Grants for Female Entrepreneurs in North America: US and Canada Grants Checked for 2027
Lists of grants for women in the US and Canada copy each other, and many of the programmes on them closed years ago. We checked every grant in this guide on its official page in November 2026 and kept only programmes that still run for women-owned businesses in the United States or Canada: the amount, who can apply, the fee if there is one, and when the next window opens. The 2025 version of this article listed 25 programmes; more than half of them have closed, were never grants, or are not limited to women, and they are explained at the end.
Quick answer: the Amber Grant is the one grant open every month to women in both the US and Canada (three $15,000 grants a month, $15 fee). US founders with at least $75,000 in revenue should look at the free Tory Burch Foundation Fellows programme, and impact-focused US founders at EmpowHer (up to $50,000). In Canada, watch for BMO Celebrating Women and the Visa She's Next grants run with York University's YSpace, which both open once a year. For the largest single award, the Cartier Women's Initiative has a North America regional award worth up to $100,000.
Write FREE SEO-optimized Blog Articles! Our Article Writer ensures your blog is loved by both Google and your readers, turning those clicks into customers.
👉 Write your article here
US and Canada Grants for Women-Owned Businesses Compared
Sources: each programme's official website, rules page or press release, checked November 2026. Amounts in US dollars, except BMO Canada and YSpace (Canadian dollars). "None listed" means the official page we checked does not mention a fee.
The Best Grants for Female Entrepreneurs in the US and Canada
1. Amber Grant: three $15,000 grants every month (US and Canada)
WomensNet gave the first Amber Grant in 1998, in honour of Amber Wigdahl, and it is still the most reliable monthly grant for women on both sides of the border. According to the official grant rules, three $15,000 grants are awarded every month: the Monthly Amber Grant, the Monthly Startup Grant and a Business Category Grant. At the end of the calendar year, three of the monthly winners receive an extra $75,000 Year-End Grant. You must be a woman aged 18 or over who owns at least 50% of a business based in the United States or Canada. The $15 application fee is non-refundable; founders facing financial hardship can ask for a fee waiver by email before applying, limited to one waiver per person every two years. Each cycle closes at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the last day of the month, so the November cycle closes on 30 November 2026. The old version of this article quoted $10,000 a month and $25,000 at year end; both figures are out of date.
2. Tory Burch Foundation Fellows: a year of support plus $2,000 (US)
The Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program is the best-known support programme for US women founders who already have revenue. According to its FAQ, the foundation selects about 160 Fellows, who get a $2,000 education grant together with advisors, coaching, workshops and a community of women founders. The old article said $5,000; the programme now lists $2,000. Applying is free. You must be 21 or older by 17 November 2026, a US legal resident (territories included) and the largest or equal owner of a for-profit business that is at least 51% owned and controlled by women, formed under US law and generating at least $75,000 a year. Applications opened on 22 September 2026 and were set to close on 17 November 2026; the foundation reviews them over the winter and selects Fellows in May 2027.
Boost Your SEO by listing your startup and get a FREE backlink.
Create a profile in the F/MS Startup Game, add the link to your website and submit.
👉 List your startup now!
3. BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program: $10,000 (US and Canada)
BMO runs this grant in both countries, with slightly different rules. In the United States, 15 small businesses each received $10,000 in 2026, plus a BMO business advisor and access to workshops and events; applicants describe their growth plans and how the business supports the advancement of women. Since it came to the US in 2021, the programme has given 46 businesses a total of $460,000. In Canada, ten women-owned businesses receive $10,000 each, a BMO for Women advocate and an invitation to a two-day Grant Summit in Toronto; they must show community impact and advance at least two UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2026 both versions accepted applications from 2 to 23 April 2026. The next round has not been announced (checked November 2026), but past rounds opened in spring.
