Pictured: Aspiring entrepreneurs complete micro-grant pitches, with help from volunteer coaches.
When Claus retired, his partners at Resource Group celebrated his entrepreneurial spirit with a unique gift — a micro-grant fund in partnership with YSM for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Four years later, that initial gift has grown into something much bigger.
What began in 2022 as a Shark Tank-style pitch competition has evolved into a holistic strategy to improve entrepreneurs’ overall readiness to build sustainable community businesses.
Thanks to volunteers, Entrepreneurship Resource Fund donors, United Way funding, and a new YSM Entrepreneurship Specialist, YSM’s Entrepreneurship Program meaningfully supports neighbours starting businesses as a means to break the cycle of poverty.
Holistic support
As community members reach out to YSM’s Entrepreneurship Specialist Beverly, she provides workshops, networking opportunities, coaching and system navigation support. She helps in assessing readiness for the microgrant program. She can also connect participants with added supports through YSM, like Food Bank access or mental health care — removing potential barriers to long-term success.
After an entrepreneur successfully applies for the grant program, Beverly pairs them with a volunteer business coach who offers 1:1 guidance in crafting a business plan and budget, preparing a micro-grant pitch, and and applying grant funds to their business.
“The coaching we received was genuinely game-changing,” one grant winner explains. “Our coach kept us focused, helped us dodge costly mistakes, and gave us the confidence and structure to build something sustainable.”
July grant winners
In July 2026, volunteer judges heard 9 micro-grant pitches and awarded 8 new grants, totalling $31,000.
One recipient was a woman who opened a small restaurant with the help of her teenage children. “She is the cook, the server, the cleaner, everything,” Claus says. “She shared how she came to Canada to leave an abusive marriage, and the joy she’s found in starting her own business. We provided a grant to buy a second stove. This may sound like a small thing, but now she can serve more customers and grow her business.”
Other grant winners are building businesses in osteopathy, tech support, skincare and more.
“We hope to create a community around this program — an entrepreneurship family interested in helping people who are working hard to bring added income to their families and communities,” Claus says. “It’s very exciting! There is much more to come.”