Future federal funding for women’s business centers, SBA is concern with local leaders
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Will Vanguard and other companies replace lost federal funds for Philly-area entrepreneurs?
The Women’s Opportunities Center (WOC) was founded 32 years ago. It provides loans to small businesses in the Philadelphia area. WOC is in danger of losing some of its funding due to President Trump’s budget cuts. The WOC hopes to raise $5 million a year from private donors. It also hopes to increase the number of small businesses it helps with loans, which is down from 1.2 million to 1.3 million in 2013. The organization is also trying to raise money for a new center in Washington, D.C. that will help small businesses and the poor. It is also hoping to raise more money for the WOC’S national program to help fund small businesses. The program is called “WOC,” which stands for “World Wide Opportunities for People of Color.” It was founded by a group of African-American women in the 1970s and 1980s. It was named after a woman who helped start the first WOC.
After financing more than 1,000 loans to some of the Philadelphia area’s smallest businesses, Lynne Cutler is leaving the top job at the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center. She founded WORC 32 years ago and now passes the torch to new executive director Iola Harper.
Amid the transition, future federal funding for its microloans and other programs are in doubt due to changes in Washington.
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President Donald Trump in a March executive order called for eliminating or reducing the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, which last year granted WORC $723,000. Trump’s budget proposal calls for reducing funds to programs that focus on minority borrowers, redirects 60% of small-business aid to rural areas, and urges the funds to be “self-sustaining” instead of relying on federal aid.
WORC says it lends to owners of all backgrounds, and that, besides loans, it needs money for staff that helps small businesses start and grow.
While banks, credit unions, and Congressional allies of these “community-development financial institutions” have rushed to defend the programs, and Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has agreed they are “key” to meeting Trump’s goal of helping Main Street businesses, federal funding remains uncertain.
WORC has appealed meanwhile to private donors and won its first funding from Vanguard Group’s charitable arm.
Cutler’s move is a semiretirement to the post of executive chairman — modeled, she says, on Firstrust Bank owner Richard Green’s move to a similar part-time post.
At a party Wednesday to celebrate the transition, Cutler sought to go out on a high note, sharing with hundreds of bankers, lawyers, borrowers, and other supporters an ambitious plan to more than triple WORC’s projected lending to $5 million a year by 2028. They aim to do so mostly by financing small-business real estate purchases among its other programs.
But there’s a problem: WORC’s largest funder is the federal government.
State and city governments nominally sponsor small-business capital, credit, and real estate assistance programs that fund WORC, but they, too, rely on federal money that’s now threatened, Cutler said.
“I’m deeply concerned with the federal cuts,” she said. “We don’t know the full impact on WORC or on our clients, but underlying these state and city programs, it’s all federal funding.”
Who WORC helps
WORC has funded factories and lawn services, nail salons and skin care businesses, design and accounting firms.
As if to highlight the diversity of the founders backed by WORC, the center hired an assortment of food businesses the agency has financed over the years to feed guests at the party for Cutler.
They included Tun Win’s Sushi Avenue, Dalia Soliman and Mohamed Alazzazy’s Cilantro Mediterranean Cuisine, Daniel Anggrianto’s Cafe Square One, Tova du Plessis’ Essen Bakery, Pamela Thornton’s Pound Cake Heaven, and Jeanne Hien’s Le Baobab.
Cutler and leaders of another 30 Pennsylvania nonprofit “community development financial institutions” (CDFIs) that make loans too small for banks to profitably close are lobbying Congress members to maintain threatened funding for U.S. Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, and Office of Refugee Resettlement programs, which they have used to fund small businesses.
They hope business allies will prevail to keep business subsidies flowing, as Small Business Administration supporters have fought efforts to end politically popular SBA programs with some success, though Biden-era SBA initiatives have been canceled.
“We won’t really know until this fall” how much funding will be lost, Cutler concluded. She’s hoping Philadelphia city government will make up the shortfall as part of its neighborhood-business support initiatives.
Can the private sector fill the gap?
The crowd at Wednesday’s meeting included Aldustus “A.J.” Jordan, who left a senior job at national banking giant Wells Fargo’s foundation at the end of 2022 to become president of the Vanguard Group foundation and head of community stewardship for the Malvern-based investment company, the nation’s second-largest.
The foundation is “embarking on a new strategic philanthropic focus on financial well-being” to “improve the economic outlook for historically marginalized individuals and communities,” it said in a statement. They’re working “to strengthen the nonprofit financial ecosystem” in the Philadelphia area, where the company employs more than 10,000, and other “key Vanguard markets.”
Jordan didn’t speak at the WORC event, but his colleague Evan Cantiello, a Vanguard charitable program manager, told the crowd the company would be supporting WORC.
Cutler said Vanguard funds will pay for a sixfold expansion in WORC’s client savings account programs, which provide up to $2 in matching grants for every $1 clients save for education and homeownership.
