Choose Tamaqua Business Plan Competition

TAMAQUA, Pa. — October 15, 2026 — The Tamaqua Area Community Partnership (TACP), in partnership with the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority and the Tamaqua Financial Opportunity Center, today announced the launch of the Choose Tamaqua Business Plan Competition, a new initiative designed to spur small business growth and investment throughout the Tamaqua Area School District.

The competition will award up to three winning entrepreneurs a combined $50,000 in startup capital, along with an estimated $10,000 in free or reduced goods and services, to help launch new small businesses in the region. While any new, for-profit small business proposed within the Tamaqua Area School District — encompassing Tamaqua Borough, Rush Township, Schuylkill Township, Walker Township, and West Penn Township — is eligible to enter, priority consideration will be given to business plans proposing a location in Downtown Tamaqua and/or the designated Tamaqua City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ).

“We can’t wait to see what plans entrepreneurs have for Tamaqua and how the community can help,” said Micah Gursky, Executive Director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership.

“The Tamaqua CRIZ Authority is excited to partner with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership to t host the first Tamaqua Choose Happiness Business Plan Competition. These competitions have a track record of identifying entrepreneurs with viable business plans that start successful businesses that stand the test of time.  Tamaqua CRIZ believes that their efforts, combined with the assistance we can provide in terms of returned tax increment, will provide the Tamaqua Area with more goods and services close to home and continue to fill our downtown business district,” added Dave Mace, Tamaqua CRIZ Authority Chairman.

 

How the Competition Works

The Tamaqua Choose Happiness Business Plan Competition unfolds in three phases:

• Phase I: Application (October 15 – November 27, 2026) — entrepreneurs submit a formal application, a 2–5 page executive summary, and a 1–5 minute video pitch.
• Phase II: Business Plan Development & Mentorship (December 2026 – March 2027) — participants attend business plan development classes, are paired with an individual business mentor, and begin drafting their financial forecasts.
• Phase III: Final Deliverables (due April 2027) — finalists submit a comprehensive business plan, 3-year financial forecast, projected total startup costs, and personal finance statement, and complete a judges’ interview.

Finalists will present their business plans to a panel of judges at a final event in May 2027, when winners will be announced. There is a $300 fee to enter the competition, payable by the second week of classes.

How to Apply

Applications open October 15, 2026, and are due by November 27, 2026. The formal application and complete competition rules and eligibility criteria are available at www.tacp.info. More information about the Tamaqua’s Choose Happiness Plan is available at www.choosehappiness.org.

About the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership

The Tamaqua Area Community Partnership (TACP) is a nonprofit community and economic development organization founded in 1994 to revitalize Tamaqua Borough and the surrounding townships of Rush, Schuylkill, Walker, and West Penn. TACP serves as the lead organization behind numerous local revitalization initiatives, including the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, Hope & Coffee, the Spirit of Christmas Festival, the Tamaqua Area Faith Fellowship Network, the Tamaqua Hunger Campaign, Liberty Tree Park, the Tamaqua Financial Opportunity Center, and the Temple Tamaqua Dental Clinic. Guided by its “Tamaqua Choose Happiness” community plan, the Partnership works across economic development, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, historic preservation, recreation, and community health to improve quality of life throughout the greater Tamaqua area. More information is available here..

About the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority

Tamaqua is Pennsylvania’s pilot City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) community — one of only five municipalities in the Commonwealth, alongside Lancaster, reading, Erie, and Bethlehem, designated under the state’s CRIZ program. Established by state law in 2013 and administered in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Governor’s Budget Office, the CRIZ program allows the growth in state and local tax revenue (“increment”) generated by new development within the zone to be reinvested locally in acquisition, renovation, and infrastructure projects. The Tamaqua CRIZ Authority administers the program locally, overseeing eligible parcels throughout Tamaqua Borough and directing CRIZ proceeds toward continued downtown and community revitalization. 

About the Tamaqua Financial Opportunity Center

The Tamaqua Financial Opportunity Center® (FOC), an initiative of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership located at 20 Mauch Chunk Street in Tamaqua, provides no cost personal financial and career coaching to help individuals and families achieve financial stability and long-term economic mobility. Services include financial coaching, employment and career advancement support, income growth strategies, digital skills development, and savings and asset-building initiatives. The Center also serves as a twice-weekly outreach site for Schuylkill Community Action. For more information, contact financialopportunitycenter@tacp.info.