Financial Resources for Women in Business

Funding

Fundraising is a huge hurdle for entrepreneurs and startups. Be sure to look through these funding options from angel investors, venture capital firms, and more.

37 Angels: 37 Angels is a community of women angel investors helping female- and male-led startups grow.
US Small Business Administration: The federal government aims to award at least five percent of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses each year.
IFundWomen: IFundWomen provides a platform for women-owned businesses to access capital, coaching, and connections.
Startup Runway: Startup Runway introduces top under-represented founders to their first investor.
Pipeline Angels: Pipeline Angels creates capital for trans women, cis women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, and gender-nonconforming founders.
Amplifyher Ventures: Amplifyher is a venture capital firm that invests in visionary founders with women in decision-making roles.
Aviatra Accelerators: Aviatra Accelerators empower female entrepreneurs through expertise in business basics, guidance from mentors and coaches, and access to capital.
BBG Ventures: BBG Ventures is an early-stage fund focused on consumer tech startups with a female founder.
Female Founded Club: This organization connects female founders with top investors seeking to fund the best female-founded startups.
Golden Seeds: Golden Seeds is an early-stage investment firm that focuses on women-led businesses.
Jumpstart: The Jumpstart Focus Fund invests seed capital in tech-based companies led by female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color throughout Ohio.
Merian Ventures: Merian Ventures invest in women-founded and co-founded innovation in cyber, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and consumer-facing companies.
Project Entrepreneur: The Project Entrepreneur Investment Readiness Program accelerates the growth of female-founded companies by broadening investment acumen, building bridges to capital, and investing in ecosystems that empower innovative entrepreneurs.
Prosper Women Entrepreneur: The Prosper Women Entrepreneurs Startup Accelerator is a for-profit organization focused on increasing women entrepreneurs' access to growth capital and the number of women investing in early-stage capital markets.
GingerBread Capital: GingerBread Capital invests in the next generation of women founders and entrepreneurs leading high-growth businesses.
Portfolia: Portfolia provides investment funds for women and backs innovative companies for returns and impacts.
Rethink Impact: Rethink Impact is a venture capital firm investing in female leaders using technology to solve the world's biggest problems.
Halogen Ventures: Halogen Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in consumer technology companies led by women.
The Jump Fund: The Jump Fund is an organization that provides access to capital for women entrepreneurs in the Southeast.
Broadway Angels: Broadway Angels invests in the best entrepreneurs and companies while showcasing the top women investors in venture capital and technology.
AWE Funds: AWE Funds provides capital for women owned, led, or influenced businesses.
Black Girl Ventures: Black Girl Ventures fund tech-enabled, revenue-generating Black/Brown woman-identifying founders.
Maryland Department of Commerce: Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority (MSBDFA) promotes the viability and expansion of businesses owned by economically and socially disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
Digital Undivided: The Do You Fellowship Program will award 10 promising Black and Latinx women innovators with a $5,000 investment in their business and access to business development resources and mentorship.
EY: The EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program identifies ambitious women entrepreneurs and provides them with the advice, resources, and access they need.
Ladies Who Launch: The Launch Program helps women entrepreneurs by providing access to capital and a community.
Women's Venture Fund: Women's Business Loans program helps women entrepreneurs to establish businesses in urban communities.
MergeLane: MergeLane discovers, accelerates, and invests in high-potential startups and venture capital funds for companies with at least one woman in leadership.
Springboard: Springboard accelerates the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts.
Women's Startup Lab: Women's Startup Lab is a leading Silicon Valley based startup and leadership accelerator for women entrepreneurs globally.
Global Invest Her: Global Invest Her demystifies the funding game to help more female founders get ready for fundraising and get funded faster.
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center: The Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative (MassNextGen) awards grant funding and coaching to women-led early-stage life science companies.
Plum Alley: Plum Alley invests in advanced technology and healthcare companies that will improve our lives and the planet.
ChallengeHER: ChallengeHER is a national initiative to boost government contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses with a special focus on the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program.
Vinetta Project: Vinetta sources, funds, and supports the world's most promising female founders, providing great outcomes for startups and superior returns for investors and partners.
Chloe Capital: Chloe Capital is a venture capital firm that invest in women-led companies.
Intel: The Diversity and Inclusion Initiative is the largest venture capital resource that focuses on technology companies led by women and underrepresented populations, which include Black, Latinx, and Native Americans.
Hypatia Capital: Hypatia Capital is an independent private equity firm focused on sponsoring female CEOs.
Women's VC Fund: WomensVCFund II makes investments in early stage (A/B), revenue-generating, high-growth companies led by management teams inclusive of women.
Women's Capital Connection: The Women's Capital Connection helps women entrepreneurs invest in themselves and others.
Bumble Fund: Bumble Fund invests in early-stage startups and focuses primarily on businesses founded and led by women of color and those from underrepresented groups.
La Cocina: La Cocina's Incubator Program provides resources for working class women of color and immigrant women in the food industry in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Business Loans

