Grant Rules

The award

• NBLK LLC will choose 5 small businesses or nonprofits. Each receives a $1,500 build grant and a 2-hour consultation.
• The grant applies to one NBLK build, planned in the consultation.
• Each winner must hold their 2-hour consultation by February 14, 2027. If a winner doesn't, NBLK may give the award to another applicant.
• NBLK schedules each build between February 15 and March 31, 2027.
• The grant doesn't cover work above $1,500, add-ons after the build, hosting or the one-time $35 code transfer fee.
• The grant has no cash value and can't be transferred or exchanged for money or credit.

Dates

• Applications close: January 4, 2027, at 11:59 PM New York time
• Review: January 5 to January 14, 2027
• Winners notified: January 15, 2027
• Consultations held by: February 14, 2027
• Builds completed by: March 31, 2027

Who can apply

You must meet all of these requirements:

• You are a small business with less than $100,000 in revenue in the past year, or a nonprofit.
• Your work serves your local community.
• You are legally registered and located in the United States or a US territory, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam.
• You have been registered and operating for at least 6 months, and you are serving customers or, for nonprofits, the people you serve.
• You can provide verification on request, such as your registration, proof of revenue or nonprofit status, EIN (Employer Identification Number) or W-9 tax form.
• You are not a current NBLK client. This includes any ongoing hosting, maintenance, contract or monthly fees with NBLK.
• You have not held a contract, paid engagement, service agreement or financial relationship with NBLK or its subsidiaries in the past 18 months, and you are not in contract negotiations with NBLK.
• You have not received an earlier NBLK grant award.
• You submit a complete application before the deadline.

Who can't apply

• Current employees, contractors, interns or partners of NBLK
• Immediate family of NBLK staff, owners, board members or partners, including a spouse, parent, sibling, child, in-law or anyone in the same household
• Businesses owned in whole or in part by anyone listed above, and nonprofits run by anyone listed above

How we choose

All eligible applicants are considered on equal terms. Priority goes to applicants that show real service to their community, such as local job creation, local economic development or community empowerment, and a clear need for the tool. Priority isn't based on the race, color, sex, religion, national origin or any other protected characteristic of any applicant or owner.

Terms

• No purchase is necessary to apply or be selected.
• Applying doesn't guarantee an award.
• NBLK may verify eligibility and ask for documents.
• Winners may be invited to take part in testimonials, photos or case studies. This is encouraged but not required.
• NBLK LLC may change, pause or end the NBLK 2027 Small Business Build Grant at any time and for any reason, including after applications are received or winners are chosen. If the grant ends, no award, payment or build is owed to any applicant.
• All selection decisions are final.
• NBLK isn't responsible for technical issues, lost submissions or incomplete applications.
• Winners are responsible for any taxes on their award.

Once you submit, your application is final and can't be changed.

Your information

• We use your application only to check eligibility, choose winners and run the grant.
• NBLK doesn't sell your information or share it with third parties for their own use.
• We store your information securely and keep it confidential.
• Your answers in the “Where you are today” part of the form also help NBLK understand what small businesses and nonprofits need, so we can build better tools for them. We never sell these answers or share them in a way that identifies you.
• Our full Privacy Policy explains everything we hold and why.