Launch Micro-Grant Application

The Launch Micro-Grant is a program funded by local financial institutions, and facilitated by Catapult. This grant is designed to fund the purchase of an asset with a demonstrable return-on-investment. Read program FAQ's & requirements here.

Reach out to our Program Director, Dr. Sherrita Denson, at programs@catapultlakeland.com with any questions.

Important Program Dates:

Applications Open: Monday, February 24th, 2025
Applications Close: Friday, March 21st, 2025
Launch Pitch Practice: Thursday, April 17th, 2025
Launch Pitch Night: Thursday, April 24th, 2025

First name*

Last name*

Email*

Mobile phone number*

Gender*

Race/Ethnicity*

Date of birth*

Are you applying as a student?

Are you currently employed in addition to your business?*

Business Information

Business Name*

Business Stage*

Industry*

Please explain why your business fits in this stage.*

When was the incorporation date for your business?*

Month/Day/Year

What is the legal structure of your business?*

What is your business address?*

Business Website*

Business Instagram Page

Business Facebook Page

Business LinkedIn Page

Number of Employees

How many employees in each of these categories do you have? Include yourself in these numbers, and enter "0" rather than leaving the space blank.

Full Time Employees*

Part Time Employees*

Interns*

Business Background

Concisely describe your business.*

Please describe your ideal customer. Who do you serve?*

What is the problem that your customer has that you are solving for them?*

Describe your competitors (or alternatives) that your customer can use to solve this problem.*

What is your competitive advantage? Why does your customer choose you over the alternatives? What makes your business unique to Lakeland?*

What is the message that you share with your customers about your business?*

What are the biggest challenges that your business has faced up to this point and how have you overcome them?*

Funding Request

What business asset(s) would you purchase with the grant funds, and how will the use of these assets impact your business?*

Is your pitch aimed at supporting and enhancing your current business operations, or a new concept within your existing business? *

What is the total amount needed to purchase the asset(s)?*

Please provide a line by line budget of the item(s) you would like to purchase with the grant money (include exact make/model and hyperlinks where applicable).*

Have you received multiple quotes for this purchase? If so, how many? Please describe how you made the choice between assets.*

If the item(s) above total more than $10,000, how do you plan to fund the remainder of the purchase?*

If you do not receive this grant, do you still plan to purchase this item? If so, how do you plan to fund that purchase?*

What was the GROSS income from your business in 2023? Gross income is commonly defined as a business's revenues before taking any costs, taxes, or other deductions into account.*

Funding Return on Investment

This part of the application is crucial, and the information you add here has a major impact on whether you are selected to move to the next round of this process.

The more information you can share about profit margin increases, hiring plans, space expansion opportunities, and any other growth metrics the better. The judges want to see that this grant will have a significant impact on your business, and this is your chance to show that.

What results do you expect from this micro-grant? How soon do you expect them and how do you plan to measure these results?*

Required Documents

Questions or concerns regarding the required documents?
Please call Catapult at 863-940-9660.

Download our Financial Statement Template. Once opened, go to File > Save As > Download a Copy.

Once completed, please upload the Financial Statement document with your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Financial Projections, assuming you receive the grant, in Excel format.

Please upload business financial statements.*

Please upload your business logo.*

Please upload a professional headshot.*

Please upload your business plan. (Required for students only.)

25% Give Back Requirement

As a non-profit Catapult only exists through the generous donations from our sponsors. Additionally, the Launch Micro-Grant is only available because local financial institutions have given both their time and money to make this possible. Because of the kindness shown to Catapult and Lakeland's entrepreneurs, this creates an opportunity for recipients to pay it forward to those coming behind them.

By checking this box, I agree to pay 25% of the money I am awarded back into the Launch fund over the course of the next 2 years.*