The Vanguard aid should pay program costs and expand participation to around 215 savers a year, up from the current 35, though individual grants vary, Cutler said. That would restore the program to around the size it was in the mid-2000s, before state funding dried up. WORC kept it going at a lower level with smaller grants from United Way and other donors.
Cutler said she had met Cantiello and other Vanguard officials through the Asset Funders Network, a national group uniting big financial institutions and nonprofits that focus on helping start and grow small businesses. “They saw my passion,” she said.
“This is the first support we’ve provided to WORC” from the Vanguard foundation, spokesperson Katie Craven confirmed. Asked how much Vanguard, which invests over $10 trillion for retirees and other clients, expected to contribute to WORC, she referred to the company’s charitable foundation report.
That report shows Vanguard’s largest charitable gifts in recent years include $4.9 million for the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, which advocates for childcare; $4.6 million to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; $3.9 million to the Reinvestment Fund, a nonprofit lender and research group; $1.7 million to the Free Library of Philadelphia.
All are based in Philadelphia. The foundation’s largest contributions were typically spread over several years.
Cantwell Questions Cuts To Programs Serving Minority And Women-Owned Businesses
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is leading a call for answers from the Trump administration on decisions to dismantle or cut funding for programs that support small businesses. Cantwell, joined by 10 Senate colleagues, sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick questioning the administration’s actions targeting the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) The MBDA was created in 1969 to help minority business owners succeed by expanding access to capital, contracts, and resources. The Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal seeks to abolish the MBDA entirely. The letter also raised concerns about reports of staffing cuts at the Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBUs), which help small businesses compete for federal contracts. They argued that these changes not only harm minority-owned firms but also threaten broader economic growth. Minority-owned businesses employ millions of Americans and generate more than $2 trillion in annual revenue.
Cantwell, joined by 10 Senate colleagues, sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick questioning the administration’s actions targeting the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and other programs that provide essential technical assistance, mentorship, and funding access for small business owners across the country.
“We demand answers from the Administration about how it intends to properly serve small business entrepreneurs from minority and underserved communities and follow Federal laws establishing support for such entrepreneurs,” the senators wrote. “A failure to support small businesses, including minority-owned small businesses, will be a detriment to the entire American economy.”
The MBDA was created in 1969 to help minority business owners succeed by expanding access to capital, contracts, and resources. In 2021, Congress permanently authorized the agency with bipartisan support through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Despite this, President Trump issued an executive order in March directing the MBDA and other agencies to reduce their functions to the minimum legally required. The Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal seeks to abolish the MBDA entirely.
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These actions have already had consequences in Washington state. The MBDA Business Center in Tacoma was recently forced to close after its grant was terminated. Since 2021, the center had helped minority-owned businesses in the region create and retain nearly 1,500 jobs, secure $190.8 million in contracts, and obtain $216.9 million in financing.
Senator Cantwell said eliminating the MBDA undercuts decades of progress in supporting minority business development.
“Undermining and dismantling targeted federal programs that recognize the historic challenges faced by minority business owners will ultimately hurt local communities and weaken the U.S. economy,” the senators wrote in the letter.
The senators criticized the administration for taking steps that undermine federal small business contracting goals, including for Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs), women-owned small businesses, and veteran-owned small businesses. In January 2025, the SBA lowered its goal for federal contracting dollars to SDBs to just 5 percent, down from the Biden administration’s 15 percent target. The letter also raised concerns about reports of staffing cuts
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in agency Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBUs), which help small businesses compete for federal contracts.
They argued that these changes not only harm minority-owned firms but also threaten broader economic growth. Minority-owned businesses employ millions of Americans and generate more than $2 trillion in annual revenue.
The senators pointed to reports indicating that since the executive order, nearly all MBDA employees were laid off or reassigned, and termination letters were sent to MBDA grantees and Business Centers. While a Rhode Island federal court issued a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the executive order, uncertainty remains about the agency’s future.
Cantwell has been a consistent defender of the MBDA. She previously demanded compliance with court orders halting its dismantling and called on the Department of Commerce to honor commitments to the agency’s mission. She has also raised concerns about the administration’s proposal to eliminate the SBA’s Women’s Business Centers and SCORE mentorship programs, both of which provide crucial support to entrepreneurs nationwide.
“These programs are not duplicative—they fill long-standing gaps in resources for minority, women, and veteran entrepreneurs who continue to face barriers to capital and opportunity,” Cantwell has said in past statements defending small business development initiatives.
Other senators signing the letter include Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
The senators’ letter outlined specific questions for the administration to answer by July 10. They requested details on how the Department of Commerce plans to use congressionally appropriated MBDA funds, explanations for staffing and grant terminations, plans to meet existing SDB contracting goals, and reasons for proposing to eliminate “specialized and duplicative programs” such as Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, the State Trade Expansion Program, Native American outreach programs, technical assistance for the Microloan program, Growth Accelerators, and Regional Innovation Clusters.
They warned that dismantling these programs would limit opportunities for entrepreneurs and undermine the innovation needed to maintain U.S. competitiveness.
