American Express Backing Small Business (Deadline 7/31/25)
The deadline is coming up soon on July 31: American Express® Backing Small Business
500 grants nationwide of $10,000 each
Businesses must meet the following criteria to apply:
Applicant must be an owner of the business.
Applicant must be at least 18 years of age or older.
Business must be in a “bricks-and-mortar” location and operate in an older or historic main street, downtown, or commercial district in the United States. The business must have occupied their current bricks-and-mortar location since January 1, 2025. (Home-based businesses, even those located in historic neighborhoods, are not eligible. Brick and mortar businesses located outside of historic downtowns and commercial corridors, including, but not limited to, office parks and shopping malls are also not eligible.)
Business must be an independent business and not part of a franchise or a nonprofit.
Business must employ 20 or fewer full-time employees.
Business must have been in operation on or before January 1, 2024.
Business must be a business entity in good standing in the state in which it was formed and the state in which it does business.
Business must have an active business license, if required by state or local government. (Applicants may be asked to provide documentation if selected.) · The business must not have received a Backing Small Businesses grant in any previous cycle, nor received a grant supported by American Express in 2025 (including the Backing Small Business Disaster Recovery Grant Program)
Focus is on older or historic main streets
Defined as contiguous commercial district with businesses and mixed-use buildings along a commercial corridor.
Seeking businesses that are in the “heart” of their communities.
