Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the eligible counties page and the "view all eligible counties" link. These descriptions come from the Office of Management and Budget and are based on the 2024 Census Bureau data for counties with a population under 50,000.

No, the grant is only for a for-profit business. Per legislation—a business concern must be a small business as defined in Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 13 part 121 for its primary industry classification. 13CFR 127.200(a). 13CFR 121.105(a)(1) provides that a business concern must be organized for profit to meet the definition of a small business. A 501(c)3 is not organized for profit and as such does not qualify as a small business.

No, the grant is open to any rural business in the state of Texas. TWU faculty/staff (or immediate household members) and students, trustees and advisory committee members are not eligible to apply.

No, previous winners cannot apply. If you have been selected in any of our programs (AccelerateHER, TechFW, NTEETC etc) within the last year you will also be ineligible.

No, we want to hear about your business in your words.

We have found that some charging for their services have never submitted a qualifying application or been awarded a grant from the CWE. One year, someone paid a grant writer, but a submission was never received. The only place to get accurate grant information is through cwegrants@twu.edu

Our template should make it easy for you to answer the questions.

Send entity formation documents showing all owners and managers of your company. The following are acceptable:

• Sole proprietor/assumed name filings
• LLC or LLP documentation showing all owners and/or managers of the company. If more than one owner, you must also submit one of the following, created before April 21, 2026, showing the percentage owned by each person:
  • Certificate of Organization
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • or a Partnership Agreement
• Certification of organization, articles of incorporation, or a partnership agreement showing the members. These documents must be sent with the entity formation document.

Disqualifying documents include an LLC or other entity document with only a business name (must show owners & percentages), EIN, sales & use tax permit, income taxes, driver’s license, credit card, or passport. If you are unsure about your formation documentation, email cwegrants@twu.edu for verification.

No, only one application per person will be accepted.

Sales tax cannot be paid for with these grant funds.

No, the grant cannot be used for wages, salaries, contract labor or compensation of any type. You can use funds for a consultant that is not an employee.

Example: marketing consultant building out website and social media.

Examples of how our other grant winners have used funds include software, pos systems, marketing, and social media promotions, fixtures, a vehicle to pull a food trailer, office furniture, a lathe and computers.

These are mandatory. The classes will be virtual and recorded. If you cannot participate in the class, please make arrangements with our office to access the recorded videos and you will need to provide takeaways from the video.

You can check the taxable entity search https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/. If your business shows forfeited, your business is not eligible for the grant. You can call the state to find out what you need to do to clear this.

The total of your documented expenses must equal exactly $10,000. Amounts below or above $10,000 (e.g., $9,948 or $10,025) will result in disqualification. 

Each budget item must include supporting documentation and align with your submitted materials.

If a single expense exceeds $10,000, you may allocate up to $10,000 to grant funds and list the remaining balance as “Owner Investment.” For example, an item costing $10,450 may be listed as $10,000 (grant funds) and $450 (owner investment).

Budgets and documentation must fully align and clearly show how the entire $10,000 in grant funds will be used.

Single Item Example:

Multiple Items Example:

Total Grant Funds Requested: $10,000
Owner Investment: $300

You must submit quotes, estimates, or pictures with the price of everything you are purchasing. You must show $10,000 even to meet the grant amount. You must upload them to a single PDF. You will be disqualified if we can’t find the exact number or have to guess where they go. We do not accept outside links to Amazon or websites. If you are getting 5 months of Facebook ads at 125.00 per month, you have to spell that out with the total.

No, monthly bills cannot be paid with grant funding.

Will your project add to the sales tax base, create jobs or have some other contribution to the community or state?

June 5, 2026, before 5:00:00 p.m..

No, the online form automatically submits your application.

All grant-related questions must be sent to CWEgrants@twu.edu.