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Business Resources
The Cuyahoga County Office of Small Business serves the needs of all small businesses by providing:
- Easy access to funding opportunities, technical and personalized assistance
- Guidance to navigate the internal departments of the county
- Organizational support for your small business
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland provides no-cost business counseling and assistance to individuals who are either starting or growing a business.
JumpStart offers customized programmatic support and resources to increase your knowledge as a small business owner and boost your company's growth. Jumpstart also offers small business with pathways to funding, in the form of grants, loans and referrals.
SCORE can help you start, grow or successfully exit a business. Small business owners who receive three or more hours of mentoring report higher revenues and increased growth.
The Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) is a nonprofit, founded in 2004, to help small business entrepreneurs obtain access to all the resources small businesses need to succeed.
SBA provides limited small business grants to promote entrepreneurship. See qualifications below:
- SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business.
- SBA provides grants to nonprofit, Resource Partners, and educational organizations that support entrepreneurship through counseling and training programs.
- SBA only communicates from email addresses ending in @sba.gov. If you are being contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA who is not using an official SBA email address, you should suspect fraud and report it
Basic 7(a) Loan Program The SBA 7(a)
Loan Program can be used for most sound business purposes including working capital, equipment, furniture, land and building, leasehold improvements, and debt refinancing (under special conditions).
504 Loan Program
The SBA’s 504 Loan program offers small businesses another avenue for business financing, while promoting business growth, and job creation.
Find out more at Loans (sba.gov)
Women’s Business Enterprise Loan Program
This loan program is designed to stimulate the growth of existing women-owned businesses by providing loans at market rate or below market rate interest (currently up to 3%). The minimum loan amount is $45,000 up to a maximum of $500,000. Loans will be repaid within 10 years for equipment and machinery and 15 years for owner-occupied real estate. The business must have its principal place of business and its business operations located in Ohio.
Women’s Business Enterprise Loan Program | Development
Cuyahoga East Chamber of Commerce – Warrensville Heights Chapter
Can you also change our Chamber information from Warrensville Heights Area Chamber of Commerce, to Cuyahoga East Chamber of Commerce – City of Warrensville Heights Chapter. You Do Not Need to Change the Warrensville Heights Area Chamber of Commerce - WHACC
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
As the state's leading business advocate and resource, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce aggressively champions free enterprise, economic competitiveness, and growth for the benefit of all Ohioans. For more information visit: Ohio Chamber of Commerce
City of Warrensville Occupancy Program Grant
The Warrensville Heights Occupancy Program Grant provides a monetary grant to businesses occupying or looking to occupy, whether buying or leasing, existing vacant industrial and/or commercial property within the City of Warrensville Heights, where such occupancy results in new jobs in the City of Warrensville Heights. The grant is an annual payment from the city's non-tax revenues, which is equal to a percentage of the businesses total annual payroll. View full description
Economic Development GrantThe JobsOhio Economic Development Grant was created to promote economic development, business expansion, and job creation by providing funding for eligible projects in the State of Ohio. Grant decisions are based on a number of project factors, including but not limited to job creation, additional payroll, fixed-asset investment commitment, project return on investment, and project location.
Research and Development Center Grant Program
The Research and Development Investment Tax Credit provides a non-refundable tax credit up to seven percent for qualified research and development expenses. Qualifying expenses fit into two categories: in-house research expenses, and contracted research expenses. Any unused portion of a tax credit may be carried forward for up to seven years.
The JobsOhio Inclusion Grant provides financial support for projects in distressed communities and/or for business owned by underrepresented populations across the state.
Greater Cleveland Partnership
GCP is the region’s leading economic development organization and with over 12,000 members, the largest metropolitan chamber of commerce in the nation. Guided by a board of corporate and entrepreneurial CEOs, the organization focuses on strategic initiatives, business services, and advocacy to build a vibrant business environment and region. It includes the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) and Cleveland Development Advisors, a real estate development affiliate.
Grant funding and tax credits are can be useful incentives of new and expanding businesses. JobsOhio has programs in place offering these benefits to encourage business growth. These programs, of varying focus, are typically tied to job creation and new capital investment in fixed assets.
The JobsOhio Growth Fund Loan provides capital for expansion projects to companies that have limited access to capital and funding from conventional, private sources of financing. JobsOhio will consider loans to companies that are in the growth, established, or expansion stage, and that have generated revenues through a proven business plan.
Energy Efficiency financing available for commercial property owners to complete qualifying projects without taking out a high-interest loan or without investing any cash up-front. Many commercial projects involving lighting, HVAC, windows, doors, roof, insulation, geothermal, solar panels, and water heaters qualify for financing.
2022 Pace/Step Program Comparison
Amazon Black Business Accelerator
Credit, cash investment and business education and coaching to help jump-start business growth and customer acquisition.
To learn more, email our Economic Development team.