 2 – Business Structure: From a Tax and Legal Perspective
Week 3 – Discovering the Bottom Line & Cash Flow
Week 4 – Customer Service & Adaptability
Week 5 – Understanding Your Market
Pitch Day – Thursday, December 12, 2019 – (Location TBD)

The grant money is contingent on;

• Opening or expanding a business in the Historic Main Street District of Downtown Bristol
• Participation and attendance in a 5-week training course, which includes 2-hour classes and outside field work.
• Becoming the top business selected by a panel of judges during the final pitch day event.
• Opening or expanding your existing business by June 30, 2020.
• This reimbursement grant maybe used for property ownership, leased space, business licenses, professional training, utilities, computer equipment, restaurant equipment, and/or other business supplies. A formal request to Believe in Bristol along with documentation will be required for the reimbursement.

Believe in Bristol is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization composed of dedicated citizens, business owners, government officials and other friends of Bristol who recognize the role a vital downtown plays in preserving and furthering our communities identity, spirit and economy.

For more information please contact the Believe in Bristol office at 423-573-2201.

BELIEVE IN BRISTOL ANNOUNCES BEN COLLINS MEMORIAL ENTREPRENEUR GRANT — TRAINING AND $5,000 IN GRANT MONEY WILL BE AWARDED!

A partnership with Believe in Bristol and Wells Fargo.

Do you have an idea that will help continue to grow Historic Downtown Bristol VA/TN?
Are you an entrepreneur and local community advocate?
Are you just getting started with your product or service idea and think that downtown is the right fit?
Are you already in business downtown but have plan to expand your business offering new services or growing your current location?

If so, you are eligible to participate in the Ben Collins Memorial Entrepreneur Grant Program.

Thanks to a Community Development grant from Wells Fargo, Believe in Bristol will be awarding $5,000 in grant funding to a winning and innovative business idea for downtown Bristol!

Applicants will apply online atBelieveInBristol.org/businessor in person at the Believe in Bristol office located at 20 6th Street, Bristol, TN. Applications accepted February 13th – March 3rd, 2019.

Applicants will be notified by Friday, March 8th, 2019 if they are selected to move forward with the interview process. Applicant interviews will be scheduled the week of March 11 – March 14, 2019.

The top 10 businesses selected to move forward in the grant program will be notified by Friday, March 15, 2019.

Week 1 – What is a Business Plan? – March 19, 2019
Week 2 – Business Structure: From a Tax and Legal Perspective – March 26, 2019
Week 3 – Discovering the Bottom Line & Cash Flow – April 2, 2019
Week 4 – Customer Service & Adaptability – April 16, 2019
Week 5 – Understanding Your Market – April 23, 2019
Pitch Day – Small Business Week – May 5-11, 2019 (Specifics TBA)

Class Format: Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Believe in Bristol office located at 20 6th Street Bristol, TN, unless notified otherwise. Refreshments will be provided.

Please note that by participating in this grant process, no reasonable expectation of confidentiality can be expected. This is public grant funded monies and confidentiality can’t be guaranteed.

The grant money is contingent on;

• Opening or expanding a business in the Historic Main Street District of Downtown Bristol
• Participation and attendance in a 5-week training course, which includes 2-hour classes and outside field work.
• Becoming the top business selected by a panel of judges during the final pitch day event.
• Opening or expanding your existing business by September 30, 2019.
• This reimbursement grant maybe used for property ownership, leased space, business licenses, professional training, utilities, computer equipment, restaurant equipment, and/or other business supplies. A formal request to Believe in Bristol along with documentation will be required for the reimbursement.

For questions please call the Believe in Bristol office at 423-573-2201.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY BY MARCH 3RD

Welcome, Entrepreneurs!

UPDATE February 16th, 2017: Classes are under way! Pitch Day will be held on April 29th, 2017 by invitation only.

UPDATE January 20th, 2017: We are in the process of selecting and notifying the 18 finalists now.

UPDATE October 19th, 2016: Believe in Bristol Awarded Virginia Community Business Launch Grant

UPDATE April 19th, 2016: Belive in Bristol Wins Tennessee Main Street Entrepreneur Grant

Our first year winner featured in commercial

Bristol Brewing is full steam ahead after getting some help from Bank of Tennessee. UPDATE: Brewmeister and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Ken Monyak will be leading our 2017 Co.Starters training class!

We believe in YOU

Believe in Bristol supports and welcomes entrepreneurs to our downtown — not just a beautiful and fun place to be, but a great place to do business as well.

We provide free promotion, business alerts, gatherings, classes, and so much more. Come down to the IdeaSpace (located in the Visitor's Center / Believe in Bristol HQ) and explore your dreams today!