The 2023 Calling All Dreamers application is NOW OPEN!
APPLY HERE!
Starting a successful business is hard. But it doesn’t have to be.
Every seasoned business owner will tell you that starting, maintaining and growing a successful business takes a lot of work and a lot of time. Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Calling All Dreamers program allows you to fast-track this process with our multi-week bootcamp to help you gain all the knowledge and resources you need to start your brick-and-mortar business downtown.
Produced by the Downtown Sacramento Foundation, Calling All Dreamers is a business incubator program that brings in industry professionals to mentor entrepreneurs for the chance to open a downtown storefront and earn a coveted business start-up package valued at $100,000.
Program at-a-glance
- APPLY — Prepare an application, business plan and 60-second video.
- DEVELOP — Applicants are chosen based on our guidelines. Accepted applicants are placed in their bootcamp cohort paired with a business mentor from SCORE to build their concept and refine their pitch.
- WIN — Entrepreneurs who are most business-ready will be given up to $20,000 in cash, in addition to in-kind services from industry professionals.
Important program dates
- September 1, 2023 — Applications close at 5 p.m.
- September – December 2023 — The selected cohort takes workshops and revises their business plans as they learn.
- December 2023 — Finalists are selected based on their revised business plans.
- January 2024 — Finalists review their business plans with their mentors and prepare to pitch the business to the selection committee.
- February 2024 — Final business plans are presented and the most open-ready business is selected to receive the prize package.
Previous Open Participating Businesses
Since 2013, Calling All Dreamers has helped business owners open storefronts downtown and across Sacramento. The program provides participants with a collaborative network of entrepreneurs and mentors, so creative business concepts can thrive as physical locations.
Be a part of the dream
The valuable prize package is made possible due to the generous support of sponsors who continue to be champions for the economic growth of the downtown core.
Partnership opportunities are still available for local businesses able to donate much-needed accounting and marketing support. Businesses interested in helping to make a difference by donating services should contact Andrew LaFrance, Business Development Manager, at [email protected] or 916-442-8575.
