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Written by Maryam Ajorloo, CPA · Reviewed by Behdad Karimi Dermeni, CPA
Grants for women-owned businesses are cash awards you never repay and never trade equity for. Most come from private companies and foundations, not the federal government, and range from $500 to $50,000. The Amber Grant awards three $10,000 grants every month. Federal programs exist too, but they fund research, exporting, and manufacturing rather than general operating costs.
Here is the part most grant roundups leave out: the U.S. Small Business Administration says plainly that it "does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business." So if you have been searching for federal free money to cover rent and payroll, that specific thing does not exist. What does exist is a real and growing pool of private grants, pitch competitions, and targeted federal programs, and a handful of them are open right now.
We verified all 15 small business grants for women below against each provider's own page in September 2026. We list the award amount, who qualifies, what it actually costs to apply, and whether the program is a true grant, a competition, or something else entirely. Several widely shared lists still show programs that closed in 2023 and 2024, and several count angel investors and forgivable loans as grants. We do not.
Ready to keep your books tax-ready before you apply? Most grant applications ask for financial statements. ReInvestWealth is AI bookkeeping built by CPAs that categorizes your transactions automatically, so your numbers are ready when a deadline appears. Start free for 30 days.
The honest truth about federal grants for women
Search "free government grants for women" and you will find pages promising federal money for any business. The SBA's own funding page settles it: "SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business." The SBA does award grants, but to "nonprofits, Resource Partners, and educational organizations" that deliver counseling and training.
Real federal money for small businesses exists in three narrower channels, all covered below: research and development through SBIR and STTR, exporting through STEP, and manufacturing training through the Empower To Grow program. None of them hand you working capital for a general service business.
That is not bad news. It just means your realistic path runs through private grants, industry awards, and pitch competitions, where a woman-owned business is often exactly the profile the funder is looking for.
15 business grants for women in the U.S. for 2026
Most women business grants fall into one of four types, and the type changes how you should spend your time, so we have grouped them that way rather than running one long list.
Direct cash grants for women-owned businesses you can apply for now
These are cash awards. You keep the money, you keep your equity, and you do not pay it back.
1. Amber Grant for Women
The best-known women's business grant in the country, run by WomensNet. Every month, the Amber Grant program awards three $10,000 grants across its business categories, and every monthly winner is automatically considered for one of three $50,000 year-end grants. That comes to at least $510,000 given away each year, which is considerably more than most roundups report.
Amount: three $10,000 grants monthly, plus three $50,000 year-end grants
Eligibility: women-owned businesses in the U.S., across categories including skilled trades, health and fitness, food and beverage, sustainability, education, creative arts, STEM, and fashion
Cost to apply: there is an application fee, so read the current terms before you submit
Deadline: rolling monthly, with the next cutoff listed on the application page
Best for: almost any woman-owned business, at any stage
2. HerRise MicroGrant
Run by HerSuiteSpot, the HerRise MicroGrant awards $1,000 every single month. Small, but the application is short and the odds are better than a headline national program.
Amount: $1,000 per month
Eligibility: at least 51% owned by women, registered in the U.S., and under $1 million in gross revenue
Cost to apply: $15 administrative fee
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. on the last day of each month for that month's award
Best for: early-stage businesses that want a fast, low-effort application
3. High Five Grant for Moms
Run by The Mama Ladder, and worth knowing about today because the application window is open September 1 to 30, 2026. Every finalist receives a grant check, and the program has awarded $115,500 in grants plus more than $43,000 in goods and services since 2018.
Amount: grant checks to every finalist
Eligibility: women caregivers with children, including expecting moms, stepmoms, and foster moms; at least 50% ownership of a for-profit business; between $10,000 and $500,000 in revenue over the past 12 months; headquartered in the U.S. or Canada
Cost to apply: no fee listed
Deadline: September 1 to 30, 2026
Best for: mom-owned businesses with some revenue already on the books
4. Galaxy Grant
Offered by Galaxy of Stars, the organization formerly known as Hidden Star. If you saw this listed under the old name, the Galaxy Grant is the same program at a new home.
