Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Review — 2026
Applying? How to answer all six questions, with examples → or start your free draft preview
Is the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant legit, and is it worth applying for? Yes to both, if your business fits its narrow rules. It is run by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation through Hiring Our Heroes, its program for the military community, and paid for by the FedEx Founder’s Fund. Each cycle gives four $10,000 grants and one $25,000 grand prize, with no entry fee, and Hiring Our Heroes has named all 15 winners since 2024.
The business must be at least 51% owned by an honorably discharged veteran, a current Guard or Reserve member or a current military spouse, with 3 to 20 people and under $5 million in revenue, in a distressed zip code or with a hardship to show. The hard part is the competition. In the 2026 cycle, more than 1,240 applicants went after five awards, judged on six essays. The current cycle’s deadline is on the program page.
Checked as of November 2026 against the Hiring Our Heroes program page, the official rules for the 2027 cycle, the application form, and the program’s own winner announcements for 2024, 2025 and 2026. The history comes from 13 Internet Archive captures of the program page and rules, December 2023 to May 2026. GrantCompass is independent and not affiliated with Hiring Our Heroes.
Who runs the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant, and what it pays
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation runs the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant through Hiring Our Heroes, its program for veterans, service members and military spouses. The FedEx Founder’s Fund is the founding sponsor, and USAA Small Business Insurance is listed as platinum sponsor. Each cycle pays five one-time cash grants: four of $10,000 and one of $25,000.
The official rules name the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C. as the sponsor, “with support from FedEx.” The program page credits the FedEx Founder’s Fund, “part of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.”
- Runs itHiring Our Heroes, part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Its staff read every application and pick the semi-finalists, and its president, Eric Eversole, has spoken at each awards event.
- Pays for itThe FedEx Founder’s Fund as founding sponsor. USAA Small Business Insurance joined for the 2025 awards, and Visa also supported the 2026 ceremony. The rules let the Foundation “add, remove, or modify Supporting Organizations at any time.”
- GivesA one-time cash grant “to grow and support their businesses”: $10,000 for four winners and $25,000 for the grand prize. The rules set no list of allowed costs.
Apply-Ready
Entering other grants this month? We draft these too.
For these sixteen grants, answer a few short questions once and we draft your application from what you tell us: only your facts, with a blank wherever the judges want a detail only you know. You submit it yourself. Six are for women-owned businesses; ten are open more widely.
You see a free preview first and pay only if you want the full draft: $9 per grant. You can add the other month-end grants you qualify for at $5 each (never more than $15 extra).
For women-owned businesses
- Hey Helen Grant$10,000 monthlyWomen-owned · US · under $1M revenueCloses the last day of every month, 11:59pm ETDraft my applicationit →
- Amber Grant$15,000 monthlyWomen-owned (50%+)Closes the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
- HerRise MicroGrant$1,000 monthly51%+ women-owned · US · under $1M revenueCloses the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
- Big Idea Grant (YippityDoo)$1,000 monthlyWomen-owned and run · ideas welcomeCloses the last day of every month, 11:59pm PTDraft my applicationit →
- The Hustle Grant$1,000 monthlyWomen-owned · USMonthly; winner named on the 15thDraft my applicationit →
- Tory Burch Foundation Fellows$2,000 + a year's fellowshipWomen-owned · $75K+ revenue · no entry feeFinal deadline November 17, 2026Draft my applicationit →
Open more widely
- Business Freedom Grant$1,000Idea stage welcome · no entry feeReview rounds until the final deadline, December 31, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- IFW Startup Accelerator Grant$5,000Any US owner (50%+) · idea stage welcome · $5 entry feeFinal deadline November 30, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Seated Together Microgrant$750 ($1,000 veteran-owned)Any US for-profit · startups welcome · $5 entry feeRolling; reviewed each quarterDraft my applicationit →
- Hustler's MicroGrant$1,000 monthlyAny US small-business owner · $15 entry feeMonthly; no published closing dateDraft my applicationit →
- Freed Fellowship$500 monthlyAny US for-profit businessCloses the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
- SecretSoS Small Business Grant$2,500 quarterlyWomen-, veteran- or minority-owned, or turned down for a bank loan · USCloses the last day of each quarterDraft my applicationit →
- Sephora Beauty Grant$100,000Beauty brands · $100K+ revenue · 51%+ underrepresented-owned · no entry feeFinal deadline November 6, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Awesome Foundation Micro-Grant$1,000 monthlyAnyone with a community project · no entry feeRolling; most chapters choose monthlyDraft my applicationit →
- Outta Excuses Grant$3,000 quarterlyRegistered LLC · under $500K revenue · $15 entry feeFinal deadline December 31, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Thiel Fellowship$250,000 over 2 yearsAge 22 or under · no university degree · no entry feeRolling; open all yearDraft my applicationit →
Is the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant legit? What can be checked
Yes. The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant is run by a well-known national foundation, publishes full rules with the sponsor’s address, charges nothing at any step, and has named every winner since 2024 with the owner, the business and the town.
