Introduction

The Empowerment Grant Program understands the value of informing and assisting minority-owned small businesses in Delaware from low-income communities and/or located in a Delaware Opportunity Zone to improve their energy efficiency and advance sustainable practices into their business model.

Minority-owned small businesses primarily reside in commercial buildings they lease. Typically, these buildings are not energy efficient. Money saved through energy efficiency measures can positively impact a minority-owned small business’ bottom line. In addition, sustainability is becoming more important for all businesses, across all industries. Implementing energy efficiency measures coupled with sustainable business practices can help minority-owned small businesses save overhead costs and reduce their carbon footprint.

By offering energy efficiency and sustainability-related grant opportunities to minority-owned small businesses located in Opportunity Zones further contributes to the revitalization of economically distressed communities. The Empowerment Grant proposes launching a measurable impact portfolio of grants for minority-owned small businesses from low-income communities and/or located in one of the twenty-five Delaware Opportunity Zones.

The Empowerment Grant Program focuses on supporting the following for minority-owned small businesses:

  • Reducing their energy burdens.

  • Increasing the energy efficiency of their commercial spaces.

  • Supporting them with sustainability tools and a green business certification pathway.

  • Connecting and coordinating energy efficiency community-based minority-owned small businesses for greater impact.

  • Improving the visibility and leveraging the marketing value of being a sustainable minority-owned small business as a business development and community revitalization tool.

  • Improving the visibility and leveraging the marketing value of being a sustainable minority-owned small business as a business development and community revitalization tool.

  • Cultivating workforce pipelines.

The Empowerment Grant Program’s New Model for Advancing Energy Efficiency in Small Business

The Empowerment Grant Program is offering grants to be applied to a variety of efforts in support of advancing energy efficiency and sustainability in minority-owned small businesses in Delaware. The overarching goal of the grants program is to advance minority-owned small businesses’ understanding and implementation of energy efficiency and sustainability measures as well as to provide business development pathways afterwards. The Empowerment Grant Program grant offerings for minority-owned small businesses include:

1. Energy Efficiency Upgrades

An Empowerment grant to fund necessary energy efficiency upgrades, including replacing aging, inefficient equipment, and systems with energy efficient alternatives for minority-owned small businesses, not covered by utility programs. After an initial commercial-grade energy assessment from DNREC’s Energy Efficiency Investment Fund (EEIF), an Empowerment grant would be available for supplementing efforts to fund the implementation of preferred energy efficiency upgrade recommendations for minority-owned small businesses and the buildings they occupy.

3. Energy Efficiency Community Representative

An Empowerment grant to fund a community energy representative for up to five years to serve a cluster of local community minority-owned small businesses with support and guidance pertaining to planning and managing energy efficiency, sustainability, and engagement efforts. This paves the way for increased program awareness and participation. The community representative responsibilities will include developing marketing assistance to promote the minority-owned small business’s energy efficiency and sustainability practices as a competitive marketing tool. By increasing the visibility of the minority-owned small businesses to the local community and broader communities, their business development pathways expand.

5. Community Solar

An Empowerment grant for the cost of planning and implementing a community solar project in multi-sector collaboration.

7. Mentoring

An Empowerment grant for hiring a business mentor or coach for assisting minority-owned small businesses to develop or further develop a viable business plan.

2. Green Business Bureau Membership

An Empowerment grant to fund a Green Business Bureau (GBB) membership for a minority-owned small business for up to three years. GBB offers a trusted online sustainability framework and solutions to help small businesses to become a certified green business.

4. Small Business Forums and Conferences

An Empowerment grant for minority-owned small businesses to participate in relevant small business forums and conferences for minority-owned businesses that have advanced energy efficiency upgrades and are a GBB member. Forums and conferences include, but are not limited, to the following: minority-owned businesses, small businesses, sustainable businesses, and women-owned businesses.

6. Workforce Development

An Empowerment grant for the cost of planning, implementing, and managing a workforce development pipeline program that includes training and job placement for underserved community members into a minority-owned small business.

8. Online Small Business Courses and Certificates

An Empowerment grant for a minority-owned small business owner to further their professional development in business. Online business courses and certificates offer valuable and usable skill in business management through flexible and interactive learning.