Business Management Grants For Farmers in North Dakota

Young farmers in North Dakota who decide to enroll in a Farm Business Management Program can now apply for tuition grants to assist in their expenses. Sponsored by the ND FFA Foundation in Bismarck, cash grants in the amount of $500 per year will be awarded to 4 recipients.

The ND FFA Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports leadership opportunities and activities in the field of agricultural education and agribusiness.

City of Fort Wayne, Indiana Accepting Applications For Business Grants

Mayor Tom Henry and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana have begun accepting applications for the 2011 Commercial Facade Grant program, designed to assist business owners who want to make improvements to the exterior of their commercial properties using a combination of public and private funding.

Now in it's fourth year of operation, the successful program makes grant money available to local businesses to help them offset the expensive costs of facade renovations, signs, lighting, awnings, parking improvements, decorative fencing and other enhancements.

IBM Pledges $50 Million In Business and Technology Grants

IBM has officially launched the Smarter Cities Challenge - a competitive program that will award $50 million worth of grants towards business and technology to help 100 municipalities across the globe. Teams of IBM experts will provide city leaders with recommendations for successful growth, better delivery of municipal services, more citizen engagement, and improved efficiency.

This new program is the single-largest philanthropic investment currently planned by IBM, which made $186 million USD worth of charitable contributions in 2009, comprising cash, technology, and consulting services.

Sears Holdings Launches Small Business Grant Competition

Based outside of Chicago, Illinois, Sears Holdings, the parent company of retail chains Sears and Kmart, is offering four small business grants of $5,000 each in a competition called "Tu Empresa, Tu Futuro" - which is spanish for "Your Company, Your Future".

Targeting Hispanic adults (who, by the way, represent the chain's largest consumer demographic), the company has tapped popular talk show host Cristina Saralegui, who recently launched bed and bath collections at the company's stores, to help promote the project.