21 Terrific Grants For Women Business Owners

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1 21 Terrific Grants For Women Business Owners Introduction The WomensNet.net team is thrilled to share this Special Report with you! 21 Terrific Grants for Women Business Owners is the result of hundreds of people-hours spent scouring the Internet and other resources in search of the most reputable sources for women business owners like you interested in applying for grant money. If you ve spent even a few minutes trying to find legitimate grants for women online, you know what we mean. There are literally thousands of seedy grants for women that are well-marketed scams. Most of these folks try to sell women free information about government grants, for which 99% of women entrepreneurs don t even qualify. That s why we made it our mission at WNN to put our noses to the grindstone and do some long and hard research for you. To the best of our knowledge, the grants we discovered are completely legit. Of course, we still encourage you to do your own due diligence, and please let us know if you uncover any new information. We ve listed them for you alphabetically. 1. Amber Grant for Women Business Owners Full disclosure: this one is sponsored by us. The Amber Grants began in 1998 to honor the memory of a young entrepreneurial woman who died in 1981, at the age of 19. Their purpose is to help other women achieve the dreams that Amber could not in her short time with us. Finding money to start a small business especially money for women entrepreneurs and start-ups is not easy so we thought we would try to help a bit! Our primary focus is assisting women who are trying to start small businesses, home-based or online. The grants are modest, usually $500 to $1,000, and are intended to pay for the small but essential expenses that can often make the difference between getting started or being forever stalled. No repayment is required or expected, although it is hoped that Amber Grant winners will pass on the kindness by mentoring and helping other women along the way.

2 2. American Association of University Women AAUW is one of the globe s largest sources of funding for graduate women and has been around since Collectively, they have given away more than $3.7 million in funding. AAUW currently offers six different fellowships and grants for women. Their funding ranges from $2,000 to $30,000. AAUW strives to support women from all over the world, including teachers, activists, women in traditionally male-dominated industries, and women who are just beginning their career path. 3. Belle Capital USA Belle Capital USA is an angel fund for businesses with at least one female founder or C-level executive. They focus on companies in the Information Technology, Digital health, and CleanTech industries. 4. Caleb Brown Urban Excellence Community Grant The Urban Excellence Community Grant was created for entrepreneurs hoping their small businesses with help urban areas in need. Made possible by Caleb Brown Venture Capital LLC, the grant provides up to $1,000 in monetary funds as well as 500 hours of complimentary business consulting. Applicants must benefit communities of at least 50,000 residents and with a population density of 1,000 people per square mile. Businesses must be for-profit, no more than three years old, and have plans to hire additional staff within the funding year. Additionally, grantees must participate in weekly start-up business coaching provided by Caleb Brown representatives. Applications are collected on the 15 th of every month, and winners must agree to attend the presentation event in Chicago.

3 5. Cartier Women s Initiative Awards Check this out of you re from outside the U.S. The Cartier Women s Initiative Awards were established to encourage and inspire female entrepreneurship on a global scale. The associated grant is awarded to women who are the principal owners of start-up, for-profit small businesses. Applicants are encouraged to fill out an entry form and detail as much about their operations as possible. In 2012, six winners from six different countries received $20,000 each for their unique entrepreneurial endeavors. 6. Company Corporation Business Plan Contest The Company Corporation s Business Plan Contest is open to U.S. entrepreneurs aged 18 and up. Interested applicants are encouraged to send a one-page business plan executive summary. The entries are reviewed by a panel of judges, with a $1,000 award going to the top candidate. Business plans are judged based on a blended criterion of originality, creativity, wow factor, and sustainability to address a specific need. In addition to the contest, this website offers a wide array of beneficial materials to those interested in starting their own business. 7. Daring to Dream Grant This grant is provided by Eugene Applebaum, founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. and president of Arbor Investments Group. The Daring to Dream Grant provide resources that help turn ideas into a functional business plan. Applicants must provide detailed information about their product, and may be rewarded with a grant between $500and $5,000. There are three different categories for funding, depending on the applicant s current business stage. Applicants must submit detailed reports of their business plan, including sustainability and feasibility models.

4 8. Dell Social Innovation Challenge The Dell Social Innovation Challenge funds student entrepreneurs who want to use their ideas to make the world a better place. The competition is open to students worldwide. Whether business is conceptual or already underway, there are many benefits to joining the Social Innovation Challenge. The program annually distributes over $350,000 between its finalists, while also providing mentoring and other resources. Young innovators looking to make a difference may register for free on the above website. The deadline to enter the annual challenge is in late January. 9. Eileen Fisher Women s Business Grant nciousness/women_owned.jsp This is a great grant for the socially conscious woman entrepreneur. The Eileen Fisher Women s Business Grant was founded to aid and inspire women in business. The program funds wholly women-owned businesses that embrace principles such as consciousness, sustainability, and innovation. Applicants must have an established for-profit business that helps promote environmental and economic health in the community. Five winners are selected annually and awarded $12,500 each. The application deadline for this year is May 15; semifinalists will be contacted in September. 10. Huggies MomInspired Grant Program The Huggies Brand inspires and rewards creative moms in business each year. The brand funds an annual grant and provides a number of business start-up resources on its website. In 2012, 11 winners split a $15,000 award. Huggies does not require business ideas to be directly related to hygiene or diapers. Many previous winners were innovators of original clothing accessories and baby safety devices.