Amount: $2,500
Eligibility: women-owned and minority-owned businesses at any stage, including people still thinking about starting
Cost to apply: free
Deadline: October 31, 2026, with winners announced the following week
Best for: anyone, including pre-launch founders, given there is no fee and no revenue floor
5. Freed Fellowship Grant
A monthly grant with a genuinely useful extra: the Freed Fellowship gives every applicant feedback and business recommendations, whether or not they win.
Amount: $500 per month, plus a $2,500 year-end grant that monthly fellows are automatically considered for
Eligibility: any micro or small business owner in the U.S., for-profit only; the program particularly encourages women, minority, and underrepresented founders
Cost to apply: $19
Deadline: midnight Eastern on the last day of each month
Best for: founders who want expert feedback even in a losing month
Note that this one is open to everyone, not just women. Several lists file it under women's grants without saying so.
6. NASE Growth Grant
The catch here matters, and most roundups skip it. The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) awards Growth Grants of up to $4,000, but only to NASE members in good standing, and membership is paid. Annual and Veteran members can apply immediately, while monthly members wait 90 days after joining.
Amount: up to $4,000
Eligibility: current NASE members in good standing at application and through the award date
Cost to apply: the cost of NASE membership
Deadline: reviewed quarterly, with applications from each quarter reviewed the following month
Best for: existing NASE members, or founders who would value the membership on its own merits
We have deliberately not linked this one. The NASE site currently blocks a lot of legitimate visitors outright, so search for "NASE Growth Grant" instead of following a link into an error page.
7. Halstead Grant
Highly specific and genuinely winnable if you fit, because the applicant pool is narrow. The Halstead Grant is an annual award for emerging silver jewelry artists.
Amount: winner receives $7,500 cash plus a $1,000 Halstead gift card, a trip to Prescott, Arizona, a feedback report, and a year of free shipping; finalists receive $1,000 cash plus a $250 gift card
Eligibility: emerging U.S. jewelry designers working primarily in silver, in business roughly five years or less
Cost to apply: no fee listed; the application is 15 business questions plus a design portfolio
Deadline: May 1 each year
Best for: silver jewelry designers ready to sell nationally
Pitch competitions and fellowships for women founders
Real money, but you are competing live or being selected into a cohort rather than filling in a form.
8. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch
A $55,000 total prize pool and one of the strongest investor-exposure events for women founders. Fast Pitch runs two tracks, tech and consumer, each with its own top prize.
Amount: $25,000 cash grant to the first-place winner in each of the two tracks, plus a $5,000 cash grant to a finalist chosen by junior venture capitalists
Eligibility: founder, co-founder, or CEO must be a woman, or the business majority woman-owned; based in the U.S.; no more than $750,000 raised in outside funding, excluding non-dilutive grants; pre-revenue companies are welcome with evidence of customer interest
Cost to apply: you must attend in person at UCLA in Los Angeles and cover your own travel
Deadline: applications for the 2026 competition have closed; the event is October 21, and the cycle repeats annually
Best for: venture-track founders who want investors in the room
9. Cartier Women's Initiative
The most prestigious program on this list, and the most demanding. The Cartier Women's Initiative selects 30 fellows a year, three from each of nine regions plus three for its Science and Technology Pioneer Award, and pairs grant funding with a year of executive education and coaching.
Amount: grant funding plus executive education; Cartier does not publish per-place figures on its awards or FAQ pages, so treat any specific dollar amount you see elsewhere as unverified
Eligibility: annual revenue between $50,000 and $5 million in the last closed fiscal year; 5 to 250 team members; no more than $2 million raised in equity or quasi-equity; a woman in a main leadership position holding a share equal to or greater than her co-founders
Cost to apply: no fee listed
Deadline: applications for the 2027 edition are currently closed; the cycle reopens annually
Best for: established impact-driven businesses past $50,000 in revenue
10. Enthuse Foundation
Focused on women in food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods, the Enthuse Foundation runs both an annual grant program and a pitch competition each November, alongside more than 300 hours of educational content.
