Birmingham Open for Business grant program launched to help underrepresented entrepreneurs

Support is on the way for entrepreneurs that need a little help to start and grow their business in Birmingham.

Today, Rev Birmingham has launched the Birmingham Open for Business micro-equity grant program, an initiative created to help historically underrepresented entrepreneurs.  

 Made possible by a PNC Foundation grant

Thanks to a $1 million grant from PNC Foundation, this new and exciting program will provide resources and capital in the form of grants to small business owners that need support starting, growing and scaling their businesses. 

Birmingham Open for Business is available to all small businesses in Birmingham, with a focus on minority businesses and/or those centered in low- to moderate- income census tracts and business districts within the city. 

“As a native Alabamian, I’ve been a firsthand witness to the history of Birmingham, a city so filled with promise that it was known as the Magic City. I also recognize that capturing that magic and leveraging it to succeed in opportunities like small business ownership has been more challenging for some, especially inside Birmingham.

~ Nick Willis, PNC regional president for North & Central Alabama

Modeled after Rev Birmingham’s Magic City Match

Modeled after a similar Rev Birmingham program called Magic City Match, Open for Business will meet business owners where they are with custom offerings for three stages of business growth: Ready, Open and Grow. 

The program’s inaugural round of funding is the Ready stage. Prime candidates for the Ready stage are entrepreneurs who: 

• own a for-profit business that is not yet located in a brick-and-mortar space; 
• have been in business for at least one year; 
• have generated verifiable business revenue within the last 12 months; and 
• desire to open in a brick-and-mortar location within the Birmingham city limits in the next 6-24 months.

A total of $100,000 will be distributed among up to 15 entrepreneurs to pay professional service providers, including accountants, marketing professionals, lawyers and more.

Applications for the Ready stage are live now and will close at 11:59PM Eastern time on March 31. 

Later this year, the Open stage will offer grants of up to $100,000 for entrepreneurs with property under control to help open their businesses. 

Last, the Grow stage will offer small grants of up to $10,000 to support the growth of existing brick-and-mortar businesses. 

Learn more and apply

“Strengthening minority-owned businesses is essential to Birmingham’s economic vitality. PNC’s investment in Birmingham Open for Business enables REV to provide entrepreneurs with capital, professional services and coaching to build sustainable businesses that reflect the Birmingham community.”

~ Merrick Bonner, REV VP of Impact and Investment

To apply or learn more about Birmingham Open for Business, visit revbirmingham.org/openforbiz.