9 Best Sources of Small Business Grants for Women?

Small Business Grants for Women

Entrepreneurs know the crucial nature of capital for a business. To help women entrepreneurs become successful, there are several government agencies and non-profit organizations that offer grants and loans for small businesses.

Grants are unlike loans, as you do not have to worry about repaying them.

This is an extremely better option to raise capital than taking a small business loan or borrowing from your credit card.

This is another reason women entrepreneurs often face numerous challenges in their quest to start a business.

However, when you know the different facilities offered by the government and some non-profit organizations, you do not have to worry about repaying business loans and getting your business afloat.

9 Sources to Get Small Business Grants for Women

To help you make a better decision, we have enlisted the top sources for small business grants for women:

Small Business Grants for Women

Small Business Grants for Women

1 – Grants.gov

Grants.gov is a federally-sponsored grant for women. This site offers business grants to men and women alike. However, this site has an enormous database of all federal grants.

These include grants that are specifically available for small business owners.

To know more about this grant, you will need to visit their official website and check their “grants application” section to check for eligibility criteria and grant amount.

Remember, this database includes almost all types of grants.

Hence, you must sort through the different categories and find the most relevant grants for small businesses.

You will find numerous sources on this website where you can apply for federal and state-sponsored financial aid for small business owners. There are more than a dozen government agencies registered in this database.

2 – Amber Grant

The Amber Grant has been offered by Womensnet.com since 1998. It was launched in honor of Amber, a young woman who died before she could fulfill her dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

This grant was founded to help businesswomen reach their goals.

Under this initiative, you can receive as much as US$ 1,000 in grant money if you fulfill the general eligibility criteria.

The foundation awards this grant to eligible women entrepreneurs every month each year.

Besides this, a lucky grant winner is also awarded an extra US$ 25,000 at the end of the year. The grant amount may seem small.

However, it has helped hundreds of women entrepreneurs get the boost necessary to take their businesses to the next level.

Make sure to fill out the application form before the end of the month. To apply, simply share your story and pay a small US$ 15 application fee.

To learn additional details of the eligibility criteria and application process, feel free to visit the official website at https://ambergrantsforwomen.com/get-an-amber-grant/apply-now/.

3 – NASE (National Association for the Self-Employed) Growth Grants

The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Growth Grants is an initiative the foundation runs. This grant is available only to its 50,000 registered members.

To become a member of NASE, you will need to pay US$ 120 annually for basic membership. As a member of the NASE, you will get resources for networking, mentorship, legislative advocacy and discounts on business products.

For your membership, the NASE will also provide business grants and scholarships. The NASE has disbursed almost US$ 1 million in grant money to its members since 2006.

Besides being a NASE member, you must also show specific business needs that could be fulfilled by the grant to qualify for this monetary aid.

In essence, you will need to show the association how your business’s overall growth and success will be possible with the grant money.

To learn further details of eligibility criteria and the application process, feel free to visit the NASE official website at https://www.nase.org/become-a-member/member-benefits/business-resources/growth-grants.

4 – Cartier’s Women’s Initiative Award

The Cartier’s Women’s Initiative Award is offered to only 21 businesswomen every year globally.

This grant is aimed at female business owners whose business is in its early stages, between 1 to 3 years old. The business might not be showing any profit but it should be generating revenue actively.

The foundation chose the top 7 finalists for the US$ 100,000 award, along with free business mentoring by an expert. The 14 remaining winners on the list will each receive US$ 30,000 as grant money.

All 21 winners of this business grant will also receive a spot in the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Six-Day Executive Program (ISEP).

The winners will also get to participate in workshops and business coaching seminars and receive ample networking opportunities.

For additional details on eligibility criteria and the application process, feel free to visit the official website at https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/.

5 – IdeaCafe Grant

The IdeaCafe Grant offers a US$ 1,000 grant to one small business owner every year. You will need to apply for this grant by January.

Although this grant is not specifically labeled for small businesses and women, the majority of winners of this grant have been women entrepreneurs from all over the globe.

If you have just launched your enterprise and are looking for a small boost, this grant is ideal.

Apart from this, you can apply for this grant even if you have a feasible business plan in place.

For more details on eligibility criteria and the application process, feel free to visit their official website at https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/.

6 – FedEx Small Business Grant

FedEx, the logistics giant, also offers business grants. The FedEx Small Business Grant program has offered around US$ 250,000 in small business grants to business owners from all across the United States since 2013.

Under this initiative, every year, around 12 winners are selected to receive this entrepreneur grant.

A single winner is awarded more than US$ 50,000 with an additional US$ 7,000 in FedEx services.

Another winner is awarded around US$ 30,000 plus an additional US$ 5,000 in FedEx services. Lastly, the foundation selects 10 winners who receive US$ 15,000 and an additional US$ 1,000 in printing services each.

To learn more about this grant, its eligibility criteria and the application process, visit their official website at https://www.fedex.com/en-us/small-business/grants.html#/rules.

7 – GrantsForWomen.org

GrantsForWomen.org is an excellent, vast database of opportunities aimed at women entrepreneurs. This database offers a comprehensive source for business grants for women along with other similar funding opportunities.

On this website, you can easily browse and search through the database and find scholarship and grant opportunities specifically aimed at helping female entrepreneurs in the US.

To learn more about this initiative, you can visit the official website at https://www.grantsforwomen.org/.

8 – Open Meadows Foundation

The Open Meadows Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides grants to women-centric projects.

These projects are normally based on promoting gender, racial and economic equality. Eligibility criteria for this grant require applicants to be women with a women-empowering business model.

Under this initiative, the winner is awarded US$ 2,000 in grant money for eligible projects that need a financial boost for growth.

If your organization/business records less than US$ 75,000 in budget resources, then you are eligible to apply for this grant.

This grant money is excellent for women who have just launched their businesses or are in the middle of growing their businesses.

9 – The Halstead Grant

The Halstead Grant is a small business grant for women engaged in the jewelry business. It was started in 2006 for this express purpose. This grant is awarded to budding jewelry designers in the US, especially those with businesses that are less than five years old.

Applicants need to be ready to answer questions related to business goals and business strategies.

The lucky ones are awarded US$ 7,500 in cash, along with US$ 1,000 in Halstead jewelry supplies and also receive ample publicity within the jewelry industry.

To learn more details about eligibility criteria and the application process, you can visit their official website at https://grant.halsteadbead.com/.

10 – State/Local Small Business Grants for Women

There are several state and local-sponsored small business grants for women available freely in the United States.

The above-listed grant sources are meant for businesses across the US. However, there are local and state-funded resources for female business owners too.

For instance, the Women’s Business Development Council in Connecticut provides equity-match grants ranging up to US$ 10,000 to women-owned businesses within the state.

You can also contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or the nearest SCORE office.

These two organizations are engaged in the local financing community and will guide you toward sources for small business grants for women in your area.

Besides this, you can also check for SBA Loans offered by the US Small Business Administration (SBA).

This organization offers affordable business loans for female business owners. The SBA has an extensive network of resources that are aimed at boosting women-powered businesses within the US.

Conclusion

These are only the top ten sources to get small business grants for women in the United States.

To learn about more such avenues and opportunities, you can do a quick Google search and find such resources nearest to your location.

Interactive US Map for Small Business Grants

See Also

Business Grants for Veterans

Grants for Small Businesses

Medical Business Grants

References

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/small-business-grants-for-women

https://www.bench.co/blog/operations/small-business-grants-for-women

https://aofund.org/resource/business-grants-for-women/

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