The fastest scam test is which way the money moves. A fake grant tells you that you won, then asks for a fee to release the money. The Hiring Our Heroes form has no payment step, and the rules mention no fee of any kind. If anyone contacts you about this grant and asks for money, it is not coming from this program.
Three things check out on the record. The winners are public. Each cycle’s announcement names five businesses, their owners and their towns. The rules are published and stable. Every archived copy of the rules since 2023 names the same sponsor, the same 51% ownership rule and the same 3-to-20-person size limit, and every copy since April 2024 sets out the same two-round judging. The events happened. The 2024 winners were announced at a virtual event on April 17, 2024, and the 2025 and 2026 winners at ceremonies in Washington, D.C., each on April 29, with speakers from FedEx and USAA.
What you can’t check is how close you came. Hiring Our Heroes publishes the criteria and their weights but not its semi-finalists, and its decisions are final. The applicant counts are its own rounded figures.
Who wins the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant: all 15 winners, 2024 to 2026
Hiring Our Heroes has named 15 winners in 12 states, mostly local, hands-on businesses with staff, from a meat processor to an axe-throwing venue. Eight are described as veteran-owned and three as military-spouse-owned; the table shows the rest.
| Business and town | Cycle | Owner, as described | What it does | What the write-up highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail HausDover, DE$25,000 grand prize | 2026 | Two Air Force veterans | Restaurant and beer garden | A community gathering space; plans to expand its outdoor area |
| Organized QAlexandria, VA | 2026 | Military spouse | Virtual executive assistant firm | Remote jobs for military spouses and veterans; paid internships planned |
| Balanced WellnessRidgeland, SC | 2026 | Military spouse | Mental health clinic | Low- or no-cost therapy; staff training planned |
| The Laundry BasketHyattsville, MD | 2026 | Army veteran | Laundry and dry-cleaning delivery | “Loads of Love” for families in need; veteran and spouse hiring planned |
| Langhorne Electrical & ContractingLeesville, LA | 2026 | Air Force veteran | Electrical contracting | Trains skilled workers; storm resilience |
| Caffé CremaAtlanta, TX | 2025 | Military spouse | Coffee house, founded 2021 | Community events, including a race for rare-disease awareness |
| The Chopping BlockPottsville, PA | 2025 | Marine Corps veteran and a co-founder | Axe-throwing venue, founded 2024 | Supports local nonprofits; a second-floor expansion |
| Indian Creek MeatsPoplar Bluff, MO | 2025 | Air Force veteran, with his wife | Meat processing, founded 2020 | Capacity up fourfold, eight full-time staff; a packaging machine |
| Kuns Northcoast SecurityFremont, OH | 2025 | Marine Corps veteran | Security company, founded 2010 | 15 employees; veteran recruiting and a training lab |
| Rt 66 AuctionsAlbuquerque, NM | 2025 | Air Force veteran | Estate and car auctions, founded 2018 | Began running car auctions for local charities |
| Bailey’s Child Development and Learning CenterSan Antonio, TX | 2024 | A dual-military couple | Child care, opened 2013 | Care for active-duty families; jobs for local high school students |
| Easy Day SportsCoronado, CA | 2024 | Navy veteran | Endurance sports events | Kept its team employed through COVID; charity races |
| TRA ConstructionBaltimore, MD | 2024 | Not stated | Affordable home construction, since 2019 | Hires entry-level staff through YouthBuild |
| White Knight LabsGuys Mills, PA | 2024 | Not stated | Cybersecurity consultancy, founded 2016 | Teaching new cyber operators; local security conferences |
| Your Personal Gardener & ArboristEast Troy, WI | 2024 | Not stated; began between deployments | Landscaping and snow removal, 13 years | A “Tree Day of Service”: a free day of tree care for a veteran |
The 15 winners by kind of business
- Business services4
- Food and drink3
- Trades and construction3
- Family and personal care3
- Recreation and events2
Grouped by GrantCompass from the table above. Business services: security, auctions, cybersecurity, virtual assistants. Family and personal care: child care, therapy, laundry.