In Tacoma, the loss of the MBDA Business Center is expected to have ripple effects. Since 2021, its services helped many local minority-owned businesses weather economic shifts, win public contracts, and expand their workforce. Community economic development advocates say the center played a critical role in building generational wealth in historically underrepresented communities.
The senators concluded their letter with a direct warning: failing to support small businesses, particularly minority-owned enterprises, will weaken the economy and harm efforts to build resilient local communities.
The Trump administration has not yet publicly responded to the letter. SBA and Commerce Department officials are expected to provide written answers to the senators’ inquiries in the coming weeks.
43 Small-Business Grants for Women: Free Funding in 2025
Small-business grants can be a great way to fund your new or existing business. WomensNet awards three $10,000 Amber Grants to women-owned businesses in the U.S. or Canada each month. Some private corporations and organizations offer business grants for women. Amazon’s annual grant contest is open to all small-business owners through May 30, 2018, and is $25,000 for the top four finalists in each category. The Dream Makers Grant is a collaboration with the Fifteen Percent Pledge that offers $15,000 grants to the top 15 percent of the Pledge’s most successful members. The Fund Her Future Grant program is a grant program from Block Advisors by H&R Block that offers grants to women business owners nationwide in the next five years.. Read NerdWallet’s guide on how to mitigate the impact of tariffs on your small business. Read our guide to the best ways to protect your business in the United States and the world, including how to get the most out of your tax refund.
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Business grants for women can help you grow your business for free, as opposed to small-business loans or other types of debt-based funding that you must pay back. But competition for small-business grants is fierce, and it takes considerable time and effort to win them.
If you’re up for the challenge, though, grants can be a great way to fund your new or existing business. Here are places women entrepreneurs can look for small-business grants and other free financial resources.
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Private small-business grants for women
Some private corporations and organizations offer business grants for women. Here are some to consider:
1. Amber Grant
Every month, WomensNet awards three $10,000 Amber Grants to women-owned businesses in the U.S. or Canada. One grant is given to a startup, one is for businesses in specific, rotating categories (the January category is skilled trade, and the February category is health and fitness), and the final grant is for general small businesses. At the end of each year, monthly grant winners are eligible to receive one of three $25,000 annual grants.
The application is relatively simple: Explain your business, describe what you’d do with the grant money and pay a $15 application fee. Because there’s no time in business requirement, companies seeking startup business grants for women may want to prioritize the Amber Grant.
2. IFundWomen Universal Grant Application Database
IFundWomen is a grant marketplace that specializes in funding and coaching for women-owned businesses. You can submit one application and when IFundWomen adds a grant from an enterprise partner, it will match the partner’s grant criteria to applications within the database.
If your business is a match, you’ll receive a notification and invitation to apply. Previous grant partners have included companies like Visa, Neutrogena and American Express.
3. HerRise Microgrant
HerRise Microgrants are offered by the Yva Jourdan Foundation, the nonprofit arm of HerSuiteSpot, an organization that provides business coaching and training to under-resourced women entrepreneurs, including women of color. Applications are accepted on a monthly basis and $1,000 grants are awarded each month. To be eligible, your business must be at least 51% woman owned and you must have less than $1 million in gross revenue.
4. YippityDoo Big Idea Grant
YippityDoo, a support organization for women entrepreneurs, offers a $1,000 business grant on a monthly basis. To qualify you must be located within the U.S., ages 18 or over and have (or plan to start) a women-owned business.
In addition to the grant money, this program also provides a one-year membership to the company’s wealth mindset coaching group. You can apply by completing a simple application form on the YippityDoo website. There is a $15 application fee.
5. Fund Her Future Grant
Fund Her Future, a grant program from Block Advisors by H&R Block, is open to women business owners nationwide. One grand prize winner receives a $50,000 grant, while five additional small businesses get $10,000 each. Winners also receive a year of free small-business services, including bookkeeping, payroll and tax support. To be eligible, you must have an established business that generated a minimum of $20,000 in revenue in 2024. Applications are now open through May 30, 2025.
6. Amazon Business Small Business Grant Contest
Amazon Business’s annual grant contest is open to all small-business owners. This year, one grand-prize winner will receive $25,000, four finalists will receive $20,000 grants and 10 semi-finalists will be awarded $15,000 grants. To be eligible, you must have an Amazon Business account (it’s free to create), and annual revenue of $1 million or less. Applications are now open through May 23.
7. Dream Makers Founders Grant
A collaboration with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, the Dream Makers Founders Grant offers $25,000 grants to five female small-business owners. To be eligible, your business must employ between two and 10 people, generate revenue between $100,000 and $1 million and be at least 51% female owned. You must also be a member of the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Business Equity Community. Applications are now open through May 30, 2025.
8. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition
In its 13th year, the Fast Pitch Competition from the Women Founders Network is open to U.S. businesses started by women. To be eligible, your business cannot have raised more than $750,000. Selected participants pitch their businesses in person and winners receive $25,000 grants. Applications for the next cycle will be accepted from April 1 to May 31, 2025.
9. Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards
Every year, Cartier awards three grants to women-owned businesses in nine different regions around the world. The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards program is designed to support early-stage businesses that are focused on a range of social, economic and environmental development issues.
The first-place business is awarded a $100,000 grant, second place receives $60,000 and third place gets $30,000. Winners also receive executive coaching and the opportunity to participate in a variety of training workshops. Applications for the 2025 cycle are open until June 24.
10. Galaxy Grant
This grant program, which Hidden Star, a nonprofit organization, presents, is open to women and minority small-business owners. Winners can currently receive a $3,500 grant. The next deadline is June 30, 2025.
11. Faire Small Business Grant
New business owners who launched their retail business in 2024 or who plan to open a business in 2025 or 2026 may be eligible to apply for a $5,000 Faire Small Business Grant. Applications for the current cycle are now open and will be accepted until June 30, 2025. Winners are announced in July.
12. ZenBusiness Grant Program
This program is open to new businesses that used the ZenBusiness platform to launch their business within the past three to six months. Applications are now open and are accepted quarterly. Winners receive a $5,000 grant, as well as free access to select ZenBusiness products.
13. CO – 100
This annual grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is open to all small-business owners. To be eligible, your business must have been in operation for at least one year, you must have fewer than 250 employees and your gross revenue for the previous two fiscal years must have been below $20 million. One grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 grant, and 10 additional businesses will receive $2,000 grants. Applications are now open through July 7.
14. Santander’s Cultivate Small Business
Santander’s Cultivate Small Business program helps early-stage entrepreneurs in the food industry, with a focus on historically underserved businesses. Through this program, business owners participate in a 12-week virtual education curriculum that includes mentorship and networking. Business owners also receive up to $20,000 in capital grants.
To qualify, you must have been in business for at least one year, have between one and 10 full-time employees and have generated between $25,000 and $1 million in revenue in the past year. The program operates in two cohorts. The fall cohort is available for businesses in Boston, Connecticut, Miami, Philadelphia, New York City and Rhode Island. Applications are currently open until July 8, 2025.
15. Texas Rural Woman Grant
The Texas Rural Woman Grant program is open to women-owned, rural small businesses in Texas. Hosted by Texas Woman’s University, the program is restricted to specific counties in the state. This year, 10 grants of $10,000 will be awarded. The application window for this year will run from May 20, 2025 through June 20, 2025.
16. StartHer Grant
Offered by Texas Woman’s University’s Center for Women Entrepreneurs, the StartHER grant awards $5,000 to 10 Texas-based businesses. Businesses must be at least 51% women-owned to be eligible. Applications for this year’s cycle will run from Aug. 26, 2025 through Sept. 26, 2025.
17. High Five Grant for Moms
The Mama Ladder organization offers an annual small-business grant specifically for moms. This grant, called the High Five Grant, is designed to support women caregivers with children of all ages, including first-time expecting moms, stepmoms and foster moms.
Entrepreneurs can submit an application online and share the story behind their business on social media. Finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges and then a public vote will determine the top three winners. The top business receives a $10,000 grant, the runner-up receives a $5,000 grant and the third-place finalist gets $2,500. Five additional businesses receive $1,000 honorable mention grants. Applications for this year’s cycle will be accepted from Sept. 1-30, 2025.
18. Start.Pivot.Grow Grant
This micro-grant program from Start.Pivot.Grow is open to businesses that have been in operation for at least two years, employ one-two people and generate annual revenue of at least $50,000. Grants of $2,500 are offered each quarter and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
19. EmpowHER Grants
Female small-business owners who are at least 22 years old may be eligible for an EmpowHER grant from Boundless Futures Foundation. Your business must have been established within the last three years in order to be eligible. You must also address one of the following societal issues through your product or business model: poverty and hunger, sustainability and the environment or strong communities. Grant funding is awarded as reimbursement of up to $25,000 for business-related expenses. Applications are accepted on a quarterly basis.
20. National Association for the Self-Employed Growth Grant
Every quarter, the NASE awards up to $4,000 to up to four small businesses via its growth grants. These funds can be used for a variety of business needs, including marketing, advertising and hiring employees.
To apply for this grant, you must be a NASE member in good standing for at least three months. Annual members can apply at any time.
21. The Freed Fellowship Grant
Each month, a small-business owner can receive a $500 micro-grant from the Freed Fellowship. Monthly grant recipients are also eligible for a $2,500 annual grant. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. While this grant is open to all small-business owners, women and minority entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply.
22. Empower Her Fund
Through the organization Women’s Empire, the Empower Her Fund offers $1,000 grants on a quarterly basis to women in New York City. These grants are available to women-led organizations, community groups and individual women entrepreneurs with projects that specifically benefit women and girls or contribute to community development in New York City.
To qualify, your proposal must align with the Empower Her Fund’s mission and goals, addressing issues such as education, health, entrepreneurship and advocacy. Applications are accepted quarterly through the Women’s Empire website.
