Grants: Frequently Asked Questions | Verizon Digital Ready

What is the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant?

The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant is part of Verizon's commitment to equip one million small businesses with the tools and resources they need to thrive in today's digital economy. In partnership with LISC, Verizon will select 10 small businesses monthly from June to December 2026 to receive $10,000 grants.

Who is LISC?

LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) is a national nonprofit with decades of experience supporting small businesses, including administering grant programs across the U.S. In this program, LISC serves as the independent grant administrator, overseeing application intake, review, and grant distribution.

Who is eligible to apply for the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant?

To be eligible to apply for the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready $10,000 national grant, you must meet the below criteria:

Have an account on Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.
Complete any combination of two courses, virtual events (including recorded events), or in-person events* on the Digital Ready platform anytime in 2026 to unlock the grant application. Once unlocked, you can apply once at any time to be considered as finalists are selected monthly throughout the year.
Be a for-profit business based in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Nonprofits are not eligible to apply.
Be 18 years of age or older.
Be able to share and provide proper business and financial verification documentation (W-9s, ACH) if selected as a finalist.

Eligibility is based on accurate and complete submission of the grant application.

Current directors, officers, employees and contractors of LISC or Verizon and such individuals' family members (spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and spouses of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) may not be eligible to receive an award. Priority is given to applicants who have not received a prior grant; prior Digital Ready grant recipients are still eligible to apply but not likely to be awarded a second grant.

*Only in-person events listed on the In-Person Events page are eligible. To receive credit, you must scan the event’s QR code while onsite. For details on how credit is awarded, please refer to the specific event page.

Why is the selection rolling and how does it work?

Beginning in 2026, Verizon, in partnership with LISC, will select 10 small businesses each month to receive $10,000 grants, awarding grants throughout the year. We redesigned our grant process based on feedback from small business owners, making it easier than ever to apply. You can now apply anytime and only need to submit one application to remain eligible for grants awarded throughout the year.

Grant applications are reviewed monthly from June through December 2026. If you are not selected in a particular month, your application will remain eligible for remaining selections throughout the year. All applicants will receive a final decision by January 12, 2027 via email.

If I applied for the Digital Ready grant in the past, do I have to re-apply, or will my application roll over?

If you applied for a Digital Ready grant before April 15, 2026, you must submit a new application for the 2026 $10,000 grant. For the 2026 $10,000 grant, you may only apply once. Once submitted, your application will remain eligible for the rest of 2026.

How will I be contacted or know if I will receive a grant?

LISC will primarily communicate with applicants via email; though they will make all reasonable attempts to contact finalists. Finalists will be notified within approximately six weeks of the end of each month from June 2026 to January 2027. If you are not selected in a given month, you will not be notified - your application will remain eligible for future selections throughout the year. All applicants will be informed of their final status no later than January 12, 2027.

Email updates to all applicants will come from LISC Small Business Grants (an @lisc.org email address domain). Check your email regularly, including spam or junk folders, and if you have any questions or concerns regarding the legitimacy of an email about your grant application status, please contact smallbusinessservices@lisc.org.

Finalists must respond promptly. If any finalist notification email or required documentation is returned as undeliverable, the finalist may be disqualified, forfeit the grant opportunity, and an alternate finalist may be selected from the remaining eligible applicants.

What does it mean to be a “finalist” and will there be additional documentation required?

If your business is selected as a finalist, you will be notified via email. Being selected as a finalist does not guarantee that you will receive a grant. As a finalist, additional documentation will be required to screen and verify business information. This may include a background search that LISC will conduct at our expense and submission of additional information including verification information such as date of birth, SSN, TIN/ITIN, EIN, W-9, and appropriate banking information in order to receive funds via ACH if awarded. The background verification does not involve a credit check or credit score pull. LISC will never request copies of personal documentation such as driver’s licenses, passports and/or green cards.

Is the application available in Spanish?

Yes, the application is available in Spanish. Once you have unlocked the grant application, click on the link to the application. There, you will see the option to complete the application in Spanish. If you are viewing Digital Ready in Spanish, the application will default to Spanish.

How can I verify if I’ve completed the eligibility requirements?

Once you have completed the required combination of courses and events, the application will unlock on the Funding page and grant details page and you will see the option to “Apply for the grant”. If you have completed two courses or events on Small Business Digital Ready anytime in 2026, and the application has not unlocked, you can reach out to our Support team.

When filling out the application, I'm seeing the error message “3.1. You're creating a duplicate record. It is recommended you use an existing record instead.” What should I do?

Receiving this notification means that you may have already submitted an application for this grant round. Applicants may apply for only one business and submit only one application per round. If you've applied in previous rounds, please submit a new application with the exact same First Name, Last Name and Email Address as you did previously. Please contact smallbusinessservices@lisc.org if you believe you’re receiving this notification in error.

What should I do if the Digital Ready site isn’t working when I’m trying to complete the grant requirements?

We’re sorry you’re running into difficulties. Here are a few troubleshooting tips we recommend trying to fix the issue:

Use the right setup – We recommend accessing the site on a desktop or laptop and using Google Chrome for the best experience.
Restart your browser – Close and reopen Google Chrome before logging back in.
Limit open tabs – Too many tabs can slow things down or cause loading errors.
Clear your cache and cookies – This often fixes performance issues.
Try Incognito mode – Open an Incognito window in Chrome and login to Digital Ready.

If you continue to have trouble after trying these steps, please reach out to our Support team.

Does anything need to be repaid?

No, these grants do not need to be repaid. However, all taxes associated with the acceptance and/or uses of cash awarded are the sole responsibility of the individual grantee. LISC will issue a Form 1099 for these grants.

Who has received this grant in the past?

Since 2021, we’ve awarded grants to more than 1,500 unique small businesses. You can explore stories from some of our past grantees on our Funding page.

Frequently asked questions.