One of the biggest continuing challenges for startups is funding. And it is that much more difficult if you are not located in certain parts of the country. Localized or state-specific grants look to overcome these challenges by providing grants to help startups get the funding they need. The grants for this week look at such grants as well as what is available in other parts of the country.

With grants starting at $10,000 and going all the way up to $150,000, the Florida High Tech Corridor Grants support tech research and development projects through funding and university partnerships. Some of the other grants currently available in Florida include, Enterprise Florida offers Virtual Business Matchmaking grants, Florida Export Marketing Plan Grants, and others. If you are in Florida, see what else is available:

The Latest Florida Small Business Grant Opportunities

The challenges of the pandemic continue to affect small businesses, and Massachusetts is providing up to $75 million in COVID grant funds to address the problem. If you haven’t received any COVID related grants and your business is in underserved markets, including those owned by minorities, women, and veterans read for more details:

Massachusetts Small Businesses Can Get Some of $75 Million COVID Grant Fund

The last set of grants come from GM to help businesses in Flint, Michigan as well as other funding opportunities in Hawaii, Florida, and other locations. Find out more here:

General Motors Funds Small Business Grants for Flint Businesses

Small Business News Roundup – March 11, 2022

Take a look at the rest of the news taking place in the small business world this week:

Uber Adding Restaurant Reservations and Event Tickets Sales for Businesses

People in 15 cities across the United States and Mexico are now able to use the Uber app to browse and book experiences such as dinner reservations and live events.

Visa Will Lower Credit Card Swipe Fees for Small Business

Visa has announced it will be lowering credit card interchange rates or swipe fees for both online and in-store transactions by 10% for small businesses, according to an AP report. Visa Will Lower Credit Card Swipe Fees for Small Business The lower fees begin in April, with Visa hoping they will help maintain their status as one of the world’s largest payment companies.

New IRS Rule Will Lead to Widespread Phishing Scams

As the US tax season rolls on, new concerns of phishing scams are emerging as the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) directive requires mobile payment apps to report commercial transactions totaling more than $600 in one year.

Rise in Small Business Loan Fraud Blamed on Pandemic

Lending fraud among small to mid-sized businesses has increased by 6.9% since 2020. More than one-third of the growth in small and mid-size business lending fraud is attributed to the pandemic. These were among the key findings of LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Small and Midsize Business (SMB) Lending Fraud Study.

Inflation Concerns Highest Since 1981 for Small Businesses

In the past month, the inflation concerns by small business owners increased from 22% to 26%. And according to the latest National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index, this is the highest reading since the third quarter of 1981.

Yotpo Accepting Applicants for Black-Owned Business Accelerator

The eCommerce marketing platform Yotpo has announced a call for applications for its Yotpo Grow brand incubator program. Yotpo Accepting Applicants for Black-Owned Business Accelerator Yotpo’s business is about helping brands strengthen their relationships with consumers using unified, data-driven solutions for loyalty, SMS marketing, reviews and more.

Transforming Corporate Culture in a Race Conscious World

As a white Jewish guy growing up in middle class America, I always thought I was born on second base. I had the opportunity to go to college where my parents paid half of the tuition and I was able to borrow the rest. With an elite education, opportunities were presented to me in the business world that most people don’t get.

Small Business Cybersecurity Concerns Amid Russia-Ukraine Crisis

One week before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a rare cyber “Shields Up” warning. The CISA said there are no specific or credible cyber threats to the U.S. homeland at this time.

New Jersey City Shuts Down Lukoil Franchise Businesses Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The city council of Newark, New Jersey, has frozen the business licenses of Russian oil company franchises, including two Lukoil stations. New Jersey City Shuts Down Lukoil Franchise Businesses The council voted unanimously to request that the city administrator suspend Lukoil’s business operations in Newark.

The Most Popular and Best Selling NFT Collections This Week

While cryptocurrencies have been going down dramatically over the past month, NFTs are still chugging along. Granted it is not at the same pace that delivered almost $5 billion in January of 2022, but the market doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “In the News: Grants up to $150,000 Available to Startups and Small Businesses” was first published on Small Business Trends