23. Backing Small Businesses
The Backing Small Businesses grant program is a collaboration between American Express and Main Street America. In 2025, the program will award $10,000 grants to 400 small businesses facing economic challenges. Funding must support projects that improve small businesses by building community, supporting growth and viability or nurturing positive change. Application information will be announced in June.
24. Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition
Started in 2019, the Enthuse Foundation’s Annual Pitch Competition is open to female entrepreneurs. Participants pitch their business at an in-person event. One grand-prize winner receives a $15,000 grant. The runner-up gets a $10,000 cash prize. Applications for the 2025 round have not yet been announced.
25. Stacy’s Rise Project
A collaboration between Stacy’s Pita Chips and Hello Alice, Stacy’s Rise Project awards $25,000 to 15 small businesses, with preference given to women-owned businesses in the food and beverage industry. Business owners also receive four months of executive mentorship, access to a peer network and a spotlight feature on the FoundedByHer.org business directory. Eligible businesses must generate annual revenue between $25,000 and $1 million. The application window for 2025 has not yet been announced.
26. Waves of Change Grant
Women of color entrepreneurs with early-stage businesses that generate less than $50,000 in annual revenue may be eligible for the Waves of Change Grant. Described primarily as a “service-based grant,” in which experts will donate their time and services to help recipients grow their business, the grant may also offer a stipend to cover operating costs for one year. Applications are currently closed. You can sign up on the company’s website to be notified when applications open.
27. She’s Connected by AT&T
She’s Connected by AT&T is open to U.S.-based small-businesses that are women-owned and have fewer than 51 employees. The grand prize winner will receive a $50,000 grant and a year of free AT&T service alongside a new device. Four runner-up businesses will receive $5,000 microgrants. Application information for this year’s cycle has not yet been announced.
28. Ignite: A WBDC Grant
Connecticut businesses that are at least 51% women-owned may be eligible for this Equity Match Grant offered by the Women’s Business Development Council. Grants between $2,500 and $10,000 will be awarded toward specific projects that will contribute to a business’s growth and profitability. Applicants must provide a minimum match of 25% for any awarded funds. The next round of funding will be announced later this year.
29. WBDC Launch Pad Grant Program
Another program from the Connecticut WBDC, the Launch Pad grant offers women-owned businesses $2,500 to be put toward startup costs. This grant is designed specifically for newly established companies. To qualify, you must complete one of three WBDC business courses, be located in Connecticut and have been in business for less than two years. Applications for 2025 have not yet been announced.
30. BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program
Presented as a collaboration between BMO Bank and Deloitte, the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program is open to small businesses that are at least 51% women-owned and are located in one of 24 states. Additional eligibility requirements include that your business must have been in operation for at least two years, and your annual revenue cannot exceed $5 million. Fifteen female entrepreneurs will receive $10,000 grants. Application information for 2025 has not yet been announced.
31. Olga Loizon Foundation Grant
Michigan-based women small-business owners may be eligible for this grant from the Olga Loizon Foundation. As part of the grant application, you must provide a business plan and a written statement demonstrating financial need. Grants of up to $10,000 are available.
32. FoundHer Accelerator Program
The FoundHer accelerator program focuses on Hawaii-based women entrepreneurs. Accepted participants to the six-month program will receive $20,000 grants, a $4,000 care stipend, weekly educational workshops, and monthly learning and networking retreats. Businesses must be early-stage, for-profit and at least 51% Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-owned to qualify. Applications for 2025 have not yet been announced.
33. Small Business, Big Dreams: Women in Business Challenge
BankUnited’s Small Business, Big Dreams: Women in Business Challenge is open to women entrepreneurs in New York or Florida. Additional eligibility requirements include being a for-profit business that has no more than 20 full-time employees and an annual revenue of no more than $3 million for each of the previous two fiscal years. One grand-prize winner will be awarded $15,000, a second-place winner will receive $5,000 and third place will get $2,500. Application information for 2025 has not yet been announced.
34. Her Village Grant
Another program offered by the Boundless Futures Foundation, Her Village Grant is open to nonprofits that support female entrepreneurs. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $30,000. You can check the foundation’s website for updates to the program.
35. EBay Up & Running Grant
Fifty eBay business sellers can receive $10,000 grants from the eBay Up & Running grant program. To be eligible, you must have been an eBay seller with a rating of “Above Standard” or “Top Rated” since at least Dec. 1, 2023. Previous grant recipients are ineligible. Information for the 2025 application cycle has not yet been announced.
36. The Kitty Fund Mother-Led Business Grant
Launched in 2020, the Kitty Fund Mother-Led Business Grant offers $1,000 grants to business founders who identify as mothers. Your business must have between two and 100 employees, be U.S.-based and have revenue of $5 million or less. Applications are currently closed.
37. Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship
The Tory Burch Foundation offers an annual year-long fellowship program for 50 women business owners. In addition to educational resources and networking opportunities, the fellowship awards a $5,000 grant to each participant and access to 0%-interest Kiva loans. Applications for the current cycle have closed, and fellows will be selected in spring of 2025.
