Top 25 Grants for Female Entrepreneurs in North America in 2025: A Comprehensive Guide
For female entrepreneurs in North America, finding the right funding can make a significant difference in launching or growing a business. Here is a curated list of the Top 25 Grants for Female Entrepreneurs in North America for 2025, complete with detailed descriptions and links to their official sites.
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1. Amber Grant Foundation
Description: Monthly grants awarded to women-owned businesses in the U.S. or Canada. Grant Amount: $10,000 monthly, with three $25,000 annual grants awarded at the end of each year. Eligibility: Must be at least 18 years old, with a business that is at least 50% women-owned, and operate in the US or Canada. Application Process: Relatively simple, requiring an explanation of the business, how the grant will be used and a $15 application fee. Learn more about Amber Grant Foundation
2. HerRise MicroGrant
Description: Monthly grants focused on women of color-owned small businesses. Grant Amount: $1,000 monthly. Eligibility: Business must be 51% women-owned, registered in the U.S., and have a gross revenue not exceeding $1 million. Use of Funds: Designed for smaller projects such as website launches, equipment purchase, or marketing materials. Learn more about HerRise MicroGrant
3. Cartier Women's Initiative Awards
Description: An international program that supports early-stage businesses with a focus on social, economic, and environmental development. Grant Amount: First place: $100,000, second place: $60,000, and third place: $30,000 across nine different regions. Eligibility: Open to women-owned businesses globally that are for profit and in early stages. Additional Benefits: Winners receive executive coaching and training workshops. Application Timing: Applications for 2025 open on April 18th. Discover Cartier Women's Initiative Awards
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4. EmpowHER Grants (Boundless Futures Foundation)
Description: Grants for female small-business owners addressing societal issues. Grant Amount: Reimbursement up to $25,000 for business-related expenses. Eligibility: Must be at least 22 years old, business established within the last three years, and address issues like poverty, sustainability, or community development. Application Deadline: Quarterly, with the next deadline being February 15, 2025. EmpowHER Grants
5. BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program
Description: Grants for women-owned small businesses in select U.S. states. Grant Amount: $10,000 grants to 15 female entrepreneurs. Eligibility: Business must be at least 51% women-owned, operating for at least two years, located in one of the 24 states, and have annual revenue under $5 million. Use of Funds: Typically used for launching new products, marketing, or team expansion. BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program
6. Fund Her Future (Block Advisors by H&R Block)
Description: Grants for women business owners nationwide. Grant Amount: One grand prize of $50,000 and four grants of $12,500 each. Eligibility: Must be at least 51% woman-owned. Additional Benefits: One year of free small business services (bookkeeping, payroll, tax support). Fund Her Future
7. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition
Description: Competition for U.S.-based businesses started by women. Grant Amount: $25,000 grants awarded to winners of the pitch competition. Eligibility: Business cannot have raised more than $750,000. Application Timing: Applications accepted from April 1 to May 31, 2025. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition
8. Dream Makers Founders Grant (Fifteen Percent Pledge)
Description: Grants to female small-business owners who are also members of the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Business Equity Community. Grant Amount: $25,000 to five businesses. Eligibility: Business must employ between 2-10 people, generate $100,000-$1 million in revenue, and be at least 51% women-owned. Application Timing: 2025 application cycle not yet announced. Learn more about Dream Makers Founders Grant
9. Giving Joy Grants
Description: Micro-grants for women over 18 to launch or expand a business or nonprofit. Grant Amount: Up to $500. Eligibility: Women over 18 years of age, applicable to new ventures or expansion of existing businesses/nonprofits. Application Timing: For North and South America, applications are open from Jan 1-31, with awards in June. Giving Joy Grants
10. Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (Canada)
Description: Loans for women entrepreneurs in Canada, especially those starting new ventures or from underrepresented groups. Loan Amount: Up to $50,000. Eligibility: Focus on women entrepreneurs in Canada, start up businesses and underrepresented groups. Geographic focus: Provinces and territories in Canada. Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (Canada)
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11. The Red Backpack Fund
Description: Created by The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation and administered by GlobalGiving. Grant Amount: Up to $5,000. Eligibility: Open to female entrepreneurs with for-profit or non-profit businesses. Learn more about The Red Backpack Fund
12. Halstead Grant
Description: A prestigious grant for women jewelry entrepreneurs. Grant Amount: $7,500 cash grant along with $1,000 in merchandise. Eligibility: Women jewelry entrepreneurs starting or growing their businesses. Explore Halstead Grant
13. The Women’s Commissions Series Accelerator (Canada)
Description: Grants to women-led startups in Canada through a yearly accelerator program. Grant Amount: $50,000 CAD in non-dilutive funding along with mentorship. Eligibility: Must be a startup led by women and based in Canada. Women's Commissions Series Accelerator
14. SheEO (Canada)
Description: An initiative that provides interest-free loans to women-led ventures working on world-changing ideas. Loan Amount: Loan terms vary depending on the project. Eligibility: Must be women-led ventures addressing major global challenges. SheEO (Canada)
15. Sage Invest in Progress Grant
