What Should Women Entrepreneurs Know About Small Business Grants?

One of the biggest challenges for any new business involves maintaining liquidity and consistent cash flow. Many entrepreneurs take only a minimal salary—if any at all—during the first few years their business operates, choosing instead to sink any profits back into the business. Fortunately, there are grants available that can provide some much-needed liquidity to female entrepreneurs. Learn more about these grants and how you can take advantage of the opportunities they present. 

Why Female-Centered Grants?

At first blush, distributing grants based on the gender of a business owner can seem like an antiquated, even discriminatory, concept. But the statistics paint a clear picture—female entrepreneurs are less likely to qualify for financing than male entrepreneurs, whether through traditional banking institutions or venture capitalists.¹ There are many contributing factors to this phenomenon, but in response, many organizations and foundations have focused on improving their grant and loan offerings for female-backed businesses as a way to even the playing field.

What Grants are Available?

To begin your grant search, you may want to visit GrantsForWomen.org. This site provides a detailed breakdown of the different types of grants available and allows users to search for grant opportunities in their business sector or geographic area. Some other popular women-centric grants include, but aren't limited to: 

37 Angels 

This organization consists of angel investors (hence the name) who focus exclusively on female-owned small businesses. Grants of $50,000 up to $200,000 are available.²

Amber Grants

This grant program provides a variety of business grants, often over $30,000 a month. Categories include Marketing Grants, Business Category Grants, and two $25,000 grants at the end of the year. Amber Grants have less restrictive criteria than many grants available, and to apply, you'll just need to provide a short explanation of your business's purpose.³ 

Small Business Technology Transfer Program

This government-backed grant allows applicants to seek funding for technological research and development. Qualifying companies must have under 500 employees; grant recipients can receive up to $250,000 during the initial research phase and then an additional $750,000 if this research pans out.⁴