EDCUtah investor Comcast is bringing a cash-and-services small business grant program to the Wasatch Front. We caught up with Deneiva Knight, external affairs director, to learn more.

Please give us a high-level overview of the Comcast RISE grant program.

Comcast RISE started during the Covid pandemic, to help small business owners overcome hurdles during that time. In the last five years, we’ve awarded more than $140 million in monetary, marketing, and technology grants to help 14,000 small businesses nationwide. This year, the program focuses on five markets across the country, specifically Boston, Grand Rapids, Nashville, Seattle, and a segment of the Wasatch Front.

Small business owners in the communities of Bluffdale, Draper, Herriman, Riverton, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and White City are eligible to apply. The grant includes $5,000 cash, which the awarded business can use any way they want, plus a technology makeover, creative production, a media schedule, educational resources, and business consultation services. The marketing package includes professional commercial spots that are aired on our cross-channel networks.

Comcast speaks of “small businesses and entrepreneurs committed to uplifting their local communities.” Please elaborate on that and what would distinguish an applicant for this program.

We know based on research that small businesses are the fuel that keeps our economy going. Typically, the money that small business owners spend stays and circulates in their local communities. Furthermore, small businesses have a genuine and tighter relationship with the folks that they serve. So part of uplifting the community is just being an active business owner.

A way to stand out in your application is describe how your business supports the community. This could be anything. Does your business encourage employees to do any kind of community service work? Does your business provide funding for local initiatives or support employees volunteering for them? If you're a small restauranteur, maybe you occasionally make meals for different groups that might need it, such as firefighters during the summer firefighting season. In other words, how does your businesses step up during a time of need?

The opportunity has a defined geographic area. What stood out about the Wasatch Front cities you mentioned above when Comcast developed the program?

First of all, Utah in general was chosen for a couple of reasons, one being that for the last couple of years we have ranked as the startup capital of the nation by a number of publications. Our economy is very strong, and we have a growing small business community. Being selected for the program is a nice accolade in itself.

As far as the specific cities, it was really hard to make the selection. We had to make that hard choice by focusing on communities with a high number of small businesses that have started over the last several years.

If they win a grant, what will small businesses find of most value in the package of services?

We're hearing from business owners that have won over the last couple of years that they find three things very valuable. These are the mentoring and consultation support, the marketing support, and the business services.

I think a lot of small business owners launch a business due to passion and because it's something that they resonate with. The owners may not necessarily come with all the business skills or acumen that are sometimes needed for a business to be successful. And so consultation and mentoring seem to be really helpful for small business owners. The consultants are from our Comcast business team locally, our regional marketing team, and some senior leaders at the company. It's a great mix.

On the second point, oftentimes marketing budgets are tight. Connecting with our marketing team, then refining and reviewing a marketing strategy that will work and that is tailored specifically to these businesses, that interaction is invaluable. And then being able to place a 30-second commercial spot on our cross-channel network to drive business and bring in more customers, that’s also a big plus.

Lastly,I would say our Comcast business services - having a full suite of Comcast business services available - allows a business owner to streamline operations.It increases efficiency and allows those business owners to do the job they need to do, which is just to make sure their business is successful versus having to do a lot of the behind the scenes work taking up time.

How can a business owner get more information or reply? And then is there any“ homework” before they apply?

The deadline to apply is May 31^st. The application is available at www.ComcastRISE.com.

Applicants will want to gather their paperwork together. Your EIN number, some recent tax forms showing time in business, that sort of thing. And then I think just giving some thought to how your company does business in the community that you're in, and what sets you apart, either about the products or services you offer, your customer experience, or how you engage with the community as a whole. What kind of things set you apart from other businesses would be helpful to think about before folks start to apply for the grant.

Comcast will host working sessions to help small business owners apply for the grant if they're experiencing trouble or just want to do it in collaboration with a Comcast representative. At these sessions, we’ll talk about criteria and the application process.

We're working with local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations throughout the state to set up these working sessions. We'll do communication around that in the next couple of weeks, but we just encourage folks to reach out to their chamber of commerce to inquire when these working sessions will be taking place.

What specific message for EDCUtah investors do you have? How can they help?

The call to action for EDCUtah investors is if you know of any small businesses, say in your supply chain or customer base, or if you are a small business owner in any of these communities that are eligible, you could apply for the grant and or encourage some small business owners in your network to apply for the grant. We're hoping to get at least 500 small businesses in Utah to apply. We’ll make 100 awards.

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