Small Business Grants for Women
Entrepreneurs know the crucial role of capital in a business. To help women entrepreneurs become successful, several government agencies and non-profit organizations 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, with the different facilities offered by the government and some non-profit organizations, you do not have to worry about repaying business loans and keeping 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
1 – Grants.gov
Grants.gov is a federally sponsored website that offers access to grants for all eligible entities. This site offers business grants to men and women alike and has an enormous database of all federal grants.
These include grants that are specifically available for small business owners.
To learn 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 amounts.
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.
This website offers numerous sources for applying for federal and state-sponsored financial aid for small business owners. More than a dozen government agencies are registered in this database.
2 – Amber Grant
The Amber Grant has been offered through WomensNet 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 a minimum of $10,000 in grant money, and one of the monthly winners receives an additional end-of-year grant of $25,000
WomensNet awards the Amber Grant to one woman entrepreneur each month and selects one of these monthly winners to receive the additional end-of-year grant.
Besides this, a lucky grant winner is also awarded an extra $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.
Please complete the application form before the end of the month. To apply, share your story and pay a small $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 run by the organization for its members. This grant is available only to its 50,000 registered members.
To become a member of NASE, you must pay $120 annually for basic membership. As a member, you will have access to networking resources, 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 $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 must show the association how the grant money will contribute to your business’s overall growth and success.
To learn more about eligibility criteria and the application process, 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 businesses are in their early stages, between 1 and 3 years old. The Cartier Women’s Initiative seeks women-run and women-owned businesses from around the world at the initial stage of development, focusing on the strength of the business model and its potential impact.
The foundation chose the top 7 finalists for the $100,000 award, which includes free business mentoring by an expert. The 14 remaining winners will each receive $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 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 $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.
This grant is ideal if you have just launched your enterprise and are looking for a small boost.
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 of the IdeaCafe Grant, visit the IdeaCafe website or the specific page dedicated to the grant details.
6 – FedEx Small Business Grant
The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is an annual competition that awards grants and services to U.S.-based small businesses. The highest award of those competitions is $50,000 (cash) + $7,500 (services) to one winner.
Under this initiative, around 12 winners are selected to receive this entrepreneur grant every year.
A single winner is awarded more than $50,000 with an additional $7,000 in FedEx services.
Another winner is awarded around $30,000 plus an additional $5,000 in FedEx services. Lastly, the foundation selects 10 winners who receive $15,000 and an additional $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, visit the official website at https://www.grantsforwomen.org/.
8 – Open Meadows Foundation
The Open Meadows Foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants 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 $2,000 in grant money for eligible projects that need a financial boost for growth.
If your organization or business has less than $75,000 in budget resources, 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 in the jewelry business. It was started in 2006 for this purpose. This grant is awarded to budding jewelry designers in the US, especially those with businesses less than five years old.
Applicants must be ready to answer questions about business goals and strategies.
The lucky ones are awarded $7,500 in cash and $1,000 in Halstead jewelry supplies and 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 that are available freely in the United States.
The above-listed grant sources are meant for businesses across the US. However, there are also local and state-funded resources for female business owners.
For instance, Connecticut’s Women’s Business Development Council provides equity-match grants ranging up to $10,000 to women-owned businesses within the state.
Contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or the nearest SCORE office.
These two organizations are engaged in the local financing community and can help you find sources for small business grants for women in your area.
Besides grants, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers various loan programs for small businesses.
The SBA provides a range of financial assistance programs for small business owners and has an extensive network of resources aimed at boosting women-powered businesses within the US.
Conclusion
These are only the top ten sources for women in the United States to get small business grants.
To learn more about such avenues and opportunities, you can do a quick Google search and find resources nearest to your location.
Interactive US Map for Small Business Grants
See Also
Follow us