45 Exclusive Grants for Women-Owned Businesses 🇺🇸
.png)
But if you’re up for the challenge, grants can be a wonderful way to fund your new or existing business. Curious where women entrepreneurs can find small-business grants and other free financial resources? Read on to discover some options.
Private Small-Business Grants for Women
Several private corporations & organizations offer business grants specifically for women. Here are some you might want to consider:
1. Amber Grant
Every month, WomensNet awards three $10,000 Amber Grants to women-owned businesses. One grant goes to a startup, another is for businesses in specific rotating categories (e.g., in August it’s hair care and skincare; in September, education and childcare), and the final grant is for general small businesses. And at the end of each year, monthly grant winners are eligible for one of three $25,000 annual grants.The application process is simple: Explain your business, describe how you’d use the grant money & pay a $15 application fee. The foundation’s advisory board picks winners based on passion and a good story. Businesses in the U.S. and Canada can apply. Because there’s no business duration requirement, startups seeking business grants might prioritize the Amber Grant.
2. IFundWomen Universal Grant Application Database
IFundWomen is a grant marketplace that focuses on funding and coaching for women-owned businesses. Just submit one application, and when IFundWomen adds a grant from an enterprise partner, it matches the partner’s criteria with applications in its database. If your biz is a fit, you’ll get notified & invited to apply. Previous partners have included Visa, Neutrogena, and American Express.
3. HerRise Microgrant
HerRise Microgrants come from the Yva Jourdan Foundation (the nonprofit arm of HerSuiteSpot). It provides business coaching & training to women of color entrepreneurs. Each month, $1,000 grants are given out & applications are accepted monthly. To qualify, your business must be at least 51% woman of color owned and bring in less than $1 million in gross revenue.
4. Galaxy Grant
The Hidden Star nonprofit gives out Galaxy Grants open to women & minority small biz owners. Winners receive $2,750 with an application deadline on Sept. 30, 2024.
5. Giving Joy Grants
Women over 18 can apply for microgrants from Giving Joy ranging between $250-$500. These can help launch or expand a business/nonprofit or charity organization. Two application windows exist this year: Jan 1–Apr 30 & Jun 1–Sep 30, 2024.
6. EmpowHER Grants
Female small biz owners at least 22 years old may qualify for an EmpowHER grant from Boundless Future Foundation. Your biz needs to be established within the last three years; funds (up to $25K) come as reimbursement for expenses. Applications are quarterly; next due by Sep 2024.
7. Her Village Grant
Another Boundless Future Foundation program: This one supports nonprofits aiding female entrepreneurs. Awards range $5K-$30K with a Jul-Sep 2024 application window.
8. FoundHer Accelerator Program
This program caters to Hawaii-based female entrepreneurs. Participants in this six-month initiative receive $20K grants + a $4K care stipend plus ongoing educational workshops/retreats. Businesses must be early-stage & at least 51% Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-owned.
9. Texas Job Creators Grant
Business owners in Texas might qualify for this Founders First CDC Grant designed for B2B or B2G companies. Ten owners get $5K each; full applications start Aug 2024.
10. Ignite: A WBDC Grant
If your Connecticut-based business is at least 51% women-owned? You may be eligible for this Equity Match Grant by Women's Business Development Council. Grants range between $2,500-$10,000 toward projects fostering growth/profitability — you need to match any award by at least 25%. Next round: Aug 12-Sep 24, 2024.
11. High Five Grant for Moms
The Mama Ladder group (they great!) gives an annual grant just for moms with small businesses. This grant, called the High Five Grant, helps moms with kids of all ages. That includes new moms, stepmoms, & foster moms too. Entrepreneurs can apply online & share their business story on social media. A panel of judges will pick finalists, then the public. The top business gets a $10,000 grant! The second place wins $5,000, and third gets $2,500. Plus, five more businesses get $1,000 honorable mention grants. You can apply between Sept 1-30, 2024.
12. StartHer Grant
Offered by Texas Woman's University’s Center for Women Entrepreneurs, StartHER awards $5,000 to 10 Texas-based businesses. To qualify, the firm must be 51% women-owned. You can apply from Sept 3-Oct 4, 2024.
13. Olga Loizon Foundation Grant
Women small-business owners in Michigan can get a grant from the Olga Loizon Foundation. You need to submit a business plan & a statement showing financial need. Grants of up to $10,000 are available.
14. Southern California Job Creators Grant
Small businesses in several SoCal counties might qualify for this grant from Founders First CDC. Ten businesses will each receive $5,000 grants. To be eligible, the business must be led by women, veterans, LGBTQ+ or people of color. Preregistration is open now & applications start on Oct 15, 2024.