What the winners have in common. Nearly every write-up describes a business with employees and a visible role in its town, which matches what the rules score: community leadership, local economic growth and a path to success. Thirteen of the 15 name a specific community program or a hiring and training pipeline, from free tree care for a veteran to entry-level jobs through YouthBuild. Only one, White Knight Labs, is a technology firm.
Hiring and training show up in the plans. Hiring Our Heroes published how each 2025 and 2026 winner planned to use the money. Six of those 10 plans name hiring, training or team development. The other four are equipment, space and marketing: a packaging machine, an expansion, an outdoor area, signage and a new website.
A young business can win, and so can a spouse-owned one. The Chopping Block was founded in 2024 and won in the 2025 cycle. Military spouses owned one of the five 2025 winners and two of the five 2026 winners. Twelve states are represented, and no state has had two winners in the same cycle.
How the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant has changed since 2023
The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant launched in late 2023 as the “Small Business Award for Veterans and Military Spouses,” with five $10,000 grants. It kept that shape for two cycles. For the 2026 cycle it added a $25,000 grand prize and moved its deadline from late February to mid-December, and the 2027 rules keep both changes.
Hiring Our Heroes names each cycle for the year its winners are announced, so the “2026” cycle closed in December 2025. The deadlines below are the ones each cycle’s rules stated, read from Internet Archive captures.
| Cycle | Entry deadline in the rules | Awards | Pool | Applicants, per Hiring Our Heroes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | February 29, 2024The first page, captured December 2023, said January 31, 2024 | 5 × $10,000 | $50,000 | More than 350 |
| 2025 | February 28, 2025An October 2024 capture of the page said February 15, 2025 | 5 × $10,000 | $50,000 | Over 1,250 |
| 2026 | December 15, 2025 | 4 × $10,000 + $25,000 | $65,000 | More than 1,240 |
| 2027 | On the program pageWinners notified on or before March 29, 2027 | 4 × $10,000 + $25,000 | $65,000 | Not yet known |
The money has added up as stated. Two cycles of $50,000 and one of $65,000 make $165,000, which matches the 2026 announcement: “more than $160,000 in grants to 15 military-connected businesses.”
The rules have changed in small ways, too. The first rules, captured in December 2023, defined a distressed area as any zip code “not in the top 40%” of the Distressed Communities Index. By April 2024 that became a zip code with a stress score of 40 or more, the test used today. The same 2024 rules cut the franchise limit from 250 stores in total to 50, and first set out the two-round judging. The 2026 rules added a clause letting the Foundation add or remove supporting sponsors. The 51% ownership rule, the 3-to-20-person size limit, the $5 million revenue cap and the definition of a veteran or military spouse are the same in every capture.
The odds math, from the numbers Hiring Our Heroes publishes
Hiring Our Heroes publishes both sides of the math: five awards a cycle, and more than 1,240 applicants in the 2026 cycle. That works out to one award for roughly every 250 applicants, and one semi-finalist place for every 62. Those are past ratios from the program’s own counts, not a forecast of your chances. Hiring Our Heroes publishes no acceptance rate.