5 11. Long Beach Corridor Beautification Business Start-Up Grant p_grants.asp (Long Beach CA only) Here s a very specific one. The Corridor Beautification Business Start-Up Grant is for business owners in Long Beach, CA. This grant provides $2,000 to fledgling businesses located within the Community block of the city s downtown area. The applicant is required to request funding within the first year of being granted a business license. The store must have an individual address, and be a ground-floor entity with a storefront easily accessible to the public. Applicants must fill out a form online and also agree to one-on-one counseling with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). 12. Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MA only) The Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) is a sponsorship program aimed at helping non-profit organizations in the state of Massachusetts. 13. Miller Lite Tap The Future Since 1999, the Millers Coors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) business plan competition awarded more than $1.7 million in business funding. In 2013 Miller turned this competition in to Tap the Future, a Miller Lite-branded program that brings together both friends and business partners to compete for a prize pool of over $500,000.

6 14. MIT 100k Entrepreneurship Competition WomensNet.net gets a lot of grant applications from women college students seeking entrepreneurial funding, so we added this grant to our list. The MIT 100k Entrepreneurship Competition is a three-stage event aimed at helping fund students with a passion for innovation. Funding includes $100,000 to the grand prize winners. The program s annual budget includes $350,000 with other resources such as networking, mentoring, media exposure, and much more. Applicants must be students with a valid.edu address. 15. Open Meadows Award The Open Meadows group is a grant-giving organization that funds efforts made by women in non-profit industries. Applicants for the Open Meadows award must be women looking to make a difference in the lives of others. Grantees must be women in a non-profit, multi-person operation with an organizational budget under $150,000. Awards are given twice per year. Past awards in the fall 2012 cycle comprised grants in the $800 $1,900 range. Many of these awards were given to groups promoting lifestyle awareness, as well as anti-racism and antiviolence campaigns. 16. Patrina Foundation Grant This one isn t a business grant, but it might still help you if you live in the NYC area. In its 23rd year of operation, The Patrina Foundation was established to improve the lives of girls and women in the greater New York metropolitan area. Grants are awarded to non-profit enterprises that aid women and girls in the educational and cultural realms. Grantees must be tax-exempt organizations that promote academic, artistic, athletic, job skills, life skills, and/or leadership abilities in girls and women. Recent grants have ranged from $1,000 to $10,000. Application is open at any time for users who register on the Patrina Foundation webpage.

7 17. Small Business Big Wishes Sponsored by Intuit, the Small Businesses Big Wishes program awards grants to those needing seed capital to get started in business. Applicants from the U.S. or Canada may enter providing they are at least 18 years of age and own a small business employing fewer than 50 people. Users simply upload a wish for their small business, describing current goals and the resources needed to achieve them. The entry will appear on the website with a photo and a link to the user s business website. Other users cast their votes for their favorite business ideas. Applicants are encouraged tug on visitors heartstrings with a short and sweet description of their wish. Projected funding needs should not exceed $5,000, although grants larger than that amount have been awarded to some applicants. Enter your address on the site s homepage to learn more about the next application cycle. 18. StartupNation Grant If you re a mom as well as a business owner, this should interest you. StartupNation promotes entrepreneurial values among female business owners by annually ranking the top 100 mom-owned businesses in the country. Moms register their business or product, and users vote on their favorites. The winners are selected based on the popular vote as well as the input of a panel of judges. Qualified applicants must be mothers who are majority business owners, and who also have a functional website to help showcase their product or service. All winners benefit by being designated an official Top 100 Leading Mom in Business and the significant publicity around the contest. The top 3 winners are promoted by the National Women s Business Council and receive a complimentary Business Growth Consultation session, and the #1 winner is featured on StartupNation Radio.

8 19. The U.S. Small Business Administration The Small Business Administration is a U.S. government agency that provides support to small business owners. They have a unique loan and grant search tool that businesses determine what government finance programs are right for them based on location and situation. 20. Women s Foundations of Greater Kansas City The Women s Foundation of Kansas City, founded in 1991, has granted over $3.3 million to programs benefiting women in the greater Kansas City Area. The organization is dedicated to improviing the quality of life for women and girls in the community, and accomplish thatgoal through grant funding to area non-profit organizations that provide direct services to women in need, advocate on behalf of women in need, and/or conduct rsearch on the unique needs and issues of women in the community. They offer 2 grant cycles per year, with a February 1 deadline for funds released in April and an August 1 deadline for funds released in October. 21. Women s Venture Capital Fund The Women s Venture Capital Fund is an investment company that capitalizes on the expanding pipeline of women entrepreneurs leading gender-diverse teams and creating capital-efficient, high-growth companies. They target start-up businesses in digital media and sustainable products & services. Its portfolio includes companies such as EdSurge, NVoicePay, Proxio, and Ivytalk.