As 2025 comes to a close, small businesses can set themselves up for even more success in 2026 by pursuing key educational opportunities. Right now, your small business can apply for exceptional grant-funded small business programs taking place next year.
Don’t delay: For two of the programs, applications close in January.
Florida SBDC at FIU, the small business development center within Florida International University’s College of business, can help with that. Along with providing no-cost business consulting to small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, the center partners with several organizations to bring small business programs to the community.
These grant-funded programs offer free, high-impact training for local entrepreneurs, and can supplement consulting through FSBDC at FIU. Let’s hear about a few of them from entrepreneurs who have gone through them.
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Food entrepreneurs: Take note!
Like most solo entrepreneurs, Olivia Gonzalez [pictured above] had wrestled with the business side: finance, production, distribution, messaging. She had been working with Florida SBDC at FIU business consultant Mark Mungenast, who recommended she apply for the Cultivate Small Business program by Santander Bank and Babson College for food-based small businesses. She did – and her business is stronger because of it.
Gonzalez’s business, Guudy, sells a healthy, all-natural ice cream – no gluten, sugar, or chemicals. Participating in a previous Cultivate Small Business cohort helped her with her go-to-market strategy. For instance, she thought she should put all her energy into pursuing Whole Foods right away, but a program mentor convinced her that with her specialized product, pursuing small retailers is the way to go. “I did things differently based on recommendations from that program,” she says.
Another program graduate is Isabel Garcia Nevett, who founded an award-winning chocolate brand called Garcia Nevett Chocolatier de Miami twith her sister, Susana [they are pictured below]. Neither sister had a business background, so the program helped fill some knowledge gaps, she says. “What’s interesting about the Santander program is that it’s focused on food, so everyone’s in the same boat. Even though our businesses are different, it’s nice to share the same challenges.”
Since 2022, FSBDC at FIU has served as a recruiting partner for Cultivate Small Business, which supports early-stage food industry entrepreneurs with education and training, networking and capital grants, with a focus on historically underserved founders in low-to-moderate income communities.
The 12-week program is fully funded by Santander and is free to entrepreneurs accepted into the cohort program. In the program, each entrepreneur will develop an actionable plan to grow his or her business. Apply here – the early admission deadline is January 19, 2026.
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Wells Fargo’s programs are all about growth
Nikki Watkins is the founder and CEO of HopeWell Global, which offers grant writing support and strategic consulting to small nonprofits. She found last year’s Wells Fargo ‘Ready. Set. Scale Up!’ Program “to be transformational.”
“The sales strategy really stuck out because the market is quite volatile. However, it’s reassuring when you can identify ways to scale based on your specific needs and based on your pricing model, versus using a generic model that is often taught,” says Watkins [pictured above].
At the end of that six-week workshop series in March, business owners got a chance to practice their newly gained skills in a pitch-off to a panel of judges that included FSBDC at FIU consultants, local mission-based lenders, and representatives from community organizations serving small businesses. Other businesses in the first cohort included a college prep service, a termite exterminator, a trucking business, an insurance company, a salon, a worksite cleaning service, and an online shopping boutique. [Last year’s cohort is pictured below.]
Another six-week cohort, called the Smart Growth Accelerator that is geared to established small businesses in Miami-Dade and supported by Wells Fargo, is now open for applications. The new program launches on Jan. 30, 2026, and applications close Jan. 20, 2026. But don’t delay: Register here.
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Get ‘Digital Ready’ with this opportunity
Marly Q. Casanova is a wellness-at-work consultant. Her small business, Marly Q LLC, delivers inspirational speaking and impactful workshops and retreats for corporations, municipalities, nonprofits and academic institutions worldwide. After attending an SBDC at FIU info session, Casanova [pictured above] applied and won a $10,000 Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grant.
The grant also comes with a high-quality, self-paced program, which includes content (in English and Spanish) created by business owners and subject matter experts. Topics covered in the courses include finance, digital marketing, business planning, branding, cybersecurity, developing a marketing strategy, and improving employee experience.
Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready Program, an educational platform that has already supported over 550,000 small businesses nationwide with free courses and grant opportunities, was also discussed on stage at the Small Business Success Summit this summer. Malury Imbernon, owner of Heiga Creative, a production studio business in the Miami area, shared that participating in the Digital Ready program and working with FSBDC at FIU helped keep her business on track. “Consultants push you and that’s what helps you grow.” Imbernon [pictured below] should know – her business grew 300%.
You could be the next Verizon grant winner. To learn more and apply for future opportunities, register on the platform here.