Applicants for five awards, by cycle
- 2024 cycle350+
- 2025 cycle1,250+
- 2026 cycle1,240+
Counts from Hiring Our Heroes’ winner announcements for each cycle. Each is a floor (“more than”), so the true ratios are a little steeper.
- Awards a cycle
- 5
- Semi-finalists a cycle (rules)
- Up to 20
- Applicants in the 2026 cycle
- 1,240+
- Applicants per award (2026)
- About 250
- Per semi-finalist place
- About 62
- Cost to apply
- $0
- Six essays (our estimate)
- About 4 hours
Award and semi-finalist counts are from the official rules; applicant counts are from Hiring Our Heroes’ announcements. The ratios are simple division on those figures.
The field more than tripled from the first cycle to the second, then held steady at about 1,250 even after the $25,000 grand prize was added. The rules say plainly that “odds of being selected as a Grant Winner depend on the number of eligible applications received.”
These ratios leave out the main point. This is a judged program, not a draw. Round one is scored on three published criteria, so the essays are where you can move your own odds. That is a good reason to give the six answers a real afternoon, and a poor reason to apply if you don’t clearly fit the rules.
The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant fine print, in the rules’ own terms
The rules define “military spouse” narrowly, require the owner to live in the 50 states, count contractors toward the 3-to-20-person size, and let Hiring Our Heroes and its sponsors publish your application. Winners must prove military service and pay any taxes on the grant, and decisions can’t be appealed.
Who counts as a veteran or military spouse
The rules list three groups: anyone who served in the active duty, Guard or Reserve components of the six branches “and has an honorable discharge”; anyone currently serving in the Guard or Reserve; and anyone “presently married to a current member” of the military. The list does not name active-duty members who own a business, spouses of veterans who have left the service, surviving spouses or caregivers. If that is you, ask Hiring Our Heroes before writing the essays.
Size, money and place
The business needs 3 to 20 people “including the owner, all full or part-time employees, and independent (1099) contractors,” so an owner with two regular contractors can qualify. Revenue must be under $5 million. The business must sit in a zip code with a Distressed Communities Index stress score of 40 or more, or show “financial need brought on by hardship beyond the owner’s control.” The owner must live in the contiguous 48 states, Alaska or Hawaii, even though the form’s state list includes Puerto Rico and Guam.
Businesses that can’t apply
Nonprofits, franchise brands with more than 25 corporate-owned stores or 50 in total, gas stations, direct sellers, businesses selling cannabis, tobacco, gambling or firearms, and businesses owned by staff of the Foundation or its sponsors, among others in the rules.
Your application can be published
Applicants give the Foundation and its sponsors “the irrevocable right and license” to use the application, business names, logos and personal details “for judging, education and publicity purposes, and any and all other purposes.” Write nothing you would not want quoted.
What winners owe, and what is final
Winners must confirm their eligibility, “including proof of military service,” send photos of the business and a headshot, and supply taxpayer details; they are responsible for any taxes on the grant. Applying also means agreeing to possibly attend the awards ceremony. Decisions are final, false information means disqualification, and the Foundation can change or cancel the program at any time. No application can be amended or withdrawn after January 1, 2027.
Apply or skip: the verdict on the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant
Apply if you clearly meet every rule and your business employs people and does visible good in its town. It is free, it is real, and $10,000 to $25,000 is a large award for six essays. Skip it if you are unsure about the military-connection definition, the size limit or the location test, because the field is large and the essays take an afternoon.
Apply if you are a veteran, a Guard or Reserve member or a military spouse who owns at least 51% of a business with 3 to 20 people. Judging by the 15 winners, the strongest fit is a business with employees, a hard stretch it got through, and a specific way it helps its town or trains people. That is what the criteria score.
Skip it if the business is just you, unless you have at least two regular contractors; if you are an active-duty owner or the spouse of a veteran who has left the service, until Hiring Our Heroes confirms you qualify; or if the business is outside a distressed zip code and you have no hardship to describe. Also skip it if you would not want your application used in the program’s publicity.
How much time to give it: about four hours, by our estimate, for six answers of up to 2,000 characters. Write them in a document first and paste them in: the form is three pages long, and we saw no option on it to save a draft and come back.