Loans are a good resource for funding young startups. Check out these small business loans, including some zero-interest options, from lenders across the nation.

US Small Business Administration: The SBA helps women entrepreneurs launch new businesses by providing training and funding opportunities specifically for women.
Kiva: Kiva offers 0% interest crowdfunded loans to entrepreneurs.
Tory Burch Foundation: The Tory Burch Foundation Capital Program powered by Bank of America provides women entrepreneurs in the U.S. with the opportunity to access affordable loans through local Community Lenders.
Women's Business Development Center: The Access to Capital Program helps business owners achieve their goals by providing capital preparation services, business financial education, and direct lending.
New York State: The Minority- and Women-Owned Business (MWBE) Development & Lending Program provides financial assistance to minority- and women-owned business enterprises in New York State.
Ohio Development Services Agency: Ohio Minority Business Direct Loan Program provides fixed, low-interest loans to certified minority-owned businesses that are creating new jobs for Ohioans.
Connecticut's Official State Website: Minority Business Revolving Loan Fund provides loans and lines of credit to Connecticut businesses owned by minorities and/or women.
Minnesota Employment and Economic Development: The Emerging Entrepreneur Loan Program provides loan capital for businesses owned and operated by minorities, low-income persons, women, veterans and/or persons with disabilities.
Women's Economic Venture: WEV provides the Basic Start-Up Loan and Basic Expansion Loan for women entrepreneurs.
Women's Business Center LAEDA: WBC's Micro Lending Program is for entrepreneurs who have not fully developed their "borrower profile" and need help with getting ready to borrow.
Community Ventures Kentucky: Community Ventures offers loans to women, veteran, and minority-owned businesses, as well as businesses located in low-to-moderate income areas in Kentucky.
California Capital: The Small Business Loan Guarantee program helps lenders make loans to borrowers in California who cannot qualify for conventional financing.
Kansas Women's Business Center: The Women's Business Center offers microloan products to support small businesses in the Kansas City metro area.
Wyoming Women's Business Center: Wyoming Women's Business Center Micro-Loan program helps entrepreneurs finance a start-up or business expansion.
Great Lake Women's Business Center: CEED Lending, an initiative of the Great Lakes WBC provides small business loans for businesses in Michigan counties.
GROW Business: GROW Business offers various small business loans up to $50,000.
Maryland Capital Enterprises, Inc.: MCE's Women-Owned Business Loan Fund offers three loan products to assist women in starting or growing their own business.
Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation: WWBIC provides business loans for women, veterans, low-income, and people of color business owners.
Women's Enterprise Development Center : WEDC and the Business Outreach Center's (BOC) Network are collaborating to provide clients with $500-$50,000 microloans for their small businesses (special focus on small-business, women, minority and immigrant entrepreneurs).
Women Venture: Women Venture provides loans for business owners located in the 16-county Twin Cities Metro area.
Grameen America: Grameen America provides microloans (starting at no more than $2,500), financial training, and support to entrepreneurial women.

