Sharon Economic Development Grant Fund

The City of Sharon is pleased to be able to offer grants to Sharon businesses through a joint investment by the City of Sharon, Penn State Shenango, and a relationship with the Community Foundation of Western PA and Eastern OH.

STEP ONE: LETTER OF INTENT

The first step is to complete the Letter of Intent (LOI) template (“Access LOI Template” button below).

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be limited to businesses with a presence in the 16146 zip code as defined by the eligibility requirements.

Please send the completed LOI form via email to ShenangoLaunchBox@psu.edu.

You will be then contacted by a team member from the Shenango LaunchBox to begin the process.

BEGIN YOUR GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS HERE.

ACCESS LOI TEMPLATE

STEP TWO: LOI REVIEW

Once your LOI is reviewed, you will be contacted with initial feedback and questions. 

Once the necessary information is gathered, you will be informed as to whether you have been selected to move on to the Application phase of the process.

Please note that everyone will receive feedback and referrals to relevant programs/resources even if they are not approved to advance at this time.

STEP THREE: APPLICATION

Applicants selected to advance will then need to prepare for the pitch coaching session with a Shenango LaunchBox team member.

In order to prepare for the pitch coaching session, applicants should prepare a pitch deck. See this document for guidelines. Plan for a 5-7 minute pitch with 10 minutes for Q&A. Please include any relevant pictures in the deck.

Applicants should also prepare the following information:

BUSINESS INFORMATION

  • Have you received any other grants or loans to date? If so, how much and what were the funds used for?
  • How much did your business make (total gross revenue in dollars) last year? Profit?
  • If your business is a startup, please include the total amount that will need to be invested in the first year with a use of funds table (i.e., category line items with specific dollar amounts).
  • Please prepare your business plan, projections, and any other relevant documents.


GRANT IMPACT INFORMATION

  • Do you anticipate your business will help improve the Downtown Improvement District efforts to reinvigorate State Street in Sharon, PA? If so, how?
  • Will receipt of this grant help generate new jobs for your business? If so, how many do you forecast?

Once the coaching session is complete and the applicant is approved to move on in the process, a pitch will be scheduled with the Sharon Economic Development Grant Committee. The pitch can be scheduled as needed and may be held in-person or virtually.