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To say startups require money is like saying fish need water. Yes, starting a company takes so much more than that. Time, effort, networks, knowledge, mentorship, sponsors, and lots of trial and error, are all part of moving an idea into a successful brand. But money is crucial in securing the longevity many companies need, especially to navigate through those early stages of “figuring it all out.”
As digitalundivided opens our applications for BREAKTHROUGH Miami, we’re revealing the ultimate list of no-fuss grants women entrepreneurs in our Latina and Black community can still apply to in 2023. That’s right — outside of filling out the initial application, most of the following 24 grants have no additional requirements (though many provide other services entrepreneurs can choose to partake in, like mentorship, founder circles, free services, and a few other one-off requests).
Deep dive into this list and find the grant opportunities best suited for you and your company. Now, get that money, Honey!
Please Note: descriptions of grants were pulled directly from grant websites. Please click on the name of the grant to link to the original source for more information.
Providing grants of up to $50,000 to support women entrepreneurs building breakthrough technologies or tech-enabled companies.
Sponsor: Tiger Global, Hello Alive, Global Entrepreneurship Network
Award: $50,000
Deadline: August 5th, 2023
Eligibility:
An entrepreneur who is the leading executive (i.e., Founder and/or President, CEO, CFO, COO, or any such other similar title)
A legal resident of one of the fifty United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico
Eighteen (18) years of age or older (19 in AL and NE)
For-profit business
Tech-enabled business
Has yet to receive funding from angle venture investors
Demonstrated need for funding to reach the next stage of growth
The Amber Grant was established by WomensNew to commemorate the life of Amber Wigdahl and it was among the first online organizations to provide grants to women-owned businesses. Amber was a special young woman who passed away at the age of 19 before achieving her entrepreneurial goals. They continued her legacy by awarding a $10,000 grant to a female business owner every month and a supplementary annual $25,000 grant to any of the previous 12 monthly Amber Grant winners.
Award: $2,000 — $25,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Identify as woman
America’s Top Small Business Awards (formerly Dream Big Awards) will honor the achievements of small businesses and highlight their contributions to America’s economic growth.
Sponsors: Iron Mountain, Dell Technologies
Award: $25,000
Deadline: July 21st, 2023
Eligibility:
Be a legal resident of the United States.
Be a for-profit business operating for at least one (1) year primarily within the United States.
Have fewer than 250 employees or gross revenues of less than $20 million for both 2021 and 2022.
Agree to all of the Award Rules, including potentially attending award ceremony
In 2023, Atomic Grants will award four grants to applicants who are looking for support in bringing their passion to life. The passion should be one that looks to create positive change for the applicant and others.
Sponsors: Keystone Group International, Passion Collective On Demand!
Award: $1500
Deadline: September 22, 2034
Eligibility:
Identify as a woman, and who are 21+
You can live anywhere in the world
Must be connected via email and social media, and able to receive money electronically
Strive was created by the Fearless Fund to provide access to financial tools, access to capital, and a community of small Black businesses.
Sponsors: MasterCard
Award: $25,000
Deadline: August 31st, 2023
Eligibility:
Black women who are legal U.S. residents (including DC)
Must be 18+
Must be the principal owner of a U.S.-based small business
Enthuse Foundation Annual Grant
A celebration of women who are making their mark on the food, beverage, and CPG industries. Five entrepreneurs pitch their businesses live in New York City in front of a panel of industry experts.
Sponsors: 21 Seeds, Alera Group, Alliant, Berdon, Hamlin, Sia Scotch Whiskey, Webster Bank, Diageo, cheeky, illy, movers and shakers, une femme, rain catcher
Award: $5,000-$10,000
Deadline: Applications open in August
Eligibility:
Food, beverage, or CPG business founder
At least 51% of business is owned by women
Company has sales (pre-revenue startups are not eligible)
Business in operation for less than 4 years
Revenue does not exceed $500,000
Attend the live pitch night in NYC (transportation/lodging stipend available if needed)
Ability to mail product samples
Fastbreak for Small Businesses
Together with the NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League, Fastbreak for Small Businesses supports small businesses with $6 million in grants and services.
Sponsors: NBA, WNBA, NBA G League
Award: $10,000 + $500 worth of products and services
Deadline: Applications open back up at the start of the WNBA season
With Mastercard prizing, Fearless Fund will award four lucky small businesses across the country with $20,000 grants, digital tools to help them grow their business online, and mentorship so they can continue to bolster their business.
Sponsors: Mastercard
Award: $20,000
Deadline: August 31st, 2023
FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
Awarding $1.9 million to help small businesses thrive in cash grants to loyal customers.
Sponsor: BWS, Long Island The African American Chamber of Commerce
Award: $500 — $2000
Deadline: OPEN
Eligibility:
only open to Black-owned stores
Foundation for the Carolina’s Beyond Open
Beyond Open is a competitive small business grant program centered on building economic mobility within Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity, and is focused on diverse-owned small businesses.
Sponsors: Wells Fargo FFTC Partners For Empowering Communities (“FPEC”), a supporting organization of Foundation For The Carolinas (the “Foundation”)
Award: $10,000 to $150,000
Deadline: August 31st
Eligibility:
Physically located within one of the six Corridors of Opportunity as identified by the City of Charlotte.
At least one full year of operation beginning on or before August 1, 2022.
Minimum annual revenue of $30k and a maximum annual revenue of $5M.
Fewer than 200 full and/or part-time employees.
Hello Alice Small Business Growth Fund
Sponsors: Etsy and Progressive , Global Entrepreneurship Network
Award: $5,000-$25,000
Deadline: Open
Eligibility:
Be a for-profit business located and registered in one of the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia
Have less than $1M in 2022 gross annual revenue
Commit to their customers and community
Have a clear plan for how the funds will help them achieve a significant growth milestone in 2023
The HerRise Micro-Grant provides financial assistance with the help of our corporate sponsors and donors to Women of Color creating innovative solutions that impact their community and that are often unable to secure funding for their small business.
