Learn together.
Build forward.

Commit to advancing your business through a Work Plan developed with your designated counselor. Your work includes business planning, customer discovery, target market research, financial planning, and progress toward agreed milestones. Full-time work on the business is not required.

The graduation goals are a completed business plan, Michigan incorporation, accounting software with financial-statement training, and basic marketing materials. Fast-track microbusinesses have plans tailored to their circumstances and growth needs.

• At least three meetings with your business counselor during the year, with monthly check-ins.
• Three mandatory in-person workshops or training classes, plus at least three additional classes of your choice. Attend required bootcamp or network-affiliated sessions unless your counselor grants a waiver.
• Regular Startup Space use and an up-to-date profile.
• Timely responses to requests, including quarterly surveys through the end of 2026, as specified in the program FAQ.

The Small Business Support Hub grant requires quarterly reporting to track business progress. Failure to make progress toward milestones may lead to early dismissal and affect future funding eligibility.

Log in to Startup Space to check updates, connect with the EM-SBN team, find resources, and keep your profile current. Ask the Grant & Program Manager for the on-demand orientation webinar.

The orientation webinar does not count toward required workshops or training classes.

First establish milestones with your counselor and discuss the best use of services. Choose from the approved provider directory and initiate contact yourself.

The provider prepares a work order or engagement letter stating the services, dates, and total estimated cost. Review it, sign it if you agree, and return it to the provider. The provider sends it to the EDA of St. Clair County’s Grant & Program Manager. Services may begin only after approval.

After services are completed, the provider submits an invoice to the Grant & Program Manager. You must also submit a Certificate of Completion confirming that the services were completed.

Payment is made to the provider within 30 days of receipt of both documents. A missing invoice or certificate delays payment.

Yes. A provider may request a deposit to cover internal costs while delivering services. The EDA pays the provider in full only after services are completed.

Your signed work order or engagement letter must show the deposit paid and state that it will be reimbursed after services are completed and the provider has received full payment from the EDA.

Yes. You can allocate your available award to one provider or divide it among several approved providers. Work with your counselor to choose the services that offer the most value for your business.

The Grant & Program Manager can help confirm your remaining balance before you arrange another service.

The standard limit is one work order and one invoice per provider for each cohort client. Limited exceptions may be available for legal and marketing services. The provider should ask the Grant & Program Manager about those exceptions.

The funded work order must cover only services within your remaining balance. Any services beyond that balance are your own expense and cannot be included in the funded work order or engagement letter.

Contact your counselor or the Grant & Program Manager promptly so everyone can work toward a resolution. The EDA strongly discourages stopping services before the approved work is complete and cannot pay for an incomplete work order.

The program FAQ states that stopping before completion results in forfeiting a paid deposit. If no deposit was paid, the provider may pursue collection for services already rendered. Stopping services also triggers an EDA and counselor review of continued cohort participation and future funding eligibility.

If your provider has completed most services but cannot finish a remaining item because of a significant or unexpected delay on your side, contact the Grant & Program Manager. The situation will be reviewed case by case to determine any necessary adjustments.

Sign in to Startup Space using the email address from your Client Intake Form. Look for your cohort documents in the File Sharing Group.

Ask the Grant & Program Manager to confirm the correct cohort-year folder and current Certificate of Completion template if you cannot find them.

Contact the Grant & Program Manager first. They will assess whether the provider meets eligibility requirements and fills a network need, and may invite the provider to a phone interview.

If accepted, the provider must have an executed agreement with the EDA before any cohort services begin. Your work order must also receive approval before work starts.

Recipients cannot remain anonymous: the funding program requires public announcements of recipient names, business names, and funding received. The EDA does not give providers your contact information.

Providers may initiate contact if they obtain your information independently, but excessive or unwanted communications should be reported to your counselor or the Grant & Program Manager.