Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant
Outta Excuses
$3,000 per round
Quarterly $3,000 grant for U.S. LLCs and 501(c)(3)s under $500K revenue; $15 entry fee; current round closes Dec 31, 2026.
Outta Excuses runs a quarterly $3,000 small business grant for U.S. businesses; one owner wins each round. The program is open to registered LLCs and 501(c)(3) nonprofits with annual revenue under $500,000. Winners also receive free weekly strategic coaching for 30 days. A $15 non-refundable entry fee covers platform and administrative costs.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Private
- Amount range
- $3,000
- Realistic amount
- $3,000 (one winner per round)
- Deadline
- Open now — the current round closes December 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST; one small business owner wins the $3,000 grant
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Must be a registered LLC or a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit
- Must generate under $500,000 per year in revenue
- Must be a legal resident of one of the fifty United States, District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico
- Must be at least 18 years of age (19 in Alabama and Nebraska)
Who is not eligible
- Sole proprietorships and unincorporated businesses
- Businesses with annual revenue of $500,000 or more
- Applicants outside the fifty United States, D.C., or Puerto Rico
Is the Outta Excuses Grant legit?
Yes. Two North Carolina companies sponsor it and post past winners on its site. It charges a $15 entry fee that is not refunded.
- Who runs it: Be Intentional LLC and Tillman Group & Associates LLC
- Cost to apply: $15, not refundable
- What winners get: $3,000 a round and 30 days of free coaching; one winner per round
Sources: outtaexcuses.com · page 2. Last checked at the funder on October 18, 2026.
Past Outta Excuses Grant winners
Past winners on the Outta Excuses site (undated):
- Emily Jefferson, Avonya's Blends · Date not published
- Terrence Palmer, Digi Dreams · Date not published
- Tisha Novello · Date not published
- Tillies Daniel, TalentCore Strategies · Date not published
- Julia Glassman, INSIDE Nature, LLC · Date not published
- Amaka Nwafor, Amaka Rose · Date not published
Names as published by Outta Excuses (source). GrantCompass is not affiliated with Outta Excuses.
New grants like this every week: see this week's list or get it by email on Mondays.
What the Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant application asks
The Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant application asks two written questions, alongside your contact and business details. The entry fee is $15. The deadline is December 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET, and you submit on the funder’s own form at outtaexcuses.com. These are the questions as they appear on the form:
-
1
Describe your story and the nature of your business.
-
2
How would you use the funding?
What the judges look for
- Your story and what you've pushed through
- What the business does and who it serves
- Real progress so far
- A specific use of the $3,000
- How the money and coaching help you grow
GrantCompass drafts the Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant application from your own answers. You answer four short questions about your business and we write both answers around what the judges look for, to fit the form. We use only what you tell us: nothing is invented, and anything a stronger answer needs is left as a marked blank for you to fill. The preview is free with no card. The full draft is $9, refunded in full within 7 days if it doesn’t make your application stronger. You review it and submit it yourself; GrantCompass is independent and not affiliated with Outta Excuses. Start a free draft on this page (grantcompass.co/grants/outta-excuses-small-business-empowerment-grant), or read how the drafting works.
How to answer the Outta Excuses Grant application questions (with examples)
The form has two written boxes, and the form shows no word or character limit on either box. Its grant overview describes the program as help for owners to “grow and scale their businesses.” Neither box is marked as required, but together they are the only place the reviewers hear from you in your own words. The review page says entries are read by Be Intentional Coaching and the Outta Excuses Advisory Board, and we found no scoring rubric published there. Revenue and your start date have their own boxes on the form, so your story does not need to carry them.
Question 1: “Describe your story and the nature of your business.”
The prompt asks for two things in one answer: your story, and what the business is. A strong answer covers both. We suggest this order:
- 1
The story. What led you to start, and one specific thing you pushed through to keep going.
- 2
The business. What you sell, who buys it, where, and how long you have been running.
- 3
What is real so far. Customers, repeat orders or a milestone you reached yourself, with numbers if you have them.
“I spent eleven years as a vet technician and watched older owners skip grooming because they could not get their dogs into a car. In 2023 I bought a used cargo van, fitted it with a tub and a dryer, and started driving to them. My first year I took no pay, and I lost a month of bookings when the van’s transmission failed. I borrowed my brother’s truck for that month so I would not drop my regular customers.”
“Willow & Paw Mobile Grooming is an LLC serving three towns north of Columbus, Ohio. I groom about 22 dogs a week, mostly seniors and large breeds, and 70 percent of my appointments are repeat clients on a six-week schedule. Most new customers come from neighbors who saw the van parked outside a client’s house, and I have never run an ad. I have a two-week waitlist and I am the only groomer. I built all of this myself, from the van conversion to the booking system and the weekly route, and I have not missed a week since the transmission month.”
Why it works: the story gives a clear reason and a real setback. The business is described in plain facts: place, volume, customer type. The proof of progress is a repeat-client share and a waitlist, and it ends on something the owner did alone, which fits the program’s name.
Question 2: “How would you use the funding?”
The overview lists the grant as $3,000 per quarter, plus free weekly strategic coaching for 30 days for winners. A strong answer names specific purchases or steps, gives a rough cost for each, and says what each one changes. Because the program is aimed at growth, tie every line to getting bigger or steadier, and say what you would want to work on in coaching. The form is a plain text box, so write one line per item with its cost.
| Item, and what it changes | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic grooming table and a second dryer Cuts large-dog appointments from 90 to 60 minutes | $1,350 |
| Part-time assistant, 10 weeks at 6 hours a week Lets me clear the waitlist while I keep grooming | $1,000 |
| Van decals with phone number and booking link Turns the neighbors who already notice the van into bookings | $650 |
| Total | $3,000 |
In the same made-up example, the coaching request goes beneath the list: “In the 30 days of coaching I would want help setting a price for senior-dog care and deciding when it makes sense to add a second van.”
Want both answers written from your own details? Start your free draft preview. You see the preview before you pay anything.
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Working capital
- Marketing and advertising
- Operations
- Equipment
- Professional development
Ineligible expenses
- See official program guidance
How to apply
-
1
Confirm LLC or 501(c)(3) status and revenue under $500K
Only registered LLCs and 501(c)(3) nonprofits with annual revenue under $500,000 are eligible. Gather registration documentation and recent revenue proof.
~30 min
-
2
Complete the online application and pay the $15 entry fee
Fill out the application form and submit the non-refundable $15 fee, which covers platform setup and administrative costs.
~1 hrs
-
3
Provide proof of registration and revenue
Upload documentation showing the business is registered as an LLC or 501(c)(3) and that annual revenue is under $500,000.
~30 min
-
4
Await selection and coaching
Winners receive $3,000 plus free weekly strategic coaching for 30 days.
The $15 fee is modest but non-refundable — only apply if you can quickly prove LLC/501(c)(3) status and sub-$500K revenue. Each round has one $3,000 winner.
Deadline & timing
Quarterly cycles. The current round is open and closes December 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST (re-checked at the funder October 22, 2026). The $10,000 November bonus on the funder’s older overview page belonged to the July–September round; the current round lists only the $3,000 grant.
Applications are open — don’t lose the window
GrantCompass tracks Outta Excuses Small Business Empowerment Grant’s application windows in the live catalog. Leave an email and we’ll warn you before this window closes — and tell you when the next round opens.
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Required documents
- Proof of LLC or 501(c)(3) registration
- Proof of annual revenue under $500,000
- $15 non-refundable entry fee payment
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Last updated November 5, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.