Award: $1,000 micro-grant
Timeline: Monthly
ANY & ALL WOMEN small business owners are encouraged to apply! The mission of Hidden Star is to help minority and women entrepreneurs succeed. Refer a friend and double your chances of winning with their entry. If they win, YOU BOTH WIN!
Award: $3750
Deadline: June 30th
Eligibility: Women and minority business owners
The world’s first and longest running grant program for mompreneurs.
Sponsors: Lowes, Clean Simple Eats
Award: $5,000-$25,000
Deadline: September 30th, 2023
Eligibility:
You ARE A MOM! This grant is exclusively for women caregivers with human child(ren) of all ages. This includes first-time expecting moms, stepmoms, foster moms. and moms whose children are all grown up.
You own at least 50% of a for-profit product or service-based business and are serious about growth.
You can verify earning business revenue in the past 12 months.
The NAACP x BACARDI are working together to provide dedicated support to Black-owned businesses in the beverage alcohol service, sales, and hospitality industries.
Sponsors: Bicardi
Award: $10,000
Deadline: July 30 at 6PM ET
Eligibility:
Black business owner
Liquor license or real liquor license aspirations
National Association for the Self-Employed (nase) Growth Grants
A membership-based grant worth up to $4,000.
Award: $4,000
Deadline: Quarterly Deadlines
Eligibility:
Annual NASE Members
Veteran Members
NASE Silver Members (Paying Annually)
NASE Gold Members
NBA Celtics Power Forward Small Business Grant
The Power Forward Small Business Grant program aims to create a lasting impact through the economic empowerment of Black-owned small businesses across New England.
Sponsors: VistaPrint, NAACP
Award: $25,000
Deadline: June 30, 2023
Eligibility:
Black-owned small businesses
Employ 2- 25 employees (including the owner)
Based in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, or selected areas of Connecticut (see list of eligible Connecticut zip codes)
Applicants should be able to demonstrate the impact their small business has on their greater community and showcase how they intend to use the $25,000 grant award
The Patrina Foundation supports smaller, grassroots organizations that work to improve the lives of girls and women. The Patrina Foundation is presently concentrating its funding in the New York Metropolitan area and surrounding counties.
Award: seed money/ one-time grants
Deadline: September/rolling
Eligibility: Call for more information
PepsiCo Foundation Hispanic Business Program
The PepsiCo Foundation Hispanic Business Program will provide $10,000 grants to 150 Hispanic-owned food and beverage businesses.
Sponsor: Pepsi
Award: $10,000
Deadline: June 25th
Eligibility:
Hispanic owned
Food and beverage businesses only
Earned less than $1 million in 2020
Located in Los Angeles Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Miami, Denver, New York City, El Paso, Orlando, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Las Vegas
Publish Her Business Impact Grant (BIG) Program
Publish Her is dedicated to providing resources to female-identifying business owners and authors.
Sponsors: BankCherokee
Award: $5,000
Deadline: August 31, 2023
Eligibility:
You must be a legal resident of the U.S.
21 years of age or older
A woman of color business owner
Business must be 100 percent women-owned
Businesses must be legally established business entity in the U.S. (established for one year or more)
Business must generate $50,000 or more in annual revenue
SoGal’s Black Founder Startup Grant
SoGal Foundation is providing several cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs. Awardees will also receive tactical help navigating the fundraising environment at large to have a more equitable opportunity to scale the next billion-dollar idea. They will also receive lifetime “ask-me-anything” access to the SoGal Foundation and SoGal Ventures teams.
Sponsors: Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Twilio, Walmart.org’s Center for Racial Equity
Award: $10K, $5K cash grants
Deadline: CLOSED
Eligibility:
Self-identify as a Black woman or Black nonbinary entrepreneur (inclusive of multiracial Black women and multiracial Black nonbinary folks)
Have a legally registered business
Plan to seek investor financing in order to scale, now or in the future
Have a scalable, high-impact solution or idea with the ambition to be the next billion-dollar business.
SoGal’s Rooted In Growth Startup Grant
Supporting BIPOC women and LGBTQIA+ hair entrepreneurs with long-term aspirations to succeed in the professional beauty sphere by offering meaningful funding ($25K grant) to provide longevity and sustainability, paired with mentorship and networking with key industry contacts.
Sponsors: amika
Award: $25,000
Deadline: July 14, 2023
Eligibility:
You are a founder or brand focused on hair
You identify as female or non-binary
You’re a member of the BIPOC and/or the LGBTQIA+ Community
You are based in the U.S.
You have a prototype in the market
You seek support in professional haircare distribution
You have not received series A or above
You have less than $2M in revenue
A grant-making initiative to provide immediate financial assistance and long-term support for America’s Block-owned small businesses.
Sponsors: American Express
Award: $25,0000
Deadline: UPCOMING
Eligibility:
Black-owned enterprise in a qualifying industry (See details below in “Who is eligible to apply?”).
Employ between 3 and 20 people, including the owner and any full-time employees, part-time employees, or individuals working under a 1099 or similar contractual agreement.
Be located in an economically vulnerable community, according to the Distressed Communities Index.
Have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A dedicated $2M dollar fund to give roughly 4,000 Wish Local small business partners financial support.
Deadline: Rolling
Award: $500-$2,000
Eligibility:
You have a Black-owned business
You are 18+ years of age
Your store has 20 or fewer employees
Your store is a brick-and-mortar shop within the United States
Your store earns an average annual revenue under $1M
If selected for the program, you must join Wish Local