• Nathan Svoboda

    Qmunity

  • Niki Canotas

    Mike & Niki’s Honey Company,

  • Candi Cabrera

    Papillon Naturotherapy

  • Mandy Owen

    Coaching & Consulting with Mandy Owen

  • Jason Shreve

    Peak Performance Unleashed, LLC

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level up logo

Level Up Grant

The Chamber started Level Up in 2022 to give small businesses and LGBTQ+ organizations an opportunity to explore and push boundaries to help support, educate and grow their customer base. Each year we award up to 4 applicants with grants of up to $1000 each. Chamber membership is not required to apply.

Scroll down for 2026 winners. Start thinking of great ideas so you’ll be ready to apply for next year’s grants. See FAQ below. 

Congratulations to our most recent Rainbow Chamber Level Up Mini Grant Winners!

Congrats!

Congratulations to our 2026 Level Up grant award winners!

Niki Canotas  ($1000) – Mike & Niki’s Honey Company – “Honey Stick Upgrade“. Equipment to help manufacture and label their honey sticks – a top seller and opportunity to grow the business.

Mandy Owen ($750) – Coaching & Consulting with Mandy Owen – “Branding Makeover”. Branding audit and refresh.

Nathan Svoboda ($750) – Qmunity – “Pro Skills Upgrade”. Staff education including fees to support earning the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential.

Jason Shreve ($750) – Peak Performance Unleashed, LLC – “CoachBridge Development”. App development and testing for their coaching and learning platform.

Candi Cabrera ($750) – Papillon Naturotherapy –  “Learning & Development”.  Marketing and display updates, educational materials and workshop development.



Tracey Lee Davis ($750) – ZingPop Social Media – “Email Marketing Bootcamp” A 3 hour, intensive program designed to teach small business owners how to effectively use email marketing to build stronger connections with their audience and increase sales.

Kim Wallace ($750) – Kim Wallace Coaching– “Supporting Women-Owned Business” Help more business owners see the benefits of special certifications, such as WBE (Women’s Business Enterprise) and NGLCC by attending conferences and collecting resources that can be shared with others. 

Evelyn Park-Doob ($750) – Birch & Iron Fitness – “Inclusive Video Exercise Library” Develop inclusive versions of training videos to better meet the needs of a more diverse group of individuals including seniors, those with special needs, and varying body types.

Jason Sholl  ($1000) – Silicon Valley Pride– “Silicon Valley Pride SMS Event Alerts & Engagement Platform” Fund the launch of Silicon Valley Pride’s first SMS event alert system featuring real-time updates on community events, mixers, advocacy initiatives and community resources.

Anthony Hand ($500) – Lost Wig Productions – “Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero,” an animated feature film.
LGBTQ+-owned production company will use funds to help score the film through LGBTQ+ and ally producers.

Rachel Turkal ($500) – Browned Butter Babe Co– “Pathway Baking”
This queer, woman-owned bakery based in West San Jose, CA will use funds to hire food consultants and get help establishing a brick-and-mortar location.

Jason Sholl ($500) – ProReferee – “Facebook Retargeting”
Funding targeted advertising for new products that were undermarketing during COVID 2021.

Vikki Brown ($500) – V.A. Brown Consulting – “Confident Competence”
Creating a series of online courses to teach people the fundamentals of small business management.

Caroline Rasmussen ($500) – Healing with Caroline – “Empowering People”
Series of videos that promote energy healing to empower people to better versions of themselves and promote self-acceptance.

Level Up Grant FAQs

The 2026 Level Up Grant Program winners have been announced. Read up on the process in these FAQs. Follow our Chamber newsletter to stay informed.

One of the best ways to grow your business is to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. As we navigate today’s economic and political challenges, there’s never been a better time to support small businesses and help them take the steps to level up and move their business forward. The Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley (RCCSV) Level Up mini-grant program offers small project grants of up to $1000 to SF Bay Area small business owners who have “out of the box” ideas to move their business forward. In addition to the grant, recipients will get a year’s free membership in the Rainbow Chamber and recognition in our newsletter, social media, and events.

  • Be a small business with 25 or fewer employees, properly registered in the State of California with a mailing address in the San Francisco Bay area.
  • Membership in the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce is not required. Current RCCSV Board members are not eligible.
  • Fully complete the grant application. Only one submission per business or individual, so give us your best!
  • You must agree to allow the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce to use your business name and likeness in promotions on your behalf and as a positive example for future grantees.
  • Your idea should contain a detailed description of how you plan to spend the money. You can allocate money for innovative advertising and social media, business-related education, to fund or partially fund an event or program, or toward the purchase of materials or services to help you achieve your goals. You may not use the money to pay yourself outright, but you can use the money to educate yourself.
  • You can apply for up to $1000.00. Those funds can pay for part, or all, of your idea.
  • Your idea must be put into motion within 90 days of receipt of the grant.
  • You must agree to provide an update within 90 days of receipt of the grant. We’ll use that update to help you move toward your goal, or help you celebrate reaching it.
  • Level Up grant applications are accepted in February/March of each year. Late applicants will not be considered or reviewed.
  • Grant winners will be notified via phone and/or email within 10 days of the closing of applications and may be invited to a subsequent Board of Directors Meeting, held in the South Bay, either in person or via video conference, to educate the Board and let us see how we can help. The physical grant money will become available at a formal presentation (usually attached to an event) generally within 60 days of the winner announcements.
  • The quality of your idea: How will this grant help your business Level Up?
  • The feasibility of your idea: Is this program, project, or activity achievable?
  • The creativity of your idea: How is this thinking differently? How might this grant help you push the boundaries of your own creativity and create new opportunities for you or your business?
  • The impact of your idea: How closely does your idea align with RCCSV values including equality, diversity, inclusivity, community, integrity, service, vision, and leadership?

The Rainbow Chamber of Commerce set aside funds each year to encourage the development of LGBTQ+ business and their allies. Sponsors are welcome to donate to the program to allow more businesses to benefit. The number of awards each year is dependent on the quality of grant applications, and the availability of funds in the Chamber budget.

The application date has passed for the 2026 grant. Watch this space later this year for the 2027 grant program. Start thinking of good ideas so you’ll be ready to apply!

We can’t wait to see your Level Up ideas! If you have questions, please direct them to hello@rainbowchamber.org. Include the words “Level Up Mini-Grants” in the subject line.

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