Amount: cash and prizes; the foundation does not publish amounts on its main pages
Eligibility: women founders in food, beverage, and CPG
Cost to apply: no fee listed
Deadline: the fifth annual grant program has closed, with winners announced in June 2026; the pitch competition runs each November
Best for: food and beverage founders who can pitch
11. Tory Burch Foundation Fellows
Worth being precise about, because this is frequently listed as a cash grant and it is really a fellowship. The Fellows Program gives you a peer network of more than 500 women entrepreneurs, coaching, advisor access, and self-paced education.
Amount: the foundation describes grants, low-interest loans, education, and community across its work, but does not publish a fellowship grant figure
Eligibility: woman entrepreneur holding the largest or an equal stake, in a significant management role, 21 or older, a U.S. legal resident; company at least 51% owned and controlled by women, for-profit, any industry, formed under U.S. law, generating a minimum of $75,000 annually with no maximum
Cost to apply: no fee listed
Deadline: the last cycle opened September 30 and closed November 11, with selection the following May, so watch for the window to open in late September
Best for: founders past $75,000 in revenue who want the network more than the check
One application, many grants
12. IFW by Honeycomb Credit (Universal Grant Application)
Formerly IFundWomen. Honeycomb Credit acquired the platform, so if you bookmarked it under the old name, that is why the branding changed. The Universal Grant Application is not itself a grant. It is a matching database: you apply once with your business stage, revenue, industry, location, and goals, and when a corporate partner launches a grant that fits your profile, you are considered or invited to apply.
Amount: varies by partner grant
Eligibility: women-owned businesses at any stage, based in the U.S.
Cost to apply: no fee listed
Deadline: the Universal Application is open year-round; each branded grant cycle has its own dates
Best for: every woman founder on this list, because one application keeps working in the background
Corporate partners have included Visa, American Express, adidas, Caress, Johnnie Walker, BOTOX Cosmetic, Poker Power, and Angel City Football Club. Partner rosters rotate, so check the current list rather than relying on any roundup, including this one.
Federal funding programs that are real
13. SBIR and STTR
The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are the largest source of genuine federal grant money for small businesses, and they are non-dilutive: SBIR and STTR funding is equity-free, so you give up no ownership.
Amount: as of April 2026, agencies may issue Phase I awards up to $323,090 and Phase II awards up to $2,153,927 without SBA approval
Eligibility: small businesses developing technology with commercialization potential; 11 federal agencies participate
Cost to apply: free, though the applications are substantial
Deadline: varies by agency and solicitation
Best for: research-driven and deep-tech businesses, not service businesses
14. State Trade Expansion Program (STEP)
If you sell or want to sell abroad, STEP provides financial awards to state and territory governments, which then support small business export activity. You apply through your state, not the SBA.
Amount: varies by state
Eligibility: small businesses that want to export
Best for: product businesses ready for international customers
15. Empower To Grow (E2G) Manufacturing in America Grant
A newer SBA program providing hands-on, in-person manufacturing training and technical assistance to eligible small manufacturing businesses.
Amount: delivered as training and technical assistance rather than a cash award
Eligibility: eligible small manufacturing business concerns
Best for: women-owned manufacturers
Are business grants taxable income in the U.S.?
Almost every grant roundup stops at "you never have to pay it back" and leaves the reader with the impression that grant money is free and clear. It is not, and this is the question we get asked most often after a client wins.
In general, a business grant is taxable income. Internal Revenue Code section 61 defines gross income broadly, and the IRS has applied it directly to government payments to businesses, stating that such a payment "is includible in gross income under section 61 of the Code." The IRS instructions for Form 1099-G put the rule for government grants plainly: "State and local grants are ordinarily taxable for federal income purposes. A federal grant is ordinarily taxable unless stated otherwise in the legislation authorizing the grant."