38. Halstead Grant
The Halstead Grant is an annual award for entrepreneurs looking to break into the silver jewelry industry. The winner receives a $7,500 startup grant, as well as a $1,000 in Halstead gift card. Additional finalists also receive $1,000 and a $250 Halstead gift card. To apply, you must answer 15 business-related questions and submit a design portfolio. Applications for the 2025 cycle are now closed.
39. Giving Joy Grants
Women over the age of 18 are eligible to apply for a grant from Giving Joy. Winners will receive micro-grants of up to $500, which can be put toward launching a business or nonprofit, or expanding an existing business or charity organization. Application windows for 2025 are based on geographical region. Applications have closed this year for American-based businesses and grants will be awarded in June.
40. Veteran Woman Grant
Women veteran entrepreneurs who are located in Texas may be eligible for this annual business grant offered by Texas Women’s University. Each year this program awards $5,000 grants to five female veteran-owned businesses. Applications for the latest cycle closed on Feb. 21, 2025.
Federal government small-business grants for women
Some federal government grants for small-business owners are designated for specific purposes, such as research and development projects, or for businesses in rural areas. Government grants typically can’t be used for startup costs or day-to-day expenses.
41. Grants.gov
Grants.gov is a database of federally sponsored grants, including grants for small businesses. Although these grants are not exclusive to women-owned businesses, this database is a great place to start if you’re looking for free financing.
To apply, you must obtain a Unique Entity ID for your business (a 12-character alphanumeric identification number), register to do business with the U.S. government through its System for Award Management website and create an account at Grants.gov.
To view grants specifically for small businesses, filter the results on the left side of the page under “eligibility.”
42. Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs
The SBA facilitates these two competitive programs, which provide grants to small businesses that contribute to federal research and development. Eleven federal agencies — including the departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Health and Human Services — post business grant opportunities on their websites. You can search current grant opportunities on the SBIR website.
To qualify, you must operate a for-profit business with no more than 500 employees and meet other eligibility requirements.
43. Program for Investors in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME)
Although the SBA coordinates some grant programs, the agency doesn’t typically offer grant funding directly to small businesses. With the PRIME program, however, the SBA provides federal grants to microenterprise development organizations so that they can offer training, technical assistance and coaching to disadvantaged small-business owners.
These grants are available to nonprofit, private, state, local or tribal-run organizations, including those that focus on working with women-owned small businesses. The Women’s Business Development Council in Stamford, Connecticut, for example, was awarded a $300,000 grant in 2024 [0] View all sources U.S. Small Business Administration . PRIME Grant Awardees FY 2024 . Accessed Jan 8, 2025.
State and local resources for women
Because federal small-business grants are limited in number and often very competitive, you may have better luck seeking out grants for women at the state and municipal levels. You’ll have to do your own research to pinpoint specific grant programs in your area, but here are some places to help you get started:
Women’s Business Centers
The SBA sponsors more than 100 Women’s Business Centers nationwide, designed to help women entrepreneurs with business development and access to capital. Some, such as the California Capital Financial Development Corp., lend money directly while others help you find small-business grants and loans that you may qualify for.
Economic Development Administration
Every state and many cities have economic development resources focused on promoting strong local economies. For example, New York has several economic development districts, such as the Lake Champlain – Lake George Regional Planning Board, which helps local businesses access state and federal funding.
Small Business Development Centers
There are hundreds of SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Centers around the country, typically housed at colleges and universities. SBDCs offer free, one-on-one business consulting, such as help with developing a business plan, researching markets and finding financing — including grants, business loans and crowdfunding.
Some SBDCs offer training on certification programs like the SBA 8(a) Business Development Program and Minority and Women Business Enterprise Certifications. These programs can help businesses level the playing field when competing in the public and private sector.
Minority Business Development Agency Centers
The MBDA operates a network of business centers across the country that are designed to help minority business owners access capital, secure contracts and develop financial strategies. Your local MBDA business center can work with you to identify the right financing options for your business, including federal, state and private small-business grants.
The MBDA also runs the Enterprising Women of Color Initiative, or EWOC, to support minority women in their business endeavors. The EWOC provides access to resources, events and other opportunities for women minority-owned businesses.
Alternatives to small-business grants
Finding and applying for business grants can be difficult, as well as time-consuming. If you don’t qualify for certain grants — or simply want to explore other ways to fund your women-owned business — here are some avenues to explore:
Best small-business loans for women: Compare SBA loans, online term loans, lines of credit, microloans and learn about other available resources for your business.
Crowdfunding for business: Tap into the power of the internet to raise money for your business and promote your company’s product or service.
Small-business credit cards: Compare dozens of cards and find the best choice for financing your everyday business purchases — and earn rewards in the process.
SBA microloans: Work with a nonprofit financial institution to apply for these government-backed loans, which can be a good choice for new or very small businesses.