Description: A partnership between Sage and the Ladies Who Launch Organization to support women entrepreneurs. Grant Amount: $2,500 to $10,000. Eligibility: Must be a small business at least 51% women-owned. Sage Invest in Progress Grant
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16. Comcast RISE Investment Fund
Description: Grants for small businesses owned by women and people of color. Grant Amount: $10,000 cash grants. Eligibility: Must be a small business located in participating areas and fulfill specific criteria. Comcast RISE Investment Fund
17. SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant
Description: Grants for Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs. Grant Amount: $5,000 to $10,000. Eligibility: Must be a Black-founded startup. SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant
18. 37 Angels Female Founder Grant
Description: Grants for female-founded startups through the 37 Angels network. Grant Amount: Up to $25,000. Eligibility: Must be a female-founded startup. 37 Angels Female Founder Grant
19. IFundWomen Universal Grant Application Database
Description: A database that connects female entrepreneurs to funding opportunities. Grant Amount: Varies depending on available grants. Eligibility: Must be a female entrepreneur. IFundWomen Universal Grant Application Database
20. Ford Foundation Grants
Description: Grants for nonprofit initiatives including those focused on female empowerment. Grant Amount: Varies. Eligibility: Must align with the foundation’s mission areas. Ford Foundation Grants
21. The Visa She’s Next Grant Program
Description: In partnership with iFundWomen, providing grants and coaching for women entrepreneurs. Grant Amount: Varies. Eligibility: Open to women-owned small businesses. The Visa She’s Next Grant Program
22. The Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program
Description: Provides educational resources and funding to female entrepreneurs. Grant Amount: $5,000. Eligibility: Must be a woman entrepreneur in the U.S. Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program
23. Girlboss Foundation Grant
Description: Provides funding for women entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Grant Amount: $15,000. Eligibility: Must be women entrepreneurs in the art, design, fashion, or music industry. Girlboss Foundation Grant
24. Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant Program
Description: Focused on women-owned businesses working for environmental or social change. Grant Amount: $10,000. Eligibility: Must be women-owned businesses. Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant Program
25. Open Meadows Foundation Grants
Description: Grants to projects that promote gender, racial, and economic justice. Grant Amount: Up to $2,000. Eligibility: Projects must be led by women and have limited financial access. Open Meadows Foundation Grants
This comprehensive list of grants offers a range of opportunities for female entrepreneurs in North America to access the necessary funding and support for their business ventures. Remember to regularly check the respective websites for updates and detailed application guidelines.
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FAQ
Q: What is the Amber Grant Foundation?
A: The Amber Grant Foundation provides monthly grants to women-owned businesses in the U.S. or Canada. Each month, one grant of $10,000 is awarded, and at the end of the year, three additional grants of $25,000 are given. Learn more about the Amber Grant Foundation.
Q: What is the HerRise MicroGrant?
A: The HerRise MicroGrant offers $1,000 monthly to women of color-owned small businesses in the U.S. Businesses must be 51% women-owned and have annual revenue not exceeding $1 million.
Q: What are the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards?
A: The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards is an international grant program supporting early-stage businesses with a focus on social, economic, and environmental development. Grants range from $30,000 to $100,000. Discover the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards.
Q: What is the EmpowHER Grants program by Boundless Futures Foundation?
A: The EmpowHER Grants program offers up to $25,000 in reimbursement for business-related expenses for female small-business owners addressing societal issues. The next application deadline is February 15, 2025. Learn more about the EmpowHER Grants.
Q: What is the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program?
A: The BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program awards $10,000 grants to 15 female entrepreneurs. Businesses must be at least 51% women-owned, operating for at least two years, and located in one of 24 select U.S. states.
Q: What is the Fund Her Future program by Block Advisors by H&R Block?
A: The Fund Her Future program offers a grand prize of $50,000 and four grants of $12,500 each to women business owners nationwide. Recipients also receive one year of free small business services. Learn more about Fund Her Future.
Q: What is the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition?
A: The Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition awards $25,000 grants to winners. The contest is open to U.S.-based businesses that have not raised more than $750,000. Applications are accepted from April 1 to May 31, 2025. Explore the Women Founders Network.
Q: What is the Dream Makers Founders Grant by Fifteen Percent Pledge?
A: The Dream Makers Founders Grant awards $25,000 to five businesses that are members of the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Business Equity Community. The businesses must be 51% women-owned and generate between $100,000 and $1 million in revenue.
Q: What is the Giving Joy Grants program?
A: The Giving Joy Grants program offers up to $500 in micro-grants to women over 18 for launching or expanding a business or nonprofit.
Q: What is the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund in Canada?
A: The Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund provides loans of up to $50,000 to women entrepreneurs starting new ventures or from underrepresented groups in Canada. Learn more about the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
