Unlocking Opportunity: Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator

The Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator is a program developed by Accion Opportunity Fund and fueled by support from Ripple to help small businesses build sustainable digital capacity, enabling them to adopt tools, systems, and practices that support growth, efficiency, and long-term success.

This 8-week virtual program includes expert guidance, a personalized digital assessment and digitization roadmap, peer learning opportunities, and a $10,000 business grant upon graduation. 

Any small business owner who meets the following criteria could apply for the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator:

• Own a business located in the United States that has been operational for at least one year
• Earn between $100,000-$1,500,000 in annual revenue
• Employ 1-5 full- or part-time employees (not including the owner)
• Have an active business website
• Have a business bank account

Applications for the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator are now open! Submit your application via this link by 5pm ET on March 18, 2026.

Any small business owner who meets the eligibility criteria is welcome and encouraged to apply for this program. Applicants must have answered all application questions and provided all requested documentation in order to be eligible. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Applicants to the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator are vetted to ensure they substantially meet all program criteria. Applicants must have answered all application questions and provided all requested documentation in order to be eligible. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

• Front-and-back copy of photo identification (driver’s license, state ID, passport, permanent resident card, matricula consular, tribal card, military ID, or trusted traveler ID) 
• Your most recent business tax returns. Businesses that file a Schedule C as part of the owner’s personal 1040 tax return must upload the first two pages of the 1040 along with the Schedule C. Businesses that file taxes through an 1120, 1120S, or 1065 must upload ALL pages of the most recent business tax returns.
• If you do not have recent tax return because you have not filed taxes for your business before, please upload one of the following: articles of incorporation for LLCs, S Corps, and C Corps; sole proprietorship formation; fictitious name statement or DBA; EIN registration; city, state, or federal license to do business; or relevant professional license. If your business is less than 12 months old, you are not eligible for this opportunity.
• All pages of the most recent business bank statement

The time commitment for the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator is approximately two to four hours per week participating in virtual events and peer learning opportunities, online courses, and the development of a personalized digitization plan. The program will take place from early May to late June. A detailed program schedule will be shared with selected participants.

Accion Opportunity Fund vets applications for the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator.

All applicants to the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator will be notified, whether or not they are selected for the program, by mid-April 2026.

Participants who are selected for the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator will receive a $10,000 small business grant upon graduation from the program to put toward their digitization plan that they will develop during the accelerator.

The Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator content will be delivered by Accion Opportunity Fund.

• Adult entertainment including strip clubs, escort services, adult bookstores, and businesses whose principal business is the sale of pornography 
• Tobacco stores, smoke shops, cigarette & cigar retailers and wholesalers, cigarette stands 
• Firearms sellers, merchants, retailers, or wholesalers; ammunition sales; gun clubs; shooting ranges 
• Marijuana related businesses; cannabis dispensaries, marijuana crop farming, edibles, CBD products 
• Massage parlors, saunas, or hot tub facilities 
• Illegal activities 
• Gambling and betting activities, racetracks 
• Real estate investment companies (residential and commercial), house flippers, hotels, businesses whose principal source of revenue is rental income 
• Banking and financial institutions; central banking; other monetary intermediation; trusts, funds, and similar financial entities 
• Merchant service companies, merchant sales organizations, payment services 
• Lending businesses; payday lenders, title lenders, other credit granting 
• Small Business loan brokers 
• Check cashers 
• Bail bonds 
• Pawn shops 
• Collection companies/lawyers or debt consolidation firms 
• Multi-level marketing companies or businesses based on pyramid sales plans 
• Nonprofit organizations 
• Religious organizations, churches, temples, mosques and shrines and other services provided specifically for the religious community 
• Activities of political organizations 
• Transportation of hazardous materials 
• Oil and gas exploration/securities 
• Rideshare (i.e. Uber/Lyft drivers)