Data last verified September 4, 2026
Grants for Minority-Owned Small Businesses: What's Really Open
As of September 2026, 3 national grants for minority-owned small businesses are live in WinAGrant's registry with no deadline behind them. That number is small because it counts only programs still live in the registry — not closed cycles, not loans, and not certifications. It also isn’t one list with one rule: each funder writes its own eligibility, and no two are written the same way, so read the “who it’s for” column before you spend an evening applying — and the funder’s page for the application window it is currently in.
Open to minority-owned businesses
Every program here is active in WinAGrant's registry, verified against the funder's own page on the date shown, and has no deadline behind it. One caveat we can't check for you: some funders accept applications only during set windows that open and close during the year, so the funder's page — linked on every row — is the authority on whether it is taking applications the day you read this. Read the “who it's for” column first, too: these funders do not all define “minority-owned” the same way, and the difference decides whether an evening spent applying was worth it.
| Program | Amount | Status | Who it's for | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HerRise MicroGrant HerSuiteSpot / Yva Jourdan Foundation Verified Sep 4, 2026 | $1,000 | Closes Sep 30, 2026 | Women-of-color-owned businesses — one $1,000 award every month since 2017 | Official page ↗ |
Galaxy Grant Hidden Star (Galaxy of Stars) Verified Sep 2, 2026 | $2,500 | Closes Oct 31, 2026 | Women and minority business owners, at any stage — a 30-second application, winners drawn each cycle | Official page ↗ |
Job Creators Quest Grant Founders First CDC Verified Aug 26, 2026 | $2,500–$10,000 | Rolling — apply anytime | Recurring grant cycles (national and regional, e.g. | Official page ↗ |
Open to any owner — you included
Nothing in this table has an ownership requirement of any kind. These are private national programs open to any industry and any owner, which means a minority-owned business competes for them on equal footing, today. Most lists never show them, because a list of “minority business grants” isn't supposed to include grants everyone can apply for — but your business can win these, and that is the point.
| Program | Amount | Status | Who it's for | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Freed Fellowship Grant Freed Fellowship Verified Aug 27, 2026 | $500 monthly (+ $2,500 year-end) | Rolling — apply anytime | Monthly $500 no-strings micro-grant for any US micro or small business owner, with monthly winners eligible… | Official page ↗ |
NASE Growth Grant National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Verified Sep 4, 2026 | up to $4,000 | Rolling — apply anytime | Self-employed people and micro-businesses — marketing, hiring, equipment, or expansion | Official page ↗ |
Certifications are not grants
Search “minority business grants” and much of what comes back isn't grant money. MBE certification through a regional council, and the SBA's 8(a) Business Development program, are both real and can both be worth pursuing — but they help you compete for contracts, which is work you get paid to do, not money awarded for being who you are. Lists that blur the two make the grant landscape look several times larger than it is.
The same goes for the loan funds that appear on those lists in grant language. If it has to be paid back, it's a loan — and the honest thing is to say so before you spend a weekend on the application.
Why the honest list is short
Right now 6 of the 161 verified private and state programs we track are tagged for minority-owned businesses, and 3 of them clear every check this page requires: national scope, verified against the funder's own page, and no deadline behind it. The others are held back for a reason — scoped to a single state, between cycles, or not re-verified on the last pass — and they return here when they clear again. Our registry re-checks every program against the funder's own page daily, so this table stays honest: when a deadline passes or a program closes, the row drops off automatically rather than sitting here collecting weekends.
Where else to look
Several funders that fund minority-owned businesses fund women-owned businesses as well, so the women-owned list is worth reading next — it is built from the same registry and the same checks. State programs are their own lane — we track them on dedicated pages for Virginia, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, with more coming. And before you size up any application, it helps to know what these awards are actually worth: real medians from verified published maximums.
Straight answers
Is an MBE certification or SBA 8(a) a grant?
No. Minority Business Enterprise certification and the SBA's 8(a) Business Development program are contracting programs — they help you compete for government and corporate contracts, which is work you get paid to do. Neither one sends you a check the way a grant does. Both can be worth having; neither belongs on a list of grants.
What counts as a minority-owned business?
Each funder decides, and they don't all decide the same way. Some ask for a percentage of ownership, some ask you to self-identify, and some name the exact groups they fund — and a few are narrower than the phrase “minority-owned” suggests, funding one specific group rather than all of them. That is why this page has a “who it's for” column instead of a single definition: it summarises what each funder itself says, and every row links straight to its full eligibility rules. Read them before you spend an evening applying.
Do these grants have to be paid back?
No. A grant is not a loan. You never pay it back. Most small-business awards just ask for a short report on how the money was used. Larger federal grants can carry more formal reporting and compliance terms, so read the award conditions before you accept. Anything that has to be repaid is a loan, whatever the headline calls it.
Why is this list shorter than the ones I've seen elsewhere?
Because this one only counts programs still live in the registry, verified against the funder's own page. Longer lists get there by including cycles that closed last year, loan funds described in grant language, and certifications that never send a check. A weekend spent applying to a closed program is a weekend you don't get back.
How do I find grants that match my specific business?
This page lists national programs. WinAGrant's 3-minute quiz matches your industry, state, and ownership against the full verified registry plus live federal grants from Grants.gov, and shows you where you stand.
Somewhere, an owner who qualifies for one of these will never hear about it.
Don't be them. The 3-minute quiz matches your industry, state, and ownership against every verified program in the registry — and shows you exactly where you stand.
See which grants match my business