The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently received a $125,000 grant from the County of Berks. The funding will be used to create microgrants for Berks County entrepreneurs. Of the total grant awarded, $12,000 will be set aside for Penn State Berks student entrepreneurs participating in the college's Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center Customer Discovery Lab; these funds will be distributed to awardees in $1,000 increments.

The grant is part of the county's IMAGINE Berks Strategic Economic Development Action Plan. The plan includes six areas of focus, with one area being small business and entrepreneurship. A key strategy in the plan is to support small businesses working to scale their operations to increase efficiency and achieve exponential growth.

The microgrant applications will be accepted during three submission periods per year over a three-year period. During the first and second submission periods, Berks County entrepreneurs with early-stage business ideas and gross revenues of less than $200,000 can apply for microgrants up to $2,000 to move forward with their business by building a prototype, developing a marketing plan, setting up a website, and more. Submission will require an application, a business model canvas, and a one-hour meeting with the Berks LaunchBox.

During the third submission period, entrepreneurs may apply for microgrants up to $4,000 each. They will participate in a free customer discovery process program to determine whether their product or service will be successful in the marketplace.

The first submission period for funding of up to $2,000 is now open for applications. To learn more, visit https://berkslaunchbox.psu.edu/ on the Berks LaunchBox website and look under "Offerings" for "Resources." Applications will be accepted through Thursday, May 30. Visit the aforementioned website for details related to subsequent submission periods.