A business grant + accelerator combined into one — built for U.S. military veterans running employer-based small businesses.
Total Fund
Finalists
Award + Program
Access
Full Application Opens
This grant was created in honor of U.S. Navy Veteran Stephen L. Tadlock, brother of Founders First CEO Kim Folsom. It celebrates his service by supporting veteran-led or military spouse owned small businesses with both funding and resources to grow stronger, sustainable companies.
Flexible funding you can put toward the needs that matter most — equipment, operations, staffing, or growth.
As a finalist, you'll also join one of our signature business programs at no cost: Passport Community or Zebra Leadership.
Every finalist picks a single program to join — not both.
Weekly expert-led sessions covering marketing, sales, operations, and finance — designed to help you scale faster and smarter.
Value: $1,499 for a 3-month subscription (free for finalists)
Learn more →A 6-session program that equips founders to step fully into the CEO role, build strong teams, and scale with confidence.
Value: $1,699 (free for finalists)
Learn more →Mark your calendar — here's the full timeline.
Must be a U.S. military veteran or military spouse
Must be a CEO, President, or Business Owner
Must have an active U.S.-based business
Business annual revenue does not exceed $5M
Must have between 2 to 100 employees
Minimum of 1 year in business
Full application opens September 2026. Pre-register now and we'll notify you the moment it's live.
Start Pre-RegistrationPaperwork, Bill.com setup, and when the money actually lands — for recipients of The Kenneth B and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant.
Congratulations. You'll receive an official award notification that spells out your grant amount, your funding requirements, and your next steps.
Before any funds move, you need to finish all required documentation — including setting up your Bill.com account.
Depending on your grant, we'll ask for:
We can't start processing your payment until every item has been received and approved.
Late paperwork pushes back your payment. Some grant programs also work against fixed funding deadlines, so submitting on time genuinely matters. If you think you're going to miss one, tell the Program Team before it passes.
Founders First CDC sends all grant funds electronically through Bill.com. It's how you:
For Founders First CDC to issue your grant funds, we need you to set up a free basic receivables account through Bill.com. Here is some instructional information that you may find helpful:
I was invited to get paid by a BILL customer
Next Step: Please share your Payment Network ID
Then you will receive an invitation email directly from Bill.com to sync with FFCDC.
To complete setup:
Three things to check:
If it's still missing, contact Cynthia Christmas and we'll resend it.
No. Grant payments go out electronically through Bill.com unless we've approved something different in advance.
We process payments once your documentation is complete, your Bill.com account is fully verified, internal approvals are done, and funding is available for release.
First disbursementIssued Net 60 from the date you complete all required documentation, including signed Terms & Conditions where they apply.
Final disbursementIf your grant includes a second payment, it's issued Net 60 from your official program completion date — once program requirements and any final reporting are satisfied.
Timelines can extend if documentation is incomplete, we need more information, or funding approvals are still pending.
Most delays trace back to one of these:
To keep things moving: set up Bill.com the day your award email lands, double-check your banking details before you submit, reply quickly to document requests, and watch your inbox for messages from both FFCDC and Bill.com. Hang on to your award email — you'll want it later.
Bill.com emails you a confirmation as soon as your payment is released.
Yes. Once a payment has been initiated, you can view the activity in Bill.com. Before that point, the FFCDC Program Team is your best source.
Founders First CDC does not endorse the information, content, presentation or accuracy of any other website and claims no responsibility for it. You will be subject to the terms and conditions of the other website, including but not limited to its privacy policy.
Click the link above to continue or CANCEL
