Driving Our Economy Forward: Idea Leap
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — TVFCU is awarding $225,000 to local small businesses in our area. This week we are learning more about the Idea Leap Grant and how it continues to drive our economy forward.
“We’re excited at Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union. We just announced a few weeks back, our Ideal Leap winners for 2024. So, it was an exciting grant season,” Marcus Cade-Johnson with TVFCU said. “Monday the 29th, we announced our winner for the northwest Georgia region which was Cake Addicts. On Tuesday, we were at the Pi Center in Cleveland, that was the 30th. And our winner in the Ocoee region was a Koi Riverside Farm. We were really excited to award a total of 225,000 to 15 small businesses uh in each of our regions during National Small Business Week.”
Organizers say businesses in our community use the money to buy new equipment, make new hires and take their business to another level.
Johnson also said, “We heard all sorts of things again; buying new equipment, renovations and how they contribute to their local economy. Either through philanthropic efforts or free classes to one of the Yoga studios. Or something along those lines right. So, I think each business really put a lot of time and intentional effort into preparing uh for the pitch competition.”
“The key to it is, that this money there are no strings attached to it right. We’re not requiring them uh to do anything specific. We’re just asking them to continue to do whatever they can to contribute to their local economies. Small businesses right now since Covid, things have been challenging right. And every small business is trying to get back to what it was prior to Covid or build a new normal. And so, what this grant does is help them to accomplish either one of those things. We are hoping uh to announce the eighth annual Idea Leap Grant this fall. We often have businesses who apply two and three and four times right. So, what I always encourage business owners to do is just throw your name in the hat right. Doesn’t cost you anything maybe some time to complete the application. But otherwise take your chance because we’ve have now 7 years of success stories from local businesses in our community, who have thrown their name in the hat and got lucky. And was able to make it to the finals and get some of our grant money,” said Johnson.