Funding for small businesses — a big source of jobs — at risk under Trump
California’s small businesses create the bulk of jobs in the state. Trump’s funding freeze, anti-DEI push and more could jeopardize that. The administration has said funding for small business would not be paused, but owners and advocates are not sure if that will prove true. Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees accounted for 29% of. jobs in California, and businesses with 20 to 100 employees accounted. for 30% of jobs as of the end of 2022, according to an. analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Public Policy Institute of California. The freeze, imposed on Jan. 27, affected hundreds of billions of dollars for thousands of federal programs, including many aimed at small businesses.. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order putting the freeze on hold. Since then there has been more legal wrangling, including a court order stating that Trump failed to comply with the initial ruling. Some small business owners, allies and experts worry that a freeze could mean fewer opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.
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California’s small businesses — employers to more than half the state’s workforce — are staring down what some owners, experts and advocates say could be immense negative consequences from President Donald Trump’s slew of executive orders.
Trump’s embattled federal funding freeze and anti-diversity push have seeded uncertainty about the economy, jobs and spending on infrastructure and innovation.
The freeze, imposed on Jan. 27, affected hundreds of billions of dollars for thousands of federal programs, including many aimed at small businesses. After states including California filed suit, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order putting the freeze on hold. Since then there has been more legal wrangling, including a court order stating that Trump failed to comply with the initial ruling.
The administration has said funding for small business would not be paused, but owners and advocates are not sure if that will prove true, and say uncertainty about the freeze may already be doing damage.
Liz Perez, who owns a small general contracting firm in San Diego County, said news of the funding freeze gave some people in her Native American community “heart attacks.” She said some projects that were under construction had to be temporarily halted while those in charge tried to figure out what was going on.
“I’ve never seen tribal leaders — the most put-together leaders — so frazzled,” Perez said.
Perez and other small business owners, allies and experts worry that a freeze could mean fewer opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses, which could lead to fewer jobs and less spending and investment for communities, industries and larger businesses.
Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees accounted for 29% of jobs in California, and businesses with 20 to 100 employees accounted for 30% of jobs in the state as of the end of 2022, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Public Policy Institute of California.
California, the nation’s most populous state, is the biggest recipient of Small Business Administration loans, with $1.15 billion in loans approved for this year. Not all loans from the agency are federally funded, but they are guaranteed by the government. The loans funded by the agency, which could be most at risk from the freeze, include disaster loans and microloans.
Other federal funds that help small businesses and were on the list of programs to be frozen include the $25 million for the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which the Finance Department said is in the state’s 2025-2026 fiscal year budget. Community development financial institutions, which provide banking services to small businesses, are also facing a “real and immediate threat” to their funding that includes possible cancellation of contracts, the CDFI Coalition said in an email to its members this week that was seen by CalMatters.
Simon Brown, spokesperson for national advocacy group Small Business Majority, said small business owners, who “struggle to access capital from all institutions at all levels,” count on the Small Business Administration as a key source of help. Although he is unclear about whether funding from the agency will be affected, he is concerned. “If SBA funding was choked off in some way, it would be a major blow to the entire ecosystem,” Brown said.
Representatives from the Small Business Administration did not return multiple requests for comment, and neither did the White House.
Alex Bloom, economic development manager for Central Sierra Economic Development District as well as Mother Lode Job Training — which handles training funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act — said the effects of a federal funding freeze could be far-reaching.
“Overall there’s a level of uncertainty,” that could lead to a drop in investor confidence, he said. And “a funding freeze or delay could halt infrastructure projects, which would affect job creation and development that are critical to our region,” Bloom added.
Others say a freeze or pullback on funding will have an impact on equity — that it could hurt those who need the most help.
How federal aid and policies have boosted small business
Perez said she served in the U.S. Navy for nine years, then “transitioned right into a recession.” At one point, she was pregnant and had nowhere to live. She began working in construction and eventually started a business.
“My business helped get me out of poverty,” said Perez, owner of GC Green, a general contracting and consulting firm that focuses on clean energy, and subsidiary Veterans Energy Services Company.
Liz Perez, owner of GC Green, a general contracting and consulting firm that focuses on clean energy, walks around an electric vehicle charging station that was recently completed at a Sonic location in Vista on Jan. 31, 2025. The charging station was a project of VESCO, a subsidiary of GC Green, and manufactured by Chaevi. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters
On the list of programs the Trump administration is examining include funds for small business development centers, development loans and technical assistance for small businesses.
The budget office also said it wanted to root out “Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who with other state attorneys general won a temporary restraining order against the freeze, said last week during a press conference that, if enacted, it would affect 34% of the state’s budget, which he called “a massive, irreplaceable chunk.”
As a woman, veteran and Native American, Perez said she has been helped by some DEI initiatives. But she said “starting my company didn’t mean I cut in line, or got in front of everybody. It means I got my foot in the door.”
Perez also was able to secure a federal loan to help Native American-owned businesses during the pandemic, during President Joe Biden’s administration, which she said helped her expand her business.
“You roll back these initiatives, what is that going to do to our economy, our supply chains, our workforce?” she asked.