Here is what that means in practice.
Government grants. Expect a Form 1099-G, where taxable grants are reported in box 6. Report the income and pay tax on it.
Private and corporate grants. An Amber Grant or a corporate partner grant is still income. The funder may send you a Form 1099-MISC or a Form 1099-NEC instead of a 1099-G, and sometimes no form arrives at all.
No form does not mean no tax. This is the trap. Not receiving a 1099 does not make the money tax-free. The obligation comes from section 61, not from a piece of paper showing up in January.
Your expenses still deduct. If you win $10,000 and spend it on equipment, marketing, or contractors, those are ordinary business expenses. The grant increases your income and the spending reduces it, so the net tax effect is usually far smaller than the headline number suggests. Some reimbursement-style grants work differently, and pay only against costs you already incurred.
Set aside a share when the money lands. Treat a grant like a large customer payment, not a windfall. Putting a portion aside for taxes the week it arrives is much easier than finding it in April.
Grant taxability turns on the specific program and your entity type, so confirm the treatment of your award with your accountant before you file. That is what the section is for: to make sure you ask the question at all.
Keep the paperwork a funder or the IRS would ask for. ReInvestWealth categorizes grant deposits and the spending that follows automatically, and the Smart Shoebox stores the receipts against the transactions they belong to. Start free for 30 days.
Watch out for application fees and grant scams
Three of the programs above charge a fee to apply, between $15 and $19. Those are legitimate programs that use the fee to manage volume, and the amounts are small. But fees are also the most common signal of a fake grant, so it is worth knowing where the line sits.
Be skeptical when you see any of these:
A large application fee, or a fee framed as a processing or release charge on money you have supposedly already won
A request for your bank login, Social Security number, or a payment to "unlock" funds
A guarantee that you will be approved
An unsolicited message saying you won a grant you never applied for
A "government grant" for general business operating expenses, which the SBA has told you it does not offer
When in doubt, go to the funder's own website directly rather than through a link in a message, and check whether the organization files as a nonprofit.
What to know before you apply
The programs above have different criteria, and applying to all of them with the same materials is the most common way founders waste a month.
Check the eligibility requirements first
Most women-owned business grants require at least 51% women ownership, though the High Five Grant sets it at 50% and some competitions ask only that a woman holds the largest stake. Others carry revenue floors and ceilings, industry limits, or a cap on how much outside funding you have raised.
Grants for women-owned businesses are competitive enough that a mismatched application is simply a wasted week. Confirm before you write anything:
Does your business meet the ownership threshold, and can you document it?
Are there revenue, industry, or location restrictions?
Is the program aimed at startups, growing businesses, or established companies?
Have you raised more outside funding than the program allows?
Prepare your documents in advance
Some applications are a short form. Others want real documentation:
Financial statements, usually a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet
A business plan or growth strategy
Proof of business registration and of ownership percentages
Letters of recommendation
A pitch deck or product description
Gathering these once, in a folder you can reuse, turns a two-week application into an afternoon. If your books are behind, that is the piece that takes longest, and it is the piece a reviewer reads most closely.
Understand what the program is trying to fund
Each program has a mission. Some fund early-stage founders, some fund innovation, some fund a specific industry. Before you write, read the goals of the grant, the kinds of businesses the funder features, and a few past winners and their stories. Then frame your application around what the reviewer is actually looking for.
Tie the money to a specific plan
A strong application shows exactly how the funding moves the business forward. Reviewers want to know what you plan to accomplish, how the funds will be allocated, and why the timing matters now. Vague ambition loses to a specific plan with numbers attached.
Track the deadlines and the windows
Some of these programs are rolling and monthly. Others open for 30 days once a year. Missing the High Five window means waiting until September 2027. Put every deadline in a calendar with a two-week reminder, because most of them do not send one.