The application
Applying? How to answer each question
The program page goes through all six questions in the form’s order: what each one asks, which of the three scored criteria it matches, and a made-up example answer from one military-spouse-owned business, with character counts.
See the six questions, with examples → Start your free draft preview
Grants worth pairing with the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant
Hiring Our Heroes runs once a year for five awards, so pair it with programs on other calendars. Seated Together pays veteran-owned businesses $1,000 (others $750), SecretSoS scores similar things every quarter, and the Tadlock grant and the PenFed Foundation program are built for veteran and military-spouse founders.
- Seated Together Small Business Microgrant — up to $1,000 for veteran-owned businesses ($750 for others), rolling applications reviewed each quarter, four written questions, and a $5 fee. Startups and home-based businesses can apply.
- SecretSoS Small Business Grant — $2,500 each quarter, judged on financial need, business viability and community impact, close to what Hiring Our Heroes scores. A $15 application fee applies.
- Founders First Tadlock Veteran Business Grant — a $1,000 micro-grant plus a free business program for 25 veteran and military-spouse owners of employer businesses. It runs once a year; the 2026 window ran mid-September to late October, so watch for 2027.
- PenFed Foundation Veteran Entrepreneur Program — a free incubator and accelerator for veteran and military-spouse founders, with monthly cohort selection and no equity taken. It offers mentorship and investor access rather than cash.
For the full list, see grants for veteran-owned businesses.
The questions people type about the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant
Is the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant legit?
Yes. The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant is run by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and funded by the FedEx Founder’s Fund. It charges no fee, publishes its full rules, and has named all 15 winners from 2024 to 2026, with their businesses and towns.
Who is eligible for the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant?
A for-profit US business at least 51% owned by an honorably discharged veteran, a current National Guard or Reserve member, or a current military spouse, with 3 to 20 people (counting the owner and 1099 contractors) and under $5 million in revenue. It must be in a distressed zip code or show a hardship beyond the owner’s control, and the owner must live in the 50 states.
Can military spouses, caregivers or active-duty members apply?
Current military spouses can: the rules define them as people “presently married to a current member” of the military. The rules don’t list caregivers, surviving spouses, spouses of veterans who have left the service, or active-duty members who own a business. If you are one of those, ask Hiring Our Heroes before applying.
How many people apply, and what are the odds?
Hiring Our Heroes reported more than 1,240 applicants in the 2026 cycle and over 1,250 in 2025. With five awards a cycle (four of $10,000 and a $25,000 grand prize), that is about one winner per 250 applicants, by our division of its own counts; it publishes no acceptance rate. Up to 20 semi-finalists are chosen first.
When are Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant winners announced?
For the 2027 cycle, the rules say winners will be notified on or before March 29, 2027, and announced at a Hiring Our Heroes event in spring 2027. The 2025 and 2026 winners were honored on April 29 each year in Washington, D.C. The current deadline is on the program page.
Who won the Hiring Our Heroes grant in 2026?
Rail Haus of Dover, Delaware won the $25,000 grand prize. The four $10,000 winners were Organized Q (Alexandria, Virginia), Balanced Wellness (Ridgeland, South Carolina), The Laundry Basket (Hyattsville, Maryland) and Langhorne Electrical & Contracting (Leesville, Louisiana). All 15 winners are listed above.
How this review was made
Sources, read as of November 2026. The Hiring Our Heroes program page, the official rules for the 2027 cycle and the application form, including every eligibility question, the six essay prompts and their 2,000-character limits. Winners, applicant counts and award events come from Hiring Our Heroes’ own announcements for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
History. 13 Internet Archive captures of the program page and rules, from December 2, 2023 to May 9, 2026, read in their original form. The cycle table transcribes each cycle’s rules; where an earlier page showed a different date, we note it.
Our own work. The industry groups, the counts of what winners highlighted and the applicant ratios are GrantCompass’s, from the sources above. The time estimate is ours. GrantCompass did not apply, and is not affiliated with Hiring Our Heroes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, FedEx or USAA.