4. Visa She's Next Canada: twenty $10,000 grants with YSpace (Canada)
In Canada, Visa runs She's Next with York University's startup hub. The Visa Grant Program page at YSpace offers twenty $10,000 grants and an accelerated mentorship programme. To apply, you must be a woman who owns at least 50% of a registered business, non-profit or social enterprise located in Canada, work on it full time, earn at least $50,000 a year in revenue and be able to commit to a four-month mentoring programme. The 2026 round opened on 8 January and closed on 1 February 2026, winners were announced on 9 March 2026 and mentoring ran from July to October 2026. Dates for 2027 have not been published (checked November 2026); judging by 2026, the next window would open in January, so prepare in December.
5. Cartier Women's Initiative: up to $100,000 for North American impact businesses
The Cartier Women's Initiative is open to women-run and women-owned impact businesses from any country, and North America is one of its nine regions, each with three fellows per edition. First place in each award receives $100,000, second $60,000 and third $30,000, according to the Richemont press release on the call for the 2027 edition. The FAQ asks for an early-stage business with annual revenue between $50,000 and $5 million in its last closed fiscal year, no more than $2 million raised in equity, a woman owning at least as large a share as any co-founder, and an application in English. That call ran from 16 April to 16 June 2026 and is closed; applicants hear back by December 2026. The next call has not been announced (checked November 2026).
Boost Your SEO with 1,500+ Free Business Directories: increase your DA, get backlinks and traffic.
We've compiled an exclusive list of directories and websites where you can submit your business and start building high-quality backlinks to boost your website traffic and get your SEO snowball rolling.
👉 Submit your startup now!
6. H&R Block Fund Her Future: $45,000 grants (US)
Fund Her Future started under H&R Block's Block Advisors brand and now runs as an H&R Block programme. H&R Block's website blocked our automated check, so these figures come from its 29 October 2026 press release: in its third year, four women-owned small businesses each received a $45,000 grant and a full year of small-business services from H&R Block, chosen from 6,379 applicants. The old article's figures ($50,000 plus four grants of $12,500) describe an earlier round. The 2026 round is closed and the next one has not been announced.
7. EmpowHer Grants: up to $50,000 for impact-focused founders (US)
The Boundless Futures Foundation gives EmpowHer grants to women founders aged 22 or over whose business is registered and operating only in the US, already earns revenue, is no more than five years old and makes a social impact through its product or business model. You may request up to $50,000; the money is paid as reimbursement after you send receipts for business expenses, and you self-report a credit score and agree to a background check. Grantees can also request up to $2,500 within a year as a Learning Grant for events, courses or coaching. Applications are reviewed in several cycles a year. The old article said "up to $25,000"; the programme now lists up to $50,000.
8. HerRise MicroGrant: $1,000 a month (US)
The HerRise MicroGrant from HerSuiteSpot gives $1,000 every month to under-resourced women entrepreneurs, including women of colour. The business must be at least 51% owned by women, registered in the US and earn less than $1 million in gross revenue. Apply by 11:59 pm on the last day of the month; the winner is revealed at the next month's HerSuiteSpot First Friday Mixer. There is a $15 non-refundable administrative fee. The old article linked to a herceo.org address that is no longer the programme's home.
Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.
We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.
👉 Get featured now!
9. YippityDoo Big Idea Grant: $1,000 a month (US)
The YippityDoo Big Idea Grant is a monthly $1,000 grant for businesses at least 50% owned and run by a woman aged 18 or over in the United States; the business can be running or still at the idea stage, which makes it one of the few options for pre-launch founders. A separate non-profit grant is awarded every other month. YippityDoo says it has no corporate sponsors and is not a non-profit, so it charges a $15 application fee. Winners hear on or around the 15th of the following month, and its recipients page was still adding winners in October 2026.
10. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch: $25,000 cash grants (US)
The Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition, now in its 14th year, is a pitch competition with cash grants. The first-place winner in each of its two tracks (tech and tech-enabled; consumer, CPG and other non-tech) receives $25,000, and a panel of junior venture capitalists picks one more finalist for $5,000. The founder, co-founder or CEO must be a woman (or the business majority-owned by one), the company must be based in the US and have raised no more than $750,000 in outside funding (non-dilutive grants do not count), and pre-revenue companies can apply if they show customer interest. Nonprofits, life sciences and cannabis or CBD companies cannot apply. Finalists pitch in person in Los Angeles in October, at their own travel cost. Applications for the 2027 competition are accepted from 1 April to 31 May 2027.