How to use grant funding to grow your business
Winning is the milestone. What you do next determines whether the money compounds or disappears.
Start with a clear plan
Before spending any of it, write down what the funding will support. Identify your top priorities, whether that is marketing, product development, hiring, or equipment, and estimate what each will return. The business budget calculator is a quick way to map the allocation before you commit.
Invest where the effect lasts
Grant money works hardest on things that keep paying after it is spent:
Expanding your product or service line
Building or improving your online presence
Increasing production capacity or upgrading equipment
Entering new markets
Strengthening how the business operates day to day
Strengthen your financial infrastructure
Many women-owned businesses use grant money to build a stronger operational base, and it is one of the highest-return choices available. Upgrading your bookkeeping, tightening cash-flow management, and bringing in the right advisors saves time and reduces errors immediately. It also shows future funders, reviewers, and partners that the business is organized and ready for more.
A solid foundation is what makes the next opportunity possible, whether that is a bigger grant, a loan, or a large client who wants to see your numbers first.
Track how you spend it
Clear records matter for two reasons: some grants carry reporting requirements, and every future application will go better if you can show what the last award achieved. Keep documentation of how the funds were used and watch the metrics that tell you whether it worked.
This is where ReInvestWealth does the work for you. Connect your bank accounts and every grant deposit and every dollar of related spending is imported and categorized automatically, so the trail exists without you building it.
Use the mentorship, training, and network access
The best programs offer far more than money. Mentorship, education, and introductions often outlast the funding, and founders routinely say the network was worth more than the check.
Take all of it:
Mentorship sessions to pressure-test your strategy with people who have done it
Workshops and training to strengthen marketing, financial literacy, and operations
The alumni community, which usually includes past winners, industry experts, and potential partners
Those relationships lead to customers, partnerships, investor introductions, and eligibility for the next grant.
Get certified as a women-owned small business
This is not a grant, and it belongs in a different mental category, but it is often worth more money than any grant on this list.
The federal government aims to award 5% of all federal prime contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses, and the WOSB Federal Contract Program reserves certain contracts for certified firms in industries where women are underrepresented. Certification gives you access to those contracts. It does not give you cash.
WOSB certification requires the business to be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens, with women managing daily operations and making long-term decisions.
EDWOSB certification, the economically disadvantaged tier, adds personal thresholds: net worth under $850,000, a three-year average adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less, and personal assets of $6.5 million or less.
Apply through SBA Certifications at certifications.sba.gov. The SBA aims to decide within 90 calendar days of receiving a complete package.
Free help from a Women's Business Center
Also not a grant, also genuinely useful. Women's Business Centers are an SBA-supported national network offering "free, to low-cost counseling and training," including help accessing federal contracts and help obtaining credit and capital. They do not hand out money, but they will sit with you and review a grant application before you submit it. Find your nearest one through the SBA's Women's Business Centers directory.
Looking for state and local grants instead?
National programs get the attention, but state and city funding is often less competitive because far fewer people apply. Two guides go deeper on specific states: small business grants in New York covers what is open, what has closed, and where the real money is, and business grants for women entrepreneurs in Texas covers the Texas-specific programs.
How ReInvestWealth helps you manage grant funding
Grant money arrives with strings: reporting requirements, a tax bill, and a reviewer who may ask what you did with it. Clean books answer all three questions without a scramble.
Automatic transaction tracking. Connect your bank and card accounts and every transaction is imported and categorized, from the grant deposit itself to the spending that follows. No manual entry, and nothing gets missed because you forgot to write it down.
Receipt capture that matches itself up. Upload receipts or forward them by email into the Smart Shoebox, and AI reads the merchant, date, totals, and category, then matches each receipt to the transaction it belongs to. That is the audit-ready trail a funder or the IRS would want to see.
