Capital Challenge
The FY21 Capital Challenge (formerly known as “Seed Fund Support”) seeks to increase access to capital in communities where risk capital is in short supply. View the FY22 Capital Challenge grantees here.
The Capital Challenge provides operational support for…
- the formation, launch, or scale of investment funds that seek to invest their capital in scalable startups
- organizations with a goal to expand capital deployment within a community, region, or regional industry (i.e. angel networks or investor training programs)
- practice equity-based investing, whether through traditional or hybrid models, or by supporting an initiative whose participants practice equity-based investing (in contrast to debt-based investing, which is not supported under the Capital Challenge).
The Capital Challenge may award up to $6 million in grants in FY2021.
Resources
- U.S. Department of Commerce Announces 50 Recipients of "Build to Scale" Program
- 2021 Build to Scale NOFO (PDF)
- Optional Budget and Staffing Plan Template (DOCX)
- 2021 Build to Scale Webinar - Recording
- Application Checklist (PDF)