The Greater Dallas County Development Alliance has announced the first recipients of its inaugural Small Business Grant Fund. The alliance announced the new grant fund in April. After review and scoring, five local organizations received a total of $20,000 in grants to support business improvements and growth. They are:

• Mashe Modern (Dallas Center) – quilt shop
• Boyd Creative (Dallas Center) – print shop
• Drifters (Bouton) – bar and restaurant
• Redfield Quilt Shop (Redfield) – quilt shop
• Noted Studios (Adel) – music academy

Awards were granted based on demonstrated need for improvements in areas such as furniture and fixtures, technology, marketing and professional development. “The creation of the Small Business Grant Fund marked a strategic shift from the Alliance’s historic Revolving Loan Fund,” Rachel Wacker, executive director of the alliance, said in a prepared statement. “As we explored the evolving needs of our growing small business community, it became clear that the RLF was no longer the most effective use of our resources. With the full support of our board of directors, we reallocated those funds to better serve small businesses across Dallas County.”