15. Brown Girl Jane x SheaMoisture Grant
Presented by SheaMoisture and Brown Girl Jane (a super cool brand!), this grant supports Black and women-owned beauty or wellness businesses. They give out grants between $10K-$25K! Applications open in fall 2024.
16. Publish Her Business Impact Grant
This one’s for businesses fully owned by women of color! It’s a project between Publish Her & BankCherokee. The business must be at least one year old & make at least $50k in revenue. One lucky business gets a $5K grant! Application dates aren’t announced yet.
17. Women of Color Grant Program
From Tory Burch Foundation and Fearless Foundation comes this program awarding hefty grants of $10k or $20k to 75 women-owned businesses each year! Application details for the 2024 cycle are still TBA.
18. DWEN US Dream Tech Contest
Sponsored by Dell Technologies (thanks Dell!), this contest is for women-owned small businesses that join Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN). The first-place winner gets $40K in Dell Rewards Points! Second place wins $15K & third place takes home $5K in points too.
19. Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship
Tory Burch Foundation offers a yearlong fellowship program to 50 women business owners every year! Besides education resources and networking, they also award each fellow a neat $5K grant and access to zero-interest Kiva loans.
20. Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition
Since launching in 2019, Enthuse Foundation’s pitch competition invites female entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas live! The grand prize winner scores a cool $15K grant while the runner-up gets $10K cash prize!
21. Fund Her Future
H&R Block's Fund Her Future program offers one grand-prize winner an impressive $50K grant plus four more winners getting $12.5K each! Winners also receive free small business services like bookkeeping & tax support for a year.
22. Dream Makers Founders Grant
Partnering with Fifteen Percent Pledge, this grant gives five female small-business owners inspiring grants of $25K each! Businesses eligible must employ between two - ten people and earn revenue between $100k -$1 million & be majority women-owned!
23. BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program
BMO Bank along with Deloitte brings this wonderful BMO Celebrating Women Program offering fifteen lucky female entrepreneurs grants worth 10k dollars each! Your firm needs at least two yrs operating period & under 5 million revenues yearly!
24. Stacy’s Rise Project
Stacy's Pita Chips alongside Hello Alice gives preference towards woman-owned food/beverage industry firms by awarding ten varied amounts up till twenty-five thousand dollars accompanied alongside sixteen-week virtual mentorships too!!
25. Waves Of Change Grant
Early-stage firms led by Colored-woman entrepreneurs making less than fifty thousand dollars annually could avail expert varied time donating services enabling further growth alongside likely covering yearly operation costs occasionally stipends inclusive!!
26. Veteran Woman Grant
Veteran resident Texan Female Entrepreneurs annually receive five individual grants amounting Five Thousand dollars respectively sponsored via Texan Universities exclusive twu organization initiated traditionally diversified purposes therein importantly specifically!!
27. Kitty Fund Mother-Led
Chronologically formatted Kitty Fund Mother Lenders uniquely receiving substantial thousand-dollar structural particularly preferentially exceeding typically stately fifty varying employees strategically significantly profitably beginners relatively extensively!!
28. She’s Connected Via AT&T
American statistically Underlined necessarily align prominent winner highly proficient professional fifty-thousand-dollar valued primarily purposefully pragmatically rendering instantaneously vividly visibly therein!!
29. Texas Rural Woman Grant
Predominantly prompter Texas-located distinctly significant inexplicability enlightening various stipulated specifically different aspects indirectly Direct countable eventuality competed focused!
30. Small-Business Big Dream Challenge
Maximizing significantly exploring defined delineated consolidations purposefully uniformly entirely primarily achievable eventually significant ornamentation essential methodologies Connecticut attainable accomplishments validating societal benefiting harmoniously institutionally proliferated!!
31. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition
It's the 12th year for the Fast Pitch Competition by the Women Founders Network. This one’s for U.S. businesses started by women. If your business hasn't raised more than $750,, you're in luck. Those chosen get to pitch their businesses in person. Winners? They snag $25,000 grants! But heads up—applications for the 2024 cycle are already closed.
32. Cartier Women's Initiative Awards
Cartier rolls out three grants every year for women-owned businesses in nine regions worldwide. The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards support early-stage businesses tackling social, economic & environmental issues.
The top business gets a whopping $100,000 grant! Second place lands $60,000 & third place grabs $30,000. Plus, winners receive executive coaching & can join some amazing training workshops. Just a note—the applications for the 2024 cycle are closed now.
Additional private business grant options
Even though these options aren’t just for women they’re still great small-business grants for any entrepreneur to consider.
33. National Association for the Self-Employed Growth Grant
Every quarter, the NASE gives up to $4,000 to as many as four small businesses with its growth grants. You can use these funds for lots of business needs like marketing, advertising & hiring employees.
