Spring Forward: Small Business Grant Opportunity
As we step into Spring, Woodlands Community Lenders is offering a $500 reimbursable grant to small businesses in our service area (see county list below) to help you prepare for the growth this next season brings. Whether it’s elevating your marketing efforts to reach new or encourage repeat customers, purchasing that piece of equipment that will help you increase efficiency, or training your team to improve performance, we’ve got you covered!
Deadline to apply: 9:00am, April 1, 2026.

No match required. This is a quick turnaround small grant opportunity. Awards will be announced on April 3rd, 2026.
Examples of eligible uses include marketing expenses (sandwich boards, newspaper or social media advertising, brand merchandise i.e. hats, t-shirts, mouse pads, etc.), capital purchases, staff training, hiring sign-on bonus, inventory, contractors, technology upgrades, market materials (tents, tables, display fixtures), and more.
Ineligible expenses include general ongoing business costs (rent, payroll, utilities, etc.), staff parties, alcohol, lobbying or personal items. If you have a question about whether your idea is eligible, please contact mjefferson@woodlandswv.org.
An eligible idea must also meet each of the following criteria:
To be eligible your business must:
-
Be located within a WCL Service Area County (see below)
-
Submit a complete application by 9am on April 1, 2026.
To receive awarded funding you must:
-
Sign a grant contract stipulating conditions of the award
-
Spend all awarded funds by April 22, 2026
-
Submit dated receipts for all reimbursable funds by 5pm on April 24th, 2026.
| *WCL Service Area |
| Barbour
Grant Greenbrier Nicholas Pendleton Pocahontas Preston Randolph Tucker Upshur Webster |
This grant opportunity is brought to you by Woodlands Community Lenders in partnership with Appalachian Community Capital and made possible by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Initiatives Grant.

The Land Kept Us: The Story of the Lost Towns & the Tygart Hotel
Donate here to support the Tygart Community Investment Fund — providing ongoing arts, housing, and downtown enhancement project funding in Elkins, WV. Click here to watch full screen. Nestled ...
Read More
Small Business Grant Recipients Announced
Woodlands Development & Lending is proud to announce recipients of our Spring Forward Small Business Grant Opportunity. We received over 80 proposals for this quick turnaround, $500 grant and ...
Read More
Paint it Black Seminar Series Announced
A free seminar series focused on art-based business development is taking place from April to August at the Tygart Hotel We are excited to announce a five-part seminar series ...
Read More