COMING UP
LAST CALL FOR BIG LIFT, DISTRICT 1!
District 1 businesses, the clock is running out. BIG LIFT applications close July 10, so you have just a few days left to get yours in.
BIG LIFT is a grant program for exterior improvements to locally owned Brownsville small businesses, reimbursing 80% of approved project costs up to $30,000. Eligible work includes façades, signage, lighting, landscaping, parking lot resurfacing, murals, and more. To qualify, your business must be locally owned, within city limits, open at least two years, and have fewer than 20 employees.
Not sure where to start? Watch Eric Quintero, our Director of Community Development, walk through the program.
If you are outside District 1, your window is still coming:
District 2: September 1 to October 9, 2026
District 3: December 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027
District 4: March 1 to April 19, 2027
Fill out the interest form and we will let you know when your district opens.
Apply now • District 1
Aplica ahora • District 1
Learn more • Districts 2, 3, and 4
SUGAR RUSH INCOMING
The eBridge Center is an Official Sweet Spot for Lemonade Day, and we want you to come thirsty. On Friday, July 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., stop by and buy a cup from Brownsville’s youngest entrepreneurs as they run their very first business.
Lemonade Day is a national program that walks kids through launching, owning, and operating their own lemonade stand. Every cup they sell is a real lesson in running a business! Presented locally by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce and H-E-B.
One tip before you head over: bring cash!
Directions to eBridge
Become a Sweet Spot
LEVELING UP
This is our current eBridge Business Academy cohort, deep in the seven-week stretch right now. They are working through business concepts, customer discovery, and launch prep, learning alongside a room of fellow Brownsville founders.
The Academy (known around Brownsville as “the Kauffman,” formerly the Blueprint Business Program) is a free, bilingual entrepreneurship program built on the Kauffman FastTrac curriculum, in collaboration with the UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center. Every cohort brings in guest speakers from across the ecosystem to cover accounting, financing, marketing, operations, and the legal basics of getting a business off the ground.
Two more cohorts are coming up:
July 15 to August 26, 2026 (English & Spanish)
August 4 to September 15, 2026 (English & Spanish)
STARTUP TEXAS APPS NOW OPEN
This is the final Startup Texas cohort funded through our EDA grant, and word is getting around. Applications just opened and founders are already moving: 10 submitted and another 38 in progress. Seats are limited, so if you have been waiting for the right moment to take your venture seriously, this is it.
Selected founders get a program package worth more than $200,000, which includes the program itself plus a full year of incubation at the eBridge Center. You will meet for weekly mentorship every Tuesday morning and spend the next few months sharpening your business ahead of Demo Day on December 10. The program is built for founders in emerging fields like tech, manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, green energy, cybersecurity, and more.
The application window runs June 22 through August 10, 2026, with the program starting August 31. Do not wait until the last week to start your application.
MORE FROM BCIC
BCIC’s 5-Year Roadmap is Live
Our BCIC 2025-2029 Strategic Plan is based on your input about what Brownsville needs most: quality of life upgrades, business support, downtown revival, and opportunities that keep talent home. View it here.
BIG Downtown Business Grants
Revitalize downtown Brownsville! If you’re a property owner or tenant, the BIG Program offers matching grants to support your commercial renovations. Make a difference in the heart of our city: brownsvillecic.com/big
Business Financing
Access funding designed for Brownsville entrepreneurs and small businesses. The eBridge Fund provides accessible financing options for those unable to secure traditional loans or seeking better rates. Get started here: fund.ebridgecenter.org