What Federal Grants Available For Minority Women – When you are a minority woman, it is statistically proven that you are more likely to face financial hardships. Women from minority communities face disadvantages in terms of income, employment opportunities, and education. If you are looking for federal grants for minority women then you are at the right place. Since women in general are underprivileged in so many ways, minority women struggle more. So the said reasons become especially true for minority women. Now that the government has recognized these issues, they have implemented certain state grants for females belonging to minority communities.
Because applicants are not required to repay the grant, these grants for minority women are extremely helpful. You won’t have to worry about finding the funds to repay the grant money if you are eligible for this financial aid. There are plenty of unique grants that exist for minority women. Hence, you must do the necessary research and find out the unique grants that you are eligible to apply for. Go through the article to know more about federal grants that are available for minority women.
Highlights of this Post
What is the Federal Grant for Minority Women?
A Federal grant is a financial assistance program that is available to minority women. The Grant for Minority Women Program provides funding to organizations that focus on improving the lives of minority women in the United States. The Grant for Minority Women Program offers financial assistance to organizations that focus on improving the lives of minority women in the United States. The grants can be used to help organizations purchase items, eat better, get involved in their community, or study law. To apply for a Federal Grant for Minority Women, you must first complete an application and provide all necessary information. You can find an application form online or by contacting your local Equal Employment Opportunity agency.
What are the Benefits of Receiving a Federal Grant for Minority Women?
The benefits of receiving a Federal Grant for Minority Women vary depending on what program it is and how much money you will receive. Some programs offer financial aid that can help you purchase items, eat better, get involved in your community, or study law at no cost to you. Additionally, many programs offer free access to education or training courses while you are receiving your grant.
Small Business Grants Available For Minority Women
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program
Through its Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program, Startup Nation has collaborated with Verizon to provide grants for minority women, professional development opportunities, networking opportunities, and technology tools. To be eligible for a $10,000 grant, complete two coaching courses or events. There are many minority women who has been benefited from this specific program.
Minority Women Development Agency Grants
If you are a minority-owned entrepreneur you must check the MBDA on a daily basis to look for grants for minority women opportunities. Besides this, they also offer a number of educational resources for minority business owners.
NASE Grants
The NASE grants also known as the National Association of the Self-Employed is providing a $4000 worth business development fund to assist newbie entrepreneurs to take their businesses one step ahead. In order to be eligible for the grant you must be a member of NASE and also be able to find out a specific small business need to use the fund that you will receive. Till now, $1,000,000 has been offered in grants for minority women.
Eileen Fisher Grant Program
Supporting Women in Environmental Justice, a grants for minority women program that provides support to women taking action for environmental justice was the sole focus of the Eileen Fisher Grant Program in 2020.
In 2021, the Women in Environmental Justice Support Grant awarded $200,000 in 12 months in amounts that range from $10,000 to $40,000. The grants committee for minority women will accept applications this year starting from April 1 to April 30, 2020.
Amber Grant Available For Women
WomensNet awards Amber Grant to one winner with $10,000 each month of the year, and one of those 12 monthly winners will receive an additional $25,000 by the end of the year. The grant has been rewarding women with entrepreneurial dreams since its launch in 1998.
Federal Grants and scholarships Available For Minority Women
Once you are applying for your free grants for minority women and receive them as well, if required, you get to use the money for your personal needs. However, you should use the funding as per the terms of your grant applications.
For instance, if you get to qualify for a college scholarship to help minority students you must use the fund to pay off college tuition fees, university textbooks, student dorm room costs, or other related expenses. If it is ever discovered that the fund you received had been used for other purposes besides university-related expenses, you will be ordered to pay back the money.
Searching for the grants database is as simple as finding and applying for these said funds. We will get into this shortly. And then submit your grant applications to register for grants available for minority women. A government grants officer will review your application after you submit it. If your application is accepted, you will either receive a check in the mail or, in some cases, the money will be deposited directly into your account. The money is available; however, you must request it.
Development Institute Grants Offered By First Nations
- Date Of Submission: There are multiple grants that First Nation offers to Native American organizations. For Indigenous Farmers and Ranchers, apprenticeship applications must be submitted by December 22, 2022, at 5 pm sharp.
- Eligibility Requirements: Newbie native American women farmers and ranchers living in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Arizona, or New Mexico can apply for this grant opportunity. It is necessary for applicants to be ready to commit to a 30-month apprenticeship.
- Website Link: https://www.firstnations.org
Founded in 1980, First Nations launched their national grantmaking program in 1933. Within 2021, this non-profit program has offered $46 million in grants for minority women to projects and American Organizations all across the United States.
The First Nations Native Farmer and Rancher Apprenticeship is one First Nations grant opportunity currently available to Native American business owners. A total of 30 beginning Native American farmers and ranchers will receive one-on-one technical assistance and a grant worth $7,500 over the course of 30 months through this grant in order to strengthen their land management strategies and build their business capacity.
Check the First Nations website frequently to look for new grant opportunities for minority women throughout the year if your Indigenous-owned business fails to qualify for the BFR grant.
Opportunities For Grants Available For Minority Women
- Date Of Submission: The window for grant application regarding 2023 starts on January 3, 2024.
- Eligibility Requirements: Asian and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) who are also citizens of the U.S. and own their restaurants or other catering programs are eligible for this year’s grant.
- Website Link: https://www.merchantmaverick.com
Through the Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grants program, they awarded four minority small business grants worth $10,000 to outstanding black women entrepreneurs in 2021. Merchant Maverick will give Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders $100,000 in 2023. More specifically, ten specific AAPI-owned restaurants will each receive Opportunity Grants worth $10000.
If you are a US citizen belonging to the AAPI community while owning a restaurant, food cart, kiosk, grocery store, bakery, cafe, or other catering business, we insist that you register as fast as you can. On January 3, 2023, the application window will open up. In total only about 5000 applicants will be received so those willing to apply for this are encouraged to do it soon.
Coalition To Black Business Financial Aid
- Date Of Submission: For 2022-2023, the submission date is currently closed. But it is expected that interest forms will be available again in September of 2023 for the upcoming round of rolling grants for 2023-2024.
- Eligibility Requirements: Black-owned businesses entrepreneurs in industries that are eligible can apply. Qualified organizations should have somewhere in the range of 3 and 20 working individuals. Additionally, businesses must have been affected by the coronavirus and be situated in an economically disadvantaged community.
- Website Link: https://webackblackbusinesses.com
Corona virus has influenced all small businesses in a negative way in 2020 and it is assumed that the consequences will be there for a while, especially for those areas where the economic conditions are not strong enough.
A number of organizations came together to curate the coalition of black-owned businesses. These organizations are American Express, Stanley Black & Decker, Shopify, and the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Black business owners affected by the coronavirus will be able to receive free minority women’s grants through this initiative and this will run through 2024.
Each fall, hundreds of eligible small businesses receive grants valued at $5,000, and this is distributed on a rolling basis, also with a select few business owners receiving $25,000 improvement grants the following summer.
There were a total of 25 people chosen to receive $25,000 in the last round of funding. However, the number of grants given to minority women may change slightly each year depending on the amount of money that is available.
Black business owners can also get 120 free days on Shopify to start and grow their business over the internet through the Coalition’s partnership with Shopify (a different offer from the grant competition).
SoGal Foundation For Black Entrepreneurs Startup Grant
- Date Of Submission: Applications are currently going on for 2023. This ongoing program provides grants at the end of each month.
- Eligibility Requirements: Only black women and non-binary black entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for this program. However, multiracial black people can also take a chance. All applicants must have a registered business, plan to have investors fund on board, and have a scalable business.
- Website Link: https://www.iamsogal.com
Partnering with companies such as Winky Lux and Bluemercury, the SoGal foundation has launched the Black Founder Startup Grant. Black women and non-binary black entrepreneurs can apply for grants for black women through this program to start or expand their businesses.
This program provides minority grants for women worth $5000 and $10,000 to certain applicants. Besides this, winners also get lifetime access to the SoGal foundation and SoGal venture teams. Prizes are given out at the end of each month, and nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Rebuild The Block Grant
- Date Of Submission: The grant is renewed every three months. Rebuild The Block just acknowledges 90 submissions for each cycle prior to shutting down the application, so it is vital to apply when the next application window opens.
- Eligibility Requirements: Those applying for this grant must be a black-owned small business that was harmed during the Covid or by looting. However, the business must be running prior to January 1, 2021. All applicants must be able to verify the business’s legitimacy and the amount of monetary loss that took place.
- Website Link: https://www.rebuildtheblock.org
The mission states that Rebuild The Block helps connect black owned businesses within the community with reputable resources to gain access to generational wealth and assets in the Black community. This is one of the ways Rebuild The Block helps with their Small Business Relief Fund.
Black owned small businesses that are impacted by corona virus, loot, civil unrest can receive financial aid for minority women through this program. During every 3-month cycle, about 15 winners are picked. Although this program does not clarify the monetary value of this grant, a total of $1 million funds is there to assist black owned businesses. Freelancers and creative business founders can also apply for this program.
Self-Employed Growth Grants By The National Association
- Date Of Submission: Grow Grant applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year. In April, applications received between January to March will be looked through. In July, applications received between April to June will be evaluated. In October, applications received between July to September will be seen. The evaluation of applications received between October to December will take place in January of the next year.
- Eligibility Requirements:
All current NASE members are eligible to apply. Additionally, you must demonstrate a specific need for the grant, describe a detailed explanation of how the funds will be used, demonstrate how the grant will help your business grow and succeed, and offer the required documentation as per your demand.
- Website Link: https://www.nase.org
NASE also known as The National Association of the Self-Employed is a non-profit trade association. It offers grants to minority women and educational resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Through its Grow Grant Program, owners of small businesses can apply for grants to meet a specific small business need.
Each of these minority women’s grants can be worth up to $4,000. NASE is a great resource for minority business owners with a specific and defined need for funding, even though you won’t hit the money lode of funding with it. In order to apply for grants for minority women, you must join the NASE. You will also need to give a detailed explanation of how you will use the money and how it will expand your business operations. Its annual subscription costs $120 per year, however, you can go for a monthly subscription beginning with
$11.95 a month only.
Small Business Grant By FedEx
- Date Of Submission: The deadline for submissions for the competition in 2023 is yet to be specified. The submission period, on the other hand, originally begins in February and lasts for a month. For updates, interested applicants can sign up for FedEx emails.
- Eligibility Requirements: Those who are applying must be at least 18. All applicants must be running a US-based small, profitable business with 50 or fewer employees while making less than $5 million as their annual revenue. Additionally, as part of their business, all applicants must have shipped or plan to ship within the next 12 months. However, it is not possible to apply for non-profit organizations, franchises, resellers, or independent consultants.
- Website Link: https://www.fedex.com
Each year, a national competition called the FedEx Small Business Grant Competition is held to give grants to small business owners and entrepreneurs in the form of cash and prizes like credit for FedEx services. It’s not explicitly for minority entrepreneurs, but rather numerous previous winners and finalists have been minority entrepreneurs.
Every year the amount is given to the competition winners and the number of financial aid varies. The said details are current for the 2021 competition however 2023 competition details will be revealed in the next round, and it typically is announced early in the next year.
This year in 2022, the winning prize is $7500 in FedEx office printing services and a business grant worth $50,000. Small-size prizes are also there. In 2022, there were a total of 12 FedEx small business grant achievers.
National Black MBA Association Scaling Pitch Competition
- Date of Submission: For the 2023 competition date of submission is yet to be disclosed. However, in 2021, the submission date was on July 26.
- Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must be at least 18 years old and they must be a resident of the United States. The applicant must be the original creator of all ideas they submit. All applicants are required to disclose any prior funding they have received. The company’s founder must be of African descent or black and have an equal stake in the company. The participating person or at least one person from the team must be a member of the National Black MBA program.
- Website Link: https://nbmbaa.org
As part of its Scale-Up Pitch Challenge, the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) has given grants to Black-owned businesses and acknowledged scalable startups since 2017.
Through this competition, start-ups get opportunities to meet investors and venture capitalists. Besides this, the winners are awarded prizes ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for their pitches.
Interested candidates can submit their PowerPoint presentation along with the pitch. A group of experts will ask the top ten finalists to present their ideas. The finalists finishing in the top 3 of the list will fight at the NBANB Annual Conference and Career Fair for an opportunity to win a cash prize worth $50000, the person finishing second will receive $10,000, and the person in the third position will get $7,500 and audience award of $1,000.
Sephora Competition
- Date Of Submission: On August 25, 2022 applications for the 2023 competition began; currently the submission date is over and the application site is closed. However,r applications for the 2023 competition are supposed to start again during the summer of 2023.
- Eligibility Requirements: All those who are applying here must be an adult of 18 years or above. They must be a BIPOC creator of a beauty brand that is not widely spread yet. If you’re applying, you must have a prototype or samples and have products like makeup, skincare, hair care, perfume, and wellness.
- Website Link: https://sephoraaccelerate.com
World wide popular beauty brand Sephora is giving back to minorities. After signing a fifteen percent pledge the company has agreed to give 15% of storage space to all the businesses that are owned by black people. Through the Sephora Accelerate program, the brand steps up further and helps rising entrepreneurs with grants for minority women.
Winners will complete a six-month program that includes mentorship, two all-expenses-paid trips to program events, and a hands-on boot camp once they are selected. These winners will also get financial aid and be qualified for extra financing. At the end of the program, Sephora wants to make sure that all of the winners’ products get launched in Sephora beauty stores.
Giving Circle Grant For Asian Women
- Date Of Submission: Releasing in January the RFP has a due date around March. In August 2022, the 2021 Asian Women Giving Circle Grant was announced.
- Eligibility Requirements: This award is accessible to organizations owned by Asian American women in New York City. Grants are given out to individual artists as well as community groups who aim to bring social and political changes through their work.
- Website Link: http://asianwomengivingcircle.org
The Asian Women Giving Circle has provided more than $1 million to businesses owned by Asian American women in New York City over the last 16 years. Dance, theater, and film artists are also included here. Those who have received grants have contributed to bringing social and political changes through various ways like a documentary, visual arts, street festivals, choreography, and other workshops.
Grants for minority women competition held in 2021, has given nine awards, ranging from $5000 to $12500 through AWGC. However, the number of people who receive the grants vary every year, and the date of submission changes too. In January 2023, information regarding 2023 grant applications is expected to be out.
How can one use Grants For Minority Women?
You are free to use the funds for personal use once you have applied for and received your college scholarships for minority women. However, you must use the funds as per the terms of the grant for minority women applications.
For example, if you receive a university scholarship or grant to help you pay for your education, you are required to use the funds for tuition, housing, textbooks, and other university costs.
However, if you’re ever caught spending the fund for other reasons, you will have to pay back the grants for minority women. But the application process can be a bit complicated for these programs. Hence the grant is a crucial piece for acquiring college grants for minority women.
You will have access to the extensive database of programs that are currently funded. Once you have all the resources you must apply to get the fund to help you go back to university or get some vocational training courses.
College Grants Available For Minority Women
Women who wish to go back to school but cannot afford to bear the financial requirements are provided financial aid through college grants for minority women. Besides acknowledging that the success of minority women is important the government also understands the amount of pressure a woman might be under.
When we talk about minority women’s college scholarships, it doesn’t matter if you have a job or a lot of money because many government grants for minority women programs give minority women the money they need to reach their aim in life.
Other Available Grants For Minority Women
If you are in search of additional resources you can look into SCORE’s Mentoring Service or any other funds that will support your small business economically.
SCORE
SCORE is one organization that can assist you in your search for going in the right direction to get business financing. It is a partner of the SBA and it is known for providing small business owners and entrepreneurs from over 300 chapters across the country with mentoring services. SCORE also assists with online webinars and additional business courses.
Business Certificates Under SBA 8(a)
While there are a certain amount of federal minority grants for business needs it takes up a specific portion of government contracts for underprivileged businesses, and it includes minority owned businesses.
Achieving an 8(a) certification for underserved small businesses is a good idea if your company is eligible for federal contracts, for example when you run a construction company or make goods that government agencies buy. This status can help you to get contracts.
8(a) small businesses are the ones that are socially and financially underprivileged. It also takes into account any minority-owned small business where the founder is economically stable. Check out certain criteria on the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the 8(a) Business Development Program page.
Venture Capital Funding Available for Minority-Owned Businesses
Venture capital funding does not just grant for minority women. It is more like a
venture capitalist that offers assets for your business. This capital is known as seed capital or seed funding. It receives the partnership of your business in return for its investment. However, for some businesses, particularly tech startups, venture capital funding can be a viable source of capital.
There is also a growing list of venture capital groups that are investing in minority-owned businesses. Additionally, despite the fact that white men still receive the majority of venture capital funding, minority venture capital funding opportunities outnumber grants for minorities.
Conclusion
I hope the article has provided you with all the information on Federal grants for minority women. It is a brilliant idea to sign up for the granting body’s mailing list and follow its accounts on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, etc if you do not want to miss out on the application windows for Minority Small Business Grants and more. Follow this way if you wish to stay updated about grants for minority women’s date of submission and get information regarding any changes taking place inside the program. However, it is important for you to research a bit before applying for a specific program. You should understand that every program has its own unique benefits. Thanks for reading this article till the end. I hope you have a great day ahead!
Frequently Asked Questions
We are going to answer some of the most frequently asked questions on federal grants for minority women. Go through the question and answer to know more about the federal grants for minority women.
Are there any grants available for minority women?
Yes, you can find a few grants that are specially designed for minority women. There are federal grants, small business grants and other grants for minority women. The minority women have struggled a lot and these grants will help them out to live a better life.
What are some best federal grants for minority women?
There are some best federal grants for minority women that includes Giving Circle Grant For Asian Women, Sephora Competition, National Black MBA Association Scaling Pitch Competition, Small Business Grant By FedEx and many more. But remember that the benefits and eligibility requirements vary from program to program .You need to choose the right program that is suitable for you. Websites links has been provided for every program in the article above, you can visit them directly and know more.
Are there any small business grants for minority women?
Yes, you can also find a few small business grants for minority women that includes Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program, Minority Women Development Agency Grants, Eileen Fisher Grant Program and many others. These grants help the minority women to start any small business or help in expanding the existing business.
Are there any other grants excluding small business and federal grants?
If you have not benefited from federal grants and small business grants you can also try other types of grants. The other types of grants include Business Certificates Under SBA 8(a), Venture Capital Funding Available for Minority-Owned Businesses and Score.