11. Giving Joy: microgrants of up to $500 (US, Canada and worldwide)
Giving Joy gives one-time microgrants of up to $500 to women aged 18 and over from any country, including the US and Canada. You do not need a registered business: the grant can start or expand a business, a nonprofit or a specific project, as long as the activity benefits women, girls or families. Both 2026 cycles have closed (30 April and 30 September 2026), and the 2027 cycle opens on 1 April 2027. It is small money, but useful for a first website, samples or a market stall.
Grant Calendar for Women Founders in the US and Canada
Monthly grants (Amber, HerRise, YippityDoo) are always open. The larger programmes open once a year, and most of them in winter or spring, so the months before April are when to prepare your numbers and pitch. These are the dates confirmed on the official pages:
Canada: What the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Really Funds
Many lists say Canada has "government grants for women entrepreneurs". The federal Women Entrepreneurship Strategy is large (more than $7 billion in investments, according to the Government of Canada), but almost none of it is a cash grant you can apply for as a founder. According to the September 2026 announcement:
- WES Ecosystem Fund: up to $80 million in non-repayable funding for organisations that support women entrepreneurs, paid over four years from 2027-2028. The call for proposals was set to close on 9 November 2026. Founders benefit through the programmes these organisations run, not directly.
- Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund: $59 million over five years, delivered through partner organisations as loans of up to $50,000. Useful, but it is a loan that must be repaid, not a grant.
- For direct grants in Canada, the realistic options are the Amber Grant, BMO Celebrating Women (Canada), Visa She's Next with YSpace, the Cartier Women's Initiative and Giving Joy.
Canadian deep tech and edtech founders should also read our guides to deep tech grants in North America and edtech grants in North America, which cover non-women-specific programmes such as research and innovation funding.
Not Grants: Certifications, Loans and Investors
- SBA WOSB certification: the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program is not a grant. It lets small businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are US citizens compete for set-aside federal contracts; the government aims to award 5% of federal prime contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses.
- SBA Women's Business Centers: free to low-cost counseling and training across the US. No cash, but they help with grant and loan applications.
- Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (Canada) and SheEO: loans, not grants. SheEO offered 0% loans; its old website no longer loads.
- 37 Angels: an angel investor network that invests in startups, so it takes equity. See our list of angel investors in North America if you want investment instead.
- Ford Foundation: it funds organisations and does not accept unsolicited grant proposals, so it is not an option for a founder's business.
Programmes Closed, Changed or Not Verifiable
These programmes were in the 2025 version of this article. We removed them or moved them to the notes above:
- Red Backpack Fund (Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation): a one-off 2020 relief fund of $5,000 grants. According to GlobalGiving, which ran it, the fund closed at the end of 2020.
- Dream Makers Founder Grant (Fifteen Percent Pledge): five $25,000 grants for Business Equity Community members, but its official page still describes the 2025 round and shows no 2026 round.
- Comcast RISE: not limited to women, and comcastrise.com now redirects to Comcast's Project UP page.
- Halstead Grant: still running ($7,500 cash plus $1,000 in merchandise, deadline 1 May), but it is for emerging silver jewelry artists of any gender, not a grant for women.
- SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant and Sage Invest in Progress: their official pages return "not found", so we could not confirm a current round.
- Girlboss Foundation Grant and Open Meadows Foundation: we found no current grant page (Open Meadows' website did not load, and it funded projects rather than businesses).
- Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant: paused by the foundation in 2018, according to Philanthropy Women's funder database, and we found no new round.
- The Women's Commissions Series Accelerator (Canada): its website does not load, and we found no official programme by that name.
- Visa She's Next (US): Visa's US page now only offers updates, with no open US grant round; the Canadian version with YSpace is listed above.
- IFundWomen: it pairs founders with grants paid by partner brands, but its website blocked our automated check, so we could not confirm which grants are open. Check it yourself before applying.
Which Grant Should You Apply For?
- You only have an idea (US): the Amber Monthly Startup Grant, the YippityDoo Big Idea Grant and Giving Joy.
