Small Business Startup Solutions Secures Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program Grant
Updated: 4 days ago
Small Business Startup Solutions has been selected as a proud recipient of the Lehigh Valley Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grant, CEAP, valued at $2,000, to be used to grow our business, audience, and revenue.
The Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program is offered to eligible creative businesses throughout Pennsylvania.
This grant is funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program and administered by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation.
What the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program Supports
According to CEAP this grant was designed to:
Pair creative entrepreneurs who aspire to start their own for-profit business or who operate an existing for-profit micro business with existing small business consulting services.
Provide financial resources through $2,000 grants.
Advance the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ overarching value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Prioritize investments to creative entrepreneurs who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC).
Prioritize investments to creative entrepreneurs located in and whose work benefits low-income communities as defined by the Small Business Administration
How CEAP Grant Funds Can Be Used
CEAP states that the funds can be used for:
Professional fees for workshops, consultants, and career coaching
Participation in events, trade shows, festivals, etc. that offer access to audience and revenue generation potential
Business development fees for courses or seminars for business skills
Research and development
Marketing and promotion
Development or upgrades to technology related to business practices
Studio/rehearsal/retail space rent
Reasonable fees for supporting/collaborating artists
Purchase of supplies and equipment.
To earn this grant, Small Business Startup Solutions was required to write a comprehensive business plan and have it reviewed by the SBDC.
"We have successfully demonstrated the viability and creativity of our startup. We are excited to use the CEAP grant to expand our business and are so appreciative of the support from Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and SBDC. We will follow up on how the grant gets allocated," Emily Brown, owner and founder of Small Business Startup Solutions.
Since receiving the CEAP grant, Small Business Startup Solutions has invested the funding directly back into the business, supporting software for project management, customer relationship management, automation, video recording, accounting, and business communications. The funding also supported professional development, networking, and community involvement through membership in the Junior League of Philadelphia.
Programs like this provide valuable support for creative entrepreneurs as they invest in and grow their businesses.
We encourage other fellow creative entrepreneurs to apply for this grant, as the application opens each year. Businesses previously awarded can apply again every three years. Lehigh Valley small business owners can connect with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, while creative businesses elsewhere in Pennsylvania can apply through the organization administering the program in their region.
If website design, technology, or marketing is part of how you plan to use your grant funding, we’d love to be part of helping you grow.