Competitions and Grants

Competitions and grants can really help put your business on the map. Below is a selection of prizes awarded to outstanding women entrepreneurs.

Women's Business Enterprise National Council: WBENCPitch is a program featuring pitch competitions and educational sessions to help WBEs hone their business pitch, gain exposure, and compete for grants and other prizes to invest in their business.
Women's Business Enterprise National Council: The Collegiate Accelerator program allows aspiring collegiate female entrepreneurs to receive mentoring and attend a pitch competition awarding $20,000 in seed capital.
Women Who Tech: Women Who Tech funds women-led startups through their Women Startup Challenges and grant programs.
Women Founders Network: The Fast Pitch competition helps women entrepreneurs become pitch-ready to make their business much more appealing to angels and VCs to support funding to scale.
Smith College: The Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs is an on-ramp for undergraduate women seeking access to entrepreneurship opportunities, capital, and networks.
The NIIC: The WEOC Launch Women Pitch Competition supports women entrepreneurs throughout the WEOC service area counties in Indiana.
Michigan Women Forward: The WomanUp & Pitch Business Plan and Pitch Competition is a funding opportunity for women who wish to start or grow an existing for-profit business.
SA&M: WFN's Fast Pitch competition has helped early-stage women-led businesses craft their stories, messages, monetization plans, legal structure, and more.
Forte Foundation: Forté's Power Pitch competition offers a high-profile, real-world challenge at the Forté MBA Women's Leadership Conference where women-led teams present business ideas to a panel of judges.
47pitches: Women Founders 2022 is a 2-week online pitch contest where accredited investors compete by ranking and mentoring their favorite projects.
Amber Grants for Women: WomensNet provides at least $30,000 every month in Amber Grant money for entrepreneur women.
Cartier Women's Initiative: The Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs.
MEDA San Francisco: The San Francisco Women's Entrepreneurship Fund provides mini-grants of up to $5,000 to San Francisco women-owned small businesses for projects and upgrades that will have a transformative impact on the business' ability to grow.
National Association for the Self-Employed: NASE awards small business grants to members through the Growth Grants program.
Women's Business Development Council Connecticut: The Women's Business Development Council offers grants of up to $10,000 to qualified women-owned small businesses in Connecticut.
Minority Business Development Agency: MDBA provides a series of grant competitions exclusively for minority business owners.
Women's Business Center Southwest: The Lillie Knox Investment Award is a cash prize of up to $20,000 exclusively available to WBCS Women's Business Enterprises.

Communities

Success doesn't happen in a vacuum. It helps to surround yourself with other inspirational women. Here are a few organizations that are empowering female entrepreneurs.

Moms as Entrepreneurs: Moms as Entrepreneurs is an organization that provides education and support for mom-owned businesses in all industries.
Next Wave Impact: Next Wave is a movement driving impact, diversity, and inclusion in early stage investing and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Women Owned: Women Owned is an initiative that supports female entrepreneurs by raising awareness for why, where, and how to buy Women Owned.
Black Women Raise: Black Women Raise is a platform and community designed to accelerate the ability of leading black female founders to raise growth capital, scale up, and create pathways for the women behind them.
Women's Funding Network: The Women's Funding Network is a philanthropist alliance that invests in women's foundations and gender justice funders.

Other Tools and Resources

Here are some additional resources for small-business owners, including calculators and how-to guides.

Burn Rate Calculator: Use this free tool to calculate and optimize your business's burn rate.
Credit Card Processing Fee Calculator: Find out if you're overpaying for credit card processing fees with this free tool.
How to Move Your Business Online: This step-by-step guide shows you how to make the move to a digital storefront.
How to Open a Business Bank Account: Find out how to choose the right bank account for your needs and what you need to get started.
Best Free Business Checking Accounts: Compare the top business checking accounts with no fees or avoidable fees to keep your company finances safe.

Bottom Line

Running a business comes with its unique challenges, especially when it comes to securing funding. Luckily, there's plenty of financial and educational support available from organizations dedicated to advancing diversity and gender equality.

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