The city of Sacramento is taking applications for up to $1 million in grants for organizations that support the local startup ecosystem by hosting hackathons, tech meetups, entrepreneurial education and pitch competitions in the city within a year.
The grants are from the Sacramento Office of Innovation & Economic Development and applications are due in July.
"Sacramento’s future depends on our ability to grow the next generation of companies in growth industries like life sciences, clean mobility or ag tech,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in a news release. "A modest investment from the city can help our entrepreneurs reach the next level."
The grants are available to individuals, businesses, nonprofits and community organizations located in the city of Sacramento.
"Sacramento is full of entrepreneurs and small businesses with great ideas looking for opportunities to make them a reality,” said Assistant City Manager Michael Jasso, in a news release. “The grants will support programs and events to help these change-makers innovate and thrive.”
Two distinct grant opportunities are available.
The first program is Innovation Event Grants, for up to $15,000 to fund a one-time or a series of events to inspire entrepreneurs or to increase the number of entrepreneurs of innovative businesses and programs. Examples can include regularly scheduled meetups to connect entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts; startup weekends gathering entrepreneurs to kick-start new companies; and business pitch competitions where startups present their companies for funding and promotion. Those programs must occur before the end of the year and happen in the city of Sacramento.
The second program is Ecosystem Building Grants, for up to $250,000, to spur innovation in the startup community. Examples can be incubator and accelerator programs that provide mentorship, networking and education to help companies raise money, grow their business and create new jobs; programs to accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies; or education programs that train entrepreneurs in technology or business principles.
Those Ecosystem grants are for projects that must be completed in 12 months and must be in the city for Sacramento-based startups.
Complete guidelines for both programs can be found on the city’s website. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for emails on program updates. Applications are due by 5 p.m. July 17.
Funding for the programs is from the city's Innovation Growth Fund in the General Fund. Awards will be selected by a competitive application and scoring process by the Mayor’s Tech Council.