Financial reports on demand. Get a profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and general ledger whenever you need them, which is exactly the package most grant applications ask for. If you are applying in October, you should not be reconstructing your year in October.
An AI Bookkeeper built by CPAs. The AI Bookkeeper does the categorizing and applies real bookkeeping logic, so there is very little left for you to do. Your accountant gets clean records and can spend their time on tax planning instead of cleanup, and you get to keep working on the business.
Setting up business banking at the same time? Our guide to the best bank accounts for small businesses in the U.S. covers the accounts worth opening first.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay back a business grant?
No. A grant is not a loan and not an investment. You do not repay it and you do not give up equity. The one thing to watch is that some awards are structured as reimbursements, paying you back for costs you already incurred, and a few carry conditions such as spending the money on a stated purpose or reporting on outcomes. Read the terms of your specific award.
Are small business grants taxable income?
Generally yes. Internal Revenue Code section 61 defines gross income broadly, and the IRS instructions for Form 1099-G state that state and local grants are ordinarily taxable for federal income purposes, and that a federal grant is ordinarily taxable unless the authorizing legislation says otherwise. Private and corporate grants are income too. Not receiving a 1099 does not make an award tax-free. Your related business expenses remain deductible, so the net effect is usually smaller than the headline amount. Confirm your specific award with your accountant.
Does the government give grants to women to start a business?
Not for general startup or expansion costs. The SBA states directly that it "does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business." Federal grant money for small businesses flows through narrower channels: research and development via SBIR and STTR, exporting via STEP, and manufacturing training via the Empower To Grow program. Broad-purpose grants for women-owned businesses come from private companies and foundations.
What is the easiest business grant for women to get?
The ones with rolling deadlines, short applications, and no revenue requirement give you the most attempts for the least effort. The Galaxy Grant is free to apply for and accepts pre-launch founders. The HerRise MicroGrant and the Freed Fellowship both run monthly, so a rejection costs you a few weeks rather than a year. Narrow industry programs like the Halstead Grant are also easier than they look, because far fewer businesses qualify.
How often can you apply for business grants?
It depends on the program. Amber, HerRise, and Freed accept applications every month. Halstead is annual, with a May 1 deadline. Tory Burch and High Five open a window once a year. The IFW Universal Grant Application is open year-round and keeps matching you to new partner grants after a single submission, which makes it the highest-value application per hour spent.
Should I pay a fee to apply for a grant?
A small administrative fee, in the $15 to $19 range, is normal for a few legitimate monthly programs that use it to manage application volume. Treat anything larger as a warning, and treat any fee to "release" money you have supposedly already won as a scam. No legitimate funder asks for your bank login or your Social Security number to release a grant, and none guarantees approval.
Ready to apply with numbers you can stand behind? Grant reviewers read financial statements, and so does the IRS after you win. ReInvestWealth is AI bookkeeping built by CPAs: connect your accounts, let the AI categorize the work, and have your profit and loss statement and balance sheet ready whenever a deadline appears. Start free for 30 days.
A note from our CPAs
This guide is general information for U.S. business owners, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation. Grant eligibility, award terms, and the tax treatment of an award depend on your entity type, your state, and the individual program's rules, and all of them change. We verified every program above against the provider's own page in September 2026, but deadlines and amounts move, so confirm the current terms on the funder's site before you apply, and talk to your accountant about how an award affects your return.
Written by Maryam Ajorloo, CPA
Maryam Ajorloo is the co-founder of ReInvestWealth and a CPA who specializes in small business tax and everyday bookkeeping. She helps entrepreneurs keep clean, audit-ready books and make sense of write-offs, filing deadlines, and the numbers behind their business. Read more · Connect on LinkedIn
Reviewed by Behdad Karimi Dermeni, CPA
Co-founder of ReInvestWealth and a founding community builder at Stripe. Behdad built ReInvestWealth to give smart, busy entrepreneurs CPA-level accounting without the CPA-level price tag. Read more · Connect on LinkedIn
