About this programme
Comcast RISE (Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment) is a small-business grant program run by Comcast Corporation, delivered jointly by Comcast Business and Comcast Advertising. It launched in October 2020 to support small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19, with an initial wave targeted at Black-owned businesses before expanding to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owners and then to small businesses more broadly.
The program is now in its fifth year and sits inside Project UP, Comcast's $1 billion initiative to advance digital opportunity. Rather than running as a single nationwide open call, Comcast RISE runs in annual cycles that are geographically gated: each round names a small set of U.S. cities or metro regions, and only businesses located inside the published zip codes for those regions can apply. Regions rotate year to year (2024: Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Richmond VA, and southern Colorado; 2025: Boston MA, Grand Rapids MI, Nashville TN, Seattle WA, and South Valley UT).
Recipients don't just get a check. Each award is a bundled package: a cash grant, a professionally produced television commercial and paid media schedule, a technology and connectivity makeover, business coaching, and access to an online entrepreneurship education library. As of the 2025 round, Comcast RISE has supported roughly 14,500 small businesses nationwide with a combined $160 million in monetary, marketing, and technology support since 2020.
Because eligibility is tied to a specific region and a specific short application window each cycle, a business's ability to apply changes from year to year — the program is worth tracking rather than treating as always-open.
How it works
Comcast RISE runs as periodic regional rounds, not a rolling or nationwide-open program. Comcast names a handful of cities/regions for each round (five regions in both the 2024 and 2025 cycles, 100 grant packages per region for 500 total).
Applications open for a defined window — in the 2025 cycle this was May 1 through May 31 — during which only businesses inside the announced regions' zip codes could apply at ComcastRISE.com.
Recipients are selected and announced roughly one to four months after the application window closes (2025: applications closed May 31, awards announced/distributed in August–September 2025).
Every recipient in a given round gets the same standardized package rather than a menu of options: a $5,000 monetary grant, a technology makeover from Comcast Business, creative production and a media schedule from Comcast Advertising, education resources, and business coaching sessions.
The technology makeover (computer equipment plus internet, voice, and cybersecurity service) and the media schedule (a produced 30-second TV commercial plus a 180-day linear media run) are provided in kind by Comcast's own business units rather than paid out as cash — taxes and other fees can still apply on the tech-makeover and media/production components.
Who can apply
To be eligible for a Comcast RISE grant package, a business must be established for two or more years, have 100 or fewer full-time or part-time employees, and be independently owned and operated.
The business must be physically located within one of the geographic regions selected for that year's round, confirmed against a published zip-code list at ComcastRISE.com — location eligibility is the gating factor that changes every cycle, so a business outside the current round's regions cannot apply regardless of how well it meets the other criteria.
Comcast states that full eligibility detail is published at ComcastRISE.com for each active round; criteria have evolved since the program's 2020 launch (which used a 3–5-years-in-operation test and grants of up to $10,000) to the current 2+-years/$5,000-flat-grant structure, so applicants should confirm against the live cycle's rules rather than a prior year's.
How to apply
- Check whether Comcast RISE currently has an open round and whether your city/region is one of the regions named for that round — this is announced via Comcast press releases and posted at ComcastRISE.com.
- Confirm your business address falls within the published zip-code list for the active round's regions at ComcastRISE.com.
- Submit an application at ComcastRISE.com during the stated application window (the 2025 round ran May 1–31; windows are announced fresh each cycle and are not year-round).
- Await the award announcement — recipients in the 2025 round were notified with awards distributed in August–September 2025, several weeks to a few months after the window closed.
Frequently asked
Is Comcast RISE open to any small business in the U.S. right now?
No. Comcast RISE runs in regional rounds — each cycle names a small number of specific cities or metro areas (five regions in the 2024 and 2025 rounds), and only businesses located inside the published zip codes for those regions can apply. A business outside the current round's regions has to wait for a future round that includes its area.
How much is the Comcast RISE grant worth?
Recent rounds award a $5,000 monetary grant plus an in-kind package: a technology makeover (computer equipment and 12 months of internet, voice, and cybersecurity service from Comcast Business), a professionally produced 30-second TV commercial with a 180-day linear media schedule from Comcast Advertising, 12 months of online entrepreneurship education access, and business coaching sessions.
How long does a business need to have been operating to qualify?
Under current program rules a business must be established for two or more years, have 100 or fewer full- or part-time employees, and be independently owned and operated. Earlier program cycles used a different 3–5-year test, so applicants should verify against the currently posted rules at ComcastRISE.com rather than assuming past criteria still apply.
How often does Comcast RISE accept applications?
Roughly once a year, in a short application window tied to a specific set of regions — the 2025 window ran May 1 through May 31. There is no standing, always-open application; Comcast announces each round's regions and dates separately via press release and ComcastRISE.com.
Are the technology and media components paid to the business as cash?
No. The technology makeover and the creative-production/media schedule are delivered as in-kind services by Comcast Business and Comcast Advertising respectively (equipment, connectivity service, TV commercial production, and airtime), not as additional cash on top of the $5,000 grant. Comcast notes taxes and other fees may still apply to the tech-makeover and media/production components.
Where do I find out which regions are eligible for the next round?
Comcast announces each round's eligible regions through its own press releases (corporate.comcast.com) and posts the current zip-code eligibility list at ComcastRISE.com. Because the regions rotate, the list has to be checked fresh for each new round rather than assumed from a prior year.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.