To apply, you need to be a NASE member in good standing for at least three months. Annual members can apply anytime.
34. The Freed Fellowship Grant
Every month, a small business owner can get a $500 micro-grant from the Freed Fellowship. Monthly grant winners can also qualify for a $2,500 annual grant. Applications are rolling. While this is open to all small biz owners, women & minority entrepreneurs are urged to apply.
34. CO - 100
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives out this annual grant to all small biz owners. To qualify, your biz must be run for at least one year and have fewer than 250 employees with gross revenue below $20 million in both 2022 & 2023. One grand-prize winner gets $25,000 & 10 more get $2,000 each. Applications are closed for 2024.
35. Fast Break for Small Business
Managed by Accion Opportunity Fund & funded by LegalZoom, NBA & WNBA, the Fast Break program offers $10,000 grants to 150 small businesses. Your biz needs to be run for at least three months with less than $1 million/year revenue. Apply from Feb. 15 - Sept. 13, 2024.
36. Halstead Grant
For those aiming for the silver jewelry industry! The Halstead Grant gives out a $7,500 startup grant plus $1,000 in jewelry merchandise each year to its winners (plus finalists get smaller amounts & promotional help). Both men- and women-owned businesses can apply by answering 15 biz questions and sending a design portfolio by May (applications closed).
37. Amazon Business Small Business Grant Contest
Any small biz owner with an Amazon Business account (it’s free!) and revenue under $1 million can enter this annual contest — one grand-prize winner gets $25,000 while four finalists get $20,000 grants and ten semi-finalists receive $15,000 grants each. Applications closed in May.
38. EBay Up & Running Grant
EBay gives fifty sellers a $10,000 grant through their Up & Running program. If you’ve been an eBay seller with an "Above Standard" or "Top Rated" rating since at least Dec 1, 2023, you’re eligible (sorry past winners!). Applications closed in June 2024.
39. Bizee Fresh Start Business Grant
Previously Incfile Fresh Start Business Grant! This one is open to budding entrepreneurs who must be U.S residents at least age 21. Each cycle's winner gets a $2,500 grant along with free biz formation services from Bizee (three times per year). Look out for new deadlines soon!
40. FedEx Small Business Grant
FedEx’s annual program awards one grand-prize winner $50K and nine more get $20K each — you need to write about your business and how you’d spend the money (with photos & optional videos). Only open to profitable businesses with fewer than 99 employees and six months of operating history—closed in April this year.
41. Backing Small Businesses
Now in its third round! American Express and Main Street America partner up each year to give away $10K grants to around 500 businesses across the nation (with special enhancement grants too). Closed applications this April.
Federal government small-business grants for women
Sometimes federal government grants focus on specific stuff like research or rural areas rather than startups or daily costs.
42. Grants.gov
Grants.gov is where you’ll find all federally sponsored grants including for small businesses (although not exclusively women-owned). Just start there if you’re looking for free financing!
First step? Get a Unique Entity ID (12-character alphanumeric ID), register your biz through System for Award Management website then make an account on Grants.gov.
To see what’s specifically available filter “under eligibility” on the left side.
44. Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs
SBA helps run these two competitive programs giving away grants toward federal research/development contributions—11 federal agencies list opportunities here including Agriculture Defense & Health departments.
Your business must be profitable having <500 employees meeting certain standards found on their SBIR website.
45. Program Investors Microentrepreneurs(PRIME)
Though SBA runs some coordinated programs usually doesn’t give direct funding instead supports non-profit state/private organizations providing training tech assistance+coaching disadvantaged owners indirectly helping Women-focused places like Wisconsin got over $200k last year!
State local resources—women
Federal ones are tough crowded so trying local/state might yield better results. Do your homework pinpoint exact programs nearby yet these resources could help:
Women’s Biz Centers
SBA sponsors over hundred Women’s Biz Centers nationwide aiding female entrepreneuring from development/capital access specifics about qualifying resources varying lending/grant-finding capabilities unique centre-by-centre: California Capital Financial Corp lends money directly!
Economic Development Administration
Each State/city-run economic development resources promote strong local economies like New York’s numerous economic regions e.g., Champlain George Planning Board supports local state federal funding access!
Small Biz Development Centres
Hundreds countrywide utilize college universities offering free personalised consulting/create viable plans/find funding(one stop-shop includes training certification programs w/SBA~8(a) Minorities Women benefits public/private competition levelling field side)
Minority Biz Development Agency (MBDA)
Operates nationwide network enhancing Capital Contracts Financial Strategy access including EWOC initiative supporting minoritized women via events/resources geared towards prosperity pursuits!!
Post a Comment