Call for Applications: BALSA Grant 2025 (United States)

The goal of The BALSA Foundation is to empower first-time entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. The BALSA Grant provides resources to first-time entrepreneurs who need and will benefit from them the most.

Benefits

• BALSA Grant recipients receive:
  • Participation the Learning Series
    • The Learning Series is a 10 week comprehensive entrepreneur training program that introduces them to the St. Louis business ecosystem, brings them industry experts, and provides one on one time with each presenter after the session.  Sessions take place 6-8pm Thursdays, and they ask that BALSA Grant winners commit to participating in at least 80% of the sessions offered.
  • One-on-one mentoring

Funding Information

• Free (non-dilutive) cash grant of $1,500
• Eligible to apply for the $5,000 Follow-on Grant.

Eligibility Criteria 

• First time entrepreneur. You must not have started a successful business before
• No significant outside investment
• Live in the St. Louis metropolitan area
• At least 18 years of age
• Able to attend 8-10 week Learning Series starting in April.
• They welcome applications from all business sectors, whether for-profit or non-profit, and from everyone regardless of US citizenship.  They reserve the right to adjust their eligibility criteria, however.

Ineligibility Criteria

• In general, having team members with the following criteria will make an application ineligible for the BALSA Grant:
  • Having started a successful business before. They wish to exclude serial entrepreneurs and those who were or are making a living from a business they started.
  • Having received any outside equity investment, significant outside funding, or a previous BALSA Grant. Financial support from the founders, their family, and personal friends is OK.
  • Living outside of the greater St. Louis area. Their aim is to help those in the St. Louis region, broadly defined as residing or operating within 25 miles of St. Louis City Hall.

Selection Criteria

• An external committee reviews BALSA Grant applications and ranks them according to criteria such as:
  • How well does the proposed idea/solution address the market need?
  • How reasonable and achievable are the milestones and budget?
  • Does the team have enough experience and dedication to move this idea forward or demonstrate a way to obtain this experience?
  • How well does the applicant fit the mission of The BALSA Foundation?
  • How useful would a grant of $1,500, professional services, and mentorship be to the applicant’s success?

For more information, visit The BALSA Foundation.