“You roll back these initiatives, what is that going to do to our economy, our supply chains, our workforce?” Liz Perez, small business owner, San Diego County
The budget office followed up its original memo with another one that said “funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance, and other similar programs will not be paused.” But there is evidence that at least one of the things on that list has not been spared: Some Head Start programs have had trouble accessing funding and at least one has been forced to shut down in Washington, according to media reports and the states’ lawsuit.
At least one expert CalMatters spoke with said he thinks small business is “probably one of the last places the spigot will be turned off.” Robert Dekle, an economics professor at the University of Southern California, said “it would actually be suicidal for the Republican party to continue with” cutting off aid to small businesses because he said small business owners make up “a large part of Trump’s base.” (A poll after Trump won the election showed changes in optimism among small business owners differed along party lines.)
‘We’re going backwards’
But Catalina Amuedo-Dorante, an economics professor at UC Merced, said this administration has made its priorities clear. “We’re going backwards (in terms of) rights for different minority groups, groups that need more assistance in medical care, food, education,” she said.
The professor added that “harming human capital” is a recipe for disaster. She called the possible rollback of funding to small business, medical research and other programs a threat to this generation and next.
Line cook Leticia Andrade, left, puts together a lunch order at Creative Ideas Catering, a small business, in San Francisco on June 11, 2024. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters
Another one of Trump’s executive orders — titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” — includes a directive to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs within the Department of Labor to stop “promoting diversity” and “allowing or encouraging Federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in workforce balancing based on race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin.”
The president’s anti-diversity push rides a wave of similar sentiment that has swept the country in recent years, including through lawsuits against affirmative action in government. Last year, a judge ruled that a small business lending program meant to help Black, Latino and other underrepresented entrepreneurs should be open to white people.
In late January, the Small Business Administration reportedly decreased its goals for federal contract awards to small and disadvantaged businesses to 5%, apparently because of the Trump directive on DEI. Under Biden, the goal was 15%.
What all this could mean, regardless of what happens with the funding freeze, is that some small businesses that might otherwise have been considered for federal government contracts may no longer get those chances.
Perez, the small business owner, said DEI initiatives can help when it comes to landing general contracting work, but not always: “Just because these policies are in place, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get the job. It’s so difficult. It’s grinding all the time.”
Carolina Martinez, chief executive of CAMEO Network, a small business advocacy group, said procurement opportunities were already limited, and the Trump administration’s new policies will make things worse. “It seems clear they’re opening the door to discrimination and racism,” she said.
Randell Leach is CEO of Beneficial State Bank in Oakland, a community development financial institution, which serves low-income customers and small businesses that may not be able to get loans elsewhere. Leach said he is concerned about the intersecting effects of “the curtailment of funding and anti-DEI measures that could come together and impact women entrepreneurs and communities of color.”
Not only does that directly affect historically underrepresented small businesses but also, potentially, “a whole host of vendors and tech companies that support them,” he said.
The bottom line: “It’s important to be aware that discrimination in any form is not only bad for communities, but for the economy,” Martinez said.
Which Federal Programs Are Under Scrutiny? The Budget Office Named 2,600 of Them.
White House memo ordered temporary freezes in funding for programs across the government. Order, temporarily blocked by a federal judge as it was set to go into effect, was circulated alongside a spreadsheet of about 2,600 programs now under review. The list spans virtually every federal initiative that distributes money — even some, like Medicare, that officials said would not be affected. It was unclear if the spreadsheet reflected oversights and accidental contradictions, or something closer to the administration’s full ambitions.
Update: On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the White House rescinded its previous order pausing grant and loan programs across the federal government.
A Trump administration memo sent to U.S. federal agencies Monday night ordered temporary freezes in funding for programs across the government. It caused widespread confusion among agency officials and organizations that rely on federal support, including states, schools, hospitals and other nonprofits.
The order, temporarily blocked by a federal judge as it was set to go into effect, was circulated alongside a spreadsheet of about 2,600 programs now under review, spanning virtually every federal initiative that distributes money — even some, like Medicare, that officials said would not be affected.
Below is a list of all those programs, identified by the Office of Management and Budget for examination to ensure they do not “advance Marxist equity, transgenderism and Green New Deal social engineering policies.” Agencies were asked to answer questions about each budget line, including “Does this program promote gender ideology?”
The Trump administration has insisted that direct payments to Americans are not at risk. But the list named numerous programs that aid millions of individual Americans, like Medicaid and Head Start, but that are funded first as grants to states, local governments or nonprofits. On Tuesday, some grant recipients reported interruptions. We’ve highlighted some programs where those interruptions in funding have already been reported or where budget officials have said no freeze will take place.
In sweeping up so many federal initiatives — even interest payments on the federal debt — it was unclear if the spreadsheet reflected oversights and accidental contradictions, or something closer to the administration’s full ambitions. The programs listed below, alongside dollar estimates for their annual spending in 2024, encompass much of how the federal government touches American life.