The right trainings can help your bottom line, reduce employee turnover, improve morale, promote an efficient and productive workforce, and increase your competitiveness in the marketplace. The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) provides federally funded grants to help NYC-based businesses train and retain their employees.
Businesses identify problems they are facing and select trainings that will help them solve for problems. The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) reimburses up to 60 percent of the total training costs in one or more of the following areas:
*Businesses with less than 10 employees can apply jointly as a consortium to meet the trainee requirement. Please contact us for more information on applying as a consortium.
For additional information, review our Program Guidelines (PDF) and Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).
Submit a pre-application (also known as the eligibility checklist) to determine if your business is eligible. This should take approximately 3-5 minutes.
Someone from the Customized Training team will schedule a screening call to review your pre-application, discuss eligibility, and learn more about business challenge and training needs.
Submit a final application, provided by the Customized Training team, prior to one of the following deadlines.
Pre-Application Submission Dates | Grant Notification Dates |
July 14, 2023 | September 18, 2023 |
October 13, 2023 | December 11, 2023 |
SBS staff will notify you about the status of your application within one week after its board meeting. If you have any questions, please contact our staff.
Learn more about the Customized Training program and next steps at an upcoming webinar.
Case 1: Training on recently purchased equipment or software:
Admiral Insurance Brokerage Corp. is an insurance company that negotiates and sells personal and commercial insurance. The business invested in two new software systems to help its employees better prospect and manage clients.
Solution: Admiral Insurance was awarded $38,787 to provide training on the two new systems. Admiral Insurance was also able to offer training to improve staff skills in account management and selling.
Results:
Case 2: Training to offer new services/products to reach new markets
StratX IT Solutions is an information technology (IT) managed service provider that specialized in healthcare IT support. As healthcare customers have slowed over the years, StratX decided to expand to two new sectors: insurance and real estate.
Solution: StratX IT was awarded $83,162 to train employees in a variety of technology certifications to move into these two new sectors.
Results:
Case 3: Training to give current staff new skills to advance into hard-to-fill positions
Fancy Foods Inc. is a wholesale distributor of meat and poultry products located in the Bronx. Fancy Foods applied for Customized Training to provide current employees with new skills to help the business remain competitive, grow their customer base, and promote existing employees.
Solution: Fancy foods was awarded $23,521 to train 19 employees in leadership, supervisory skills, project management, and sales training.
Results:
Case 4: Training to update obsolete skills that are necessary for the business to be competitive
AWISCO is a supplier of industrial and welding equipment throughout the New York metro area. AWISCO applied for Customized Training to offer trainings that would make the business more attractive to customers through new technology and improved processes.
Solution: AWISCO was awarded $76,753.60 to train 46 employees in lean manufacturing, lean cycle counting, and customer service.
Results: