Did you know that women-owned businesses struggle to attract capital to finance future growth and business success 67% more than their male business owner peers?

How to get access to Free Money for, Women Business Owners who need to know you are Eligible for Dozens of Grant Programs.

Since having access to capital is one of the major hurdles for female owned businesses I wanted to make you aware of many grant programs offering funding.  Unlike traditional loans that have to be repaid, grants are just like having free money for your business  -- a grant of funds that will help your business grow without adding overhead, interest expenses, or debt to your company.

One of the largest sources of financing for small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), also helps women entrepreneurs launch new businesses and compete in the marketplace through several grant programs. 

The SBA also sponsors about 100 Women’s Business Centers nationwide, designed to help women entrepreneurs with business development and access to capital.

In addition to SBA funding, many other government agencies offer grant funds. 

In order to see if you're eligible, take a look at Grants.gov, which is a database of federally sponsored grants, including grants for small businesses. While the website is a bit clunky to operate, take the time to see if your business is eligible for these funds or to become a government contractor.  Likewise, the U.S. Economic Development Agency also maintains a database of grants that you may want to look into.

Private individuals and foundations also support women-owned businesses with capital, including the Girlboss Foundation, which was launched in 2014 by entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso, to support female business owners working in design, fashion, music, and the arts. Eileen Fisher, a women’s clothing retailer, awards a total of $100,000 to up to 10 women business owners each year. To be eligible, women must make up at least 51% of your business’s ownership and leadership, your business must have been in operation for at least three years, earn less than $1 million in annual revenue, and be focused on environmental or social change.

In addition to these programs, many others are available and worth looking into. One of my favorite business programs and something that helped me so much in my business is the Goldman and Sachs 10KB Program. It is essentially like getting your business NBA in your own business. This is a grant program that helps teach you how to run your business with success and sound business practices completely funded by Goldman and Sachs.  Click here to apply 

There's another benefit of researching and applying for these grants -- many funders ask for information about your business, your goals, and financial projections.  If you haven't put all of that information together, you may benefit from taking a step back to focus on your overall plans or strategies.  

If you could use a hand with any of this, or some support in getting clarity and focus in your business and professional life, check out our website or download our Beyond Common Goal setting Guidebook    and check out our 

Podcast at Beyond Common Business Secrets, and let us know how we can be of service to you! If you know of helpful programs that support women-owned business owners with access to capital, please let me know so we can share that information with our audience!

Thanks for reading our blog!

with Gratitude,

Tracey Watts Cirino