Grants for women owned businesses are available from various sources. However, you can’t find a specific government grant for this cause. In general the Federal grants are only given under strict rules, and they are commonly unavailable for personal use (unless you have utmost financial need). What they do provide are federal loans that’s usually comes with reasonable interest rate. In general, almost all of the grants for this cause are provided by non-profit or philanthropy organizations.
In this post you will learn several grant possibilities to expand or start your women-owned business. We encourage you to apply for these grants that target women entrepreneurs! Check out the list below:
List of Grants for Women Owned Businesses
American Association of University Women
It’s one of the largest and oldest foundations that encourage women empowerment. Currently they are providing various types of grant, which also include support for women entrepreneurs. The grant is ranged between $2,000 and $30,000. You can get more information about what the AAUW support in their official page available at our reference section.
Amber Grant for Women Business Owners
The Amber grant provides a small amount of money that doesn’t have to be repaid. The grant amount is somewhere between $500 and $1,000, and it is aimed to support women who are trying to start a small business online or offline. Business starters understand that even such amount of money can be crucial for your newly born business. Visit their official site to learn more about this opportunity.
Company Corporation Business Plan Contest
Although this one is not specifically made for women, the grant is perfect for those who have a creative and innovative business plan. If you’re confident that you have that “wow” factor, you should submit your one page business plan, and you may get that $1,000 grant award.
Daring to Dream Grant
Another grant that can help you start your business is the Daring to Dream Grant. Much like the Company Corporation Business Plan contest, you are required to provide your business plan with some detailed information needed (which includes sustainability and feasibility). The grant award amount ranges from $500 to $5,000.
Other Resources
There are many other grant opportunities, but it is impossible for us to list all of them here. You can actually use the WomanOwned grant database and membership as your tool to search grants for women owned businesses. Check out the reference section and you can go from there. In their site, you can search based on keywords and the states you are in.
We did mention that the government doesn’t provide grants for personal or business use, but they do have several support programs to encourage women entrepreneurs. The SBA’s Women in Business program provide counseling, education, inspiration and encouragement for new women entrepreneurs to help them develop and expand their businesses.
If you’re stuck and can’t find any grants for women owned businesses, you may want to try visit the Office of Entrepreneurial Development and ask whether there are programs or loans with low interest rate for you.
References :
- Educational Funding and Awards : aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards
- Amber Grants : womensnet.net
- Business Plan Contest : incorporate.com/business_plan_contest.html
- Dare to Dream Grants : zli.bus.umich.edu/events_programs/dream_grant.asp
- Grant Money for Women Business Owners : womanowned.com/features/grants-and-funding.aspx
- Office of Women’s Business Ownership : sba.gov/womeninbusiness
- Image: buylocalfood.org