- You have an idea or early business in Canada: the Amber Grant every month and Giving Joy from April 2027.
- Your US business earns revenue but under $1 million: Amber, HerRise and, if it has a social impact and is under five years old, EmpowHer.
- You have $75,000+ in revenue (US) and want mentors: Tory Burch Foundation Fellows in its autumn window.
- Your Canadian business earns $50,000+: Visa She's Next with YSpace (winter) and BMO Celebrating Women (spring).
- You run an impact business with $50,000 to $5 million in revenue: the Cartier Women's Initiative North America award.
- You like to pitch: Women Founders Network Fast Pitch (US) and the startup competitions in North America we track.
How Women Founders in North America Combine Grants With Other Funding
Grants are competitive: the monthly grants receive thousands of applications and only a handful win, so treat them as one part of a funding plan. Our Playbook guide to female founder grants shows how to write the application itself, and our global list of grants for female entrepreneurs covers programmes outside North America. If you also sell in other regions, see the grants for female entrepreneurs in Europe and the grants for women entrepreneurs in Asia. A small fee like Amber's $15 is disclosed in its official rules; a person asking for a large fee to "unlock" a grant is a warning sign.
Then add other money: crowdfunding strategies for women-led startups, alternative funding sources, early-stage VCs in North America and, for AI products, our new list of angel investors for AI startups in North America. For structure and mentors, look at accelerators for female entrepreneurs and startup events for female entrepreneurs. Grant-grants.com keeps a longer list of business grants for women, and the numbers behind the funding gap are in our female founder funding statistics.
Join F/MS: Startup Facilitator & Incubator and unlock your startup dreams today! Get your first customers, register you company in the Netherlands and get startup visas for the team.
FAQ About Grants for Female Entrepreneurs in North America
How much is the Amber Grant in 2027?
When we checked in November 2026, WomensNet awarded three $15,000 Amber Grants every month and three extra $75,000 Year-End Grants. It is open to women 18+ who own at least 50% of a business in the US or Canada, and the application fee is $15.
Are there grants for women entrepreneurs in Canada?
Yes, but few. The Amber Grant, BMO Celebrating Women (ten $10,000 grants), Visa She's Next with YSpace (twenty $10,000 grants), the Cartier Women's Initiative and Giving Joy are open to Canadian founders. The federal Women Entrepreneurship Strategy mainly funds organisations and loans of up to $50,000.
Which grants for women are open right now?
In early November 2026: the monthly Amber Grant, HerRise MicroGrant and YippityDoo Big Idea Grant, EmpowHer's rolling cycles, and the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows programme, which was set to close on 17 November 2026.
Are there grants for women entrepreneurs with no application fee?
Tory Burch Foundation Fellows is free to apply. BMO, Visa She's Next Canada, Cartier, EmpowHer, Women Founders Network and Giving Joy list no fee on their official pages. Amber, HerRise and YippityDoo charge $15.
Can I get a grant for a business idea with no revenue?
Yes. The Amber Monthly Startup Grant and the YippityDoo Big Idea Grant accept idea-stage businesses, and Giving Joy does not require a business at all. Tory Burch, EmpowHer, Visa She's Next Canada and Cartier require revenue.
Is SBA WOSB certification a grant?
No. The Women-Owned Small Business program lets eligible businesses compete for set-aside federal contracts. It brings no cash by itself, but it can lead to government work.
What is the biggest grant for women entrepreneurs in North America?
The Cartier Women's Initiative North America award pays up to $100,000 for first place. Next come the Amber Year-End Grant ($75,000), EmpowHer (up to $50,000) and Fund Her Future ($45,000 per winner in 2026).
Is the Red Backpack Fund still open?
No. It was a one-off 2020 fund that gave $5,000 grants to US women entrepreneurs, and according to GlobalGiving it closed at the end of 2020.
Are grants for women legal in the US?
Grants open to women-owned businesses are common, but programmes limited by race have faced lawsuits: the Fearless Fund closed its Strivers Grant in 2024 after a court settlement, as NPR reported. Read each programme's current rules.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
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. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
