Kenneth B. and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Small Business Grant

What the Tadlock grant is worth: $1,000 cash plus a program seat

Each Tadlock finalist gets a $1,000 micro-grant and a free seat in one Founders First business program, so the full package is worth $2,499 or $2,699 at Founders First’s own list prices, depending on which program the finalist picks.

The grant is run by Founders First CDC, a community development corporation that Kim Folsom founded in 2015 to fund and coach small, employer-based businesses. It is named for U.S. Navy veteran Stephen L. Tadlock, Kim Folsom’s brother, and is open to veterans and military spouses nationwide. Twenty-five finalists at $1,000 each is the $25,000 total fund Founders First lists, so every finalist gets the same cash.

Which to pick: Passport Community fits an owner who needs more customers and steadier operations over three months. Zebra Leadership fits an owner whose team is in place and whose next limit is their own role as CEO.

Who qualifies

• U.S. military veteran or military spouse
• CEO, president or owner of an employer-based small business (2 to 100 employees)
• Business operates in the United States
• At least one year in business, with annual revenue of no more than $5M
• For-profit business

Who is not eligible

• Businesses not owned by a veteran or military spouse
• Solo businesses with no employees (must be employer-based)
• Nonprofit organizations

Do you qualify for the Tadlock veteran grant? Six checks

You qualify for the Tadlock grant only if all six of Founders First’s published criteria are true. Four of the six describe who you are and where the business is. The two that set a floor are the two-employee minimum, which rules out solo owners, and the one-year minimum, which rules out new launches.

• You are a U.S. military veteran or a military spouse.
• You are the CEO, president or owner of the business.
• The business is active and based in the United States.
• Annual revenue is no more than $5 million.
• The business has between 2 and 100 employees.A solo owner with no staff does not meet it.
• The business has been operating for at least one year.

Tick each statement that is true for you. All six must be true to apply.

What the funder’s page leaves open

Founders First’s Tadlock page does not say whether the owner, or 1099 contractors, count toward the two-employee minimum. Hiring Our Heroes, the other national veteran grant with a size rule, counts the owner, staff and contractors in its 3-to-20 range. If your eligibility depends on how heads are counted, ask the program contact listed on the Founders First page before you write the application. Founders First’s page names military-spouse-owned businesses, so a spouse can apply as the owner.

See which grants you qualify for

What it covers

How to apply

1. 1

   Confirm you meet the published criteria

   Check that you are a U.S. military veteran or military spouse and the CEO, president or owner of an active U.S. business with 2 to 100 employees, at least one year in business and annual revenue of no more than $5M.

   ~30 min

2. 2

   Complete the full application when the next round opens

   Submit the full application, including business details, veteran status documentation, and intended use of funds. The 2026 window ran from September 15 to October 22, 2026; the 2027 dates are not yet posted.

   ~1.5 hrs

3. 3

   Watch for the announcements

   Founders First CDC announces semifinalists and finalists in the weeks after the close, with finalists named at a virtual press event.

How the Tadlock round runs

Founders First runs the Tadlock grant as one short round a year, in five stages from pre-registration to a finalist announcement at a virtual press event.

1. 1

   Pre-registration, in the summer

   Leave your details on the Founders First page to hear when the application goes live.

2. 2

   Full application, a window of a few weeks in the fall

   In the 2026 round Founders First pushed the closing date back a week while the window was open, so check the key dates on its page rather than a date you saw elsewhere.

3. 3

   Semifinalists

   Announced about a week after the application closes.

4. 4

   Finalists, named at a virtual press event

   The 2026 round named 25. Each finalist receives the $1,000 and picks one program.

5. 5

   Paperwork and payment

   Founders First pays grants electronically through Bill.com and does not issue paper checks unless it has approved that in advance.

Deadline & timing

Founders First CDC's published 2026 timeline: full application ran from September 15 to October 22, 2026 and is now closed; semifinalists and finalists are announced in the weeks after the close, with finalists named at a virtual press event. Re-checked against foundersfirstcdc.org/stephen-tadlock on October 23, 2026.

Required documents

• Proof of veteran status (DD-214 or similar)
• Business information demonstrating employer-based operation
• Use-of-funds narrative

Veteran grants like the Tadlock grant, compared

The closest match to the Tadlock grant is the Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant: also national and also for veterans and military spouses, but it pays $10,000 or $25,000 and only to businesses of 3 to 20 people. Solo veteran owners, whom both of those exclude, should look at the Seated Together microgrant, which pays veteran-owned businesses up to $1,000 with no size floor.

• Employer with 3 to 20 people: the Tadlock grant and Hiring Our Heroes both fit if you also meet the Hiring Our Heroes rule of being “located in an economically vulnerable community” or showing financial need from a hardship; check each program page for its next round.
• Solo owner: neither fits; Seated Together has no size floor and accepts pre-revenue businesses.
• In Texas: add the TWU grant, which pays five times the Tadlock cash.

Every veteran-only cash grant and pitch prize, by name

Related programs

This program is not taking applications today — these are

Alternatives computed from the live GrantCompass catalog on November 1, 2026 — all 170 open grant programs · filter the database.

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