Open Now: PROMISE Act Grant for NW MN Small Businesses & Qualified Nonprofits

The second round of the PROMISE Act Grant program in the northwest region of Minnesota has opened. Please read below for details about eligibility, how to apply, and how to get help. Please share this email with your networks, clients, and colleagues.

To help you understand the program and prepare to apply, attached are a copy of the application questions, the program guidelines, and FAQs. Applications will be submitted on the NMF website. Copies of the attached documents are also available there.

A few details to highlight:

The round will be open through January 30, 2026, which is plenty of time for applicants to gather their items and submit applications. This is not first come first served, so please don’t rush.

Please review this email and the attached documents. If you have a question or need help with the application, help is available: please complete the PROMISE Act Inquiry Form and one of our consultants will reach out to you and provide assistance. NMF is not able to accommodate inquiries by phone. Please use the form.

The application is online. No paper applications will be accepted. All supporting documents must be provided in PDF format. We will not accept photos/pictures of documents, such as those taken with a cell phone. If you need help scanning your documents, possible solutions might be your local library, your accountant, and your bank.

According to the PROMISE Act statute, no business or individual may receive more than one grant. This means that any previous awardee will not be eligible to receive an additional grant. If one person owns multiple businesses, only one of their businesses may receive a grant. If one person owns multiple businesses and one of those businesses received a PROMISE Act grant in the past, their other businesses will not be eligible to receive a grant. (If you previously received a grant, please forward this announcement to other small business owners in your circle.)

Eligibility Criteria

Please review the guidelines for more details on both Eligibility and Preference Criteria.

Applicant must be a for-profit business or a qualified nonprofit.

Applicant must have primary business operations located in the northwest region of the state, specifically Northwest Minnesota Foundation’s service area, which includes Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, and the 12 counties of Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau.

If the business is in the applicant’s home, applicant must provide proof of taking the home office expense deduction in 2024.
Applicant’s gross annual revenues on 2024 tax return must be at least $10,000 and no more than $750,000.

Applicant must maintain ongoing operations as of the date they apply for the grant.

As in the previous round, we anticipate receiving more eligible applications than funding available. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this grant round. If you have questions, please complete this form: PROMISE Act Inquiry Form.