Grants, loans, tax incentives, and development programs for The Daily Pour
Researched: August 5, 2026 | South Bend / NW Indiana / St. Joseph County
| Amount | Loans $1,000–$30,000 (below-market interest) + free business coaching/mentorship |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Business located in South Bend, revenues under $300,000/yr prior year |
| Partners | 1st Source Bank + North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center |
| Apply | isbdc.ecenterdirect.com/signup |
| Info | southbendin.gov/opportunityfund |
| Why apply | Pre-revenue startup in South Bend = perfect fit. Free coaching alone is worth it. |
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Status | PROGRAM COMPLETED. All 35 awards already distributed. No new applications accepted. |
| Info | Flagstar BIPOC Grant details |
| Action | Monitor Indiana Black Expo for future rounds. Follow Flagstar for other BIPOC programs. |
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Status | PROGRAM TERMINATED July 15, 2025. USDA Secretary Rollins killed the Regional Food Business Centers program. No new Business Builder awards being issued. |
| Source | USDA termination announcement |
| Our center | Great Lakes Midwest RFBC (Michigan State, covered Indiana) — shut down. |
| Amount | Grants up to 50% of renewable energy project cost + guaranteed loans |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Rural small business (check USDA eligibility map — areas outside cities of 50,000+). Some South Bend-adjacent areas qualify. |
| Covers | Solar panels, battery storage, energy-efficient equipment upgrades |
| Info | USDA REAP Indiana |
| Why apply | Could fund 50% of your solar/battery system ($750-1,000+ back). If trailer parks in a rural-eligible lot (smaller towns outside SB proper), this is free money for your power setup. |
| Benefits |
• 100% property tax exemption on solar installations • 7% state sales tax exemption on solar equipment • 30% federal commercial solar ITC (Investment Tax Credit) — your LLC qualifies |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any Indiana business installing solar. LLC structure qualifies for commercial ITC. |
| Info | Indiana Solar Incentives 2026 |
| Why use | If you add solar to the trailer, you get 30% back on federal taxes + no property/sales tax on the equipment. Stack with REAP for potentially 80% covered. |
| Amount | Up to $50,000 (low interest, some interest-free) |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Indiana-based, Black-owned, unable to secure traditional bank loan |
| Extras | Free business development resources + Black Chamber of Commerce membership |
| Apply | bankable.org/loans |
| Info | Bankable Black-Owned Fund announcement |
| Why apply | Certified SBA microlender. Low barrier, designed for businesses like yours that are pre-traditional-bank. Good supplement or bridge to SBA loan. |
| Amount | Up to $350,000 (through Bankable partnership) |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Lower rates, no fees, additional technical assistance, memberships to entrepreneurial support orgs |
| Info | flagshipenterprisecapital.org |
| Why apply | Larger loan option if SBA falls through or you need more capital. Same Black-owned qualification as Bankable. |
| Amount | Part of $29M fund distributed through mission-driven local lenders |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Indiana small business, historically underserved community |
| Info | iedc.in.gov/ssbci |
| Why apply | State-backed capital flowing through local CDFIs. You qualify on multiple fronts (minority-owned, pre-revenue startup). Ask Bankable — they may be a Legend Fund distributor. |
| What | Helps minority/women-owned businesses access City contracting + procurement opportunities |
|---|---|
| Info | southbendin.gov — MWBE Program |
| Why join | Gets you in the city's vendor system + connected to other minority business owners. More for service/contracting but builds credibility and network. |
| What | Free cohort-based business development program — strengthens back-office systems, operational readiness, prepares for funding + public-sector contracting |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free to accepted participants |
| Info | southbendin.gov — Office of Diversity Business Development |
| Why join | Free coaching + structure + credibility. Good to do while building out T00-DRIP. Makes future grant applications stronger. |
| Benefits |
• Employee tax deduction • Employment expense credit • Loan interest credit • Investment cost credit |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Business operating within a designated Enterprise Zone |
| Info | aiez.org — Association of Indiana Enterprise Zones |
| Why it matters | If T00-DRIP parks in an Enterprise Zone (check South Bend's zone map), you get state tax credits just for operating there. Factor this into location scouting. |
| Benefits | Federal capital gains tax deferral/reduction for investments in economically distressed areas |
|---|---|
| Coverage | 156 zones in Indiana — several in St. Joseph County / South Bend |
| Info | iedc.in.gov — Opportunity Zones |
| Why it matters | More relevant for investors or if you have capital gains to defer. Worth knowing for future expansion or if someone invests in your trailers. |
| Resource | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana grants for Black-owned businesses (curated list) | indyblackbusinesses.com/grants | Updated regularly, browse all |
| Women & Minority Business Indiana | womenandminoritybusiness.org | Aggregated grants, loans, counseling |
| Elevate Ventures (Indiana VC/grants) | elevateventures.com | High-growth focused — more for tech, but has minority programs |
| South Bend Incentives & Grants page | southbendin.gov — incentives | Full list of city programs |
| USDA all Indiana programs | rd.usda.gov — Indiana | Rural business, energy, community programs |
| IN.gov MWBE (state level — currently suspended) | in.gov/idoa/mwbe | Suspended by EO 26-17, monitor for reinstatement |
| ICSSBM Grant Program (Indiana Commission) | in.gov/icssbm | Partners with grassroots orgs to reduce barriers |
How to stack these programs for maximum benefit — do them in this order:
From: Sam | Date: August 5, 2026
Hey Kiowa,
I'm working on getting us funded. I put together a full research doc on every grant, loan, and program we qualify for — it's in the shared Drive.
Where to find it:
I sent you an email giving you access to the parent folder so you can see everything.
My focus right now: Task 1 from the funding strategy — filing the LLC and getting the EIN. Once that's done, we can start submitting applications.
Your part (when ready): Start thinking about locations. Some areas in South Bend are in "Enterprise Zones" which give us automatic tax credits just for operating there. When you're scouting parking lots, I'll share the zone map so we can cross-reference.
You'll have visibility of all deliverables in the shared Drive as things get filed.
— Sam