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Grants for Women-Owned Small Businesses: 7 With Deadlines Still Ahead
As of October 2026, 7 national grants for women-owned small businesses are open in WinAGrant's registry, with published awards from $1,000 to $15,000: Hey Helen Grant (closes October 31, 2026), Galaxy Grant ($2,500, closes October 31, 2026), Women Founders Grant (closes October 31, 2026), and 4 more. Every program below names its funder, links to the official application page, and shows the date we last verified it. A closing date is the funder's own, and a program with none is marked rolling. Some funders accept applications only during set windows, so the funder's own page is the authority on whether it is taking them today. For the live table of programs open right now, see grants for women-owned businesses.
Key takeaways
- 7 national grants for women-owned businesses are open now, each with its closing date or rolling status listed; they carry published awards from $1,000 to $15,000.
- The soonest deadline is the Hey Helen Grant on Oct 31, 2026. Check its page for when the application window opens.
- 19 of the 315 verified private and state programs in WinAGrant's registry (of 513 curated in total) are tagged for women-owned businesses, with a median published maximum award of $5,000 among the 19 that state one.
- Grants are not loans. The money is never paid back.
Women-owned business grants open right now
Why most women's grant lists are out of date
None of these funders buys ads. The Amber Grant awards $15,000 (three monthly grants: Monthly, Startup and Business Category) every month. Funder's application fee: $15. Most owners have never heard the name. That's not an accident of luck. Grant money moves through newsletters, foundation pages, and word of mouth, and the owners who win are usually the ones who already knew where to look.
That's the part we fixed. We check funder pages for changes daily. When a page changes, we verify the grant again. That keeps the table above honest: when a deadline passes or a program closes, it drops off this page automatically.
Recurring women's grants between cycles (next windows)
These programs are between application windows right now. The date is the funder's own signal for the next cycle, and the owners who win are the ones whose applications are ready the week a window opens, not the ones who find out it existed the week it closed.
Women-owned business grants, program by program
Hey Helen Grant: $10,000 per month (one recipient), closes Oct 31, 2026
Run by Visionaries (Hey Helen). $10,000 unrestricted monthly grant to one woman founder of a US for-profit business under $1M revenue; one application stays on file for 12 monthly rounds. Funder's application fee: $15. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 13, 2026. Official page
Galaxy Grant: $2,500, closes Oct 31, 2026
Run by Hidden Star (Galaxy of Stars). Women and minority business owners: short no-essay application. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 19, 2026. Official page
Women Founders Grant: $5,000 per grant paid in a single lump sum, closes Oct 31, 2026
$5,000 lump-sum monthly grant plus mentor for US women-owned businesses at any stage, including the idea stage. Funder's application fee: $25. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 11, 2026. Official page
HerRise MicroGrant (HerSuiteSpot / Yva Jourdan Foundation): $1,000, closes Oct 31, 2026
A $1,000 microgrant awarded every month to a small business at least 51% owned by women, with a focus on under-resourced women including women of color. Funder's application fee: $15. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 14, 2026. Official page
Amber Grant (WomensNet): $15,000 (three monthly grants: Monthly, Startup and Business Category), closes Oct 31, 2026
Women-owned businesses: three $10,000 winners every month. Funder's application fee: $15. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 15, 2026. Official page
Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program: $2,000 education grant (plus fellowship), closes Nov 17, 2026
Women entrepreneurs: year-long fellowship. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 19, 2026. Official page
YippityDoo Big Idea Grant: $1,000 per month, takes applications every month; next round not posted yet
$1,000 monthly micro-grant for US for-profit women-owned businesses, established or idea stage. Funder's application fee: $15. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 10, 2026. Official page
Cartier Women's Initiative Regional Awards: $30,000–$100,000, usually opens around Spring 2027, based on past rounds
Global annual awards for women-led impact businesses, including a North America region. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 3, 2026. Official page
Enthuse Foundation Grant Program: $2,500 per category grant; one $5,000 Planet and Purpose grant, usually opens around March 2027, based on past rounds
The Enthuse Foundation gives $2,500 grants in seven categories, plus one $5,000 Planet and Purpose grant, to women running an established consumer packaged goods (CPG) business full time. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 16, 2026. Official page
HIGH FIVE Grant for Moms: $1,000–$10,000, usually opens around September 2027, based on past rounds
Run by The Mama Ladder (with Belly Bandit). Mom entrepreneurs: annual competition. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 3, 2026. Official page
Ladies Who Launch: The Launch Program: $10,000 ($7,500 unrestricted + $2,500 for AI literacy training), 10 awards
Ladies Who Launch's Launch Program gives $10,000 to each of 10 U.S.-based, women-led small businesses that build social impact into how they make money. $7,500 is unrestricted cash and $2,500 is reserved for AI literacy training. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 16, 2026. Official page
Melissa Washington Small Business Award (MWSBA) (Women Veterans Giving): Up to $5,000
Annual award of up to $5,000 to help women veterans start or grow a business. 2026 adds a For-Profit category. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 10, 2026. Official page
TRANSFORM Business Grant: $1,000, usually opens around Spring 2027, based on past rounds
Social-impact founders from marginalized groups, women included. Verified against the funder's own page Oct 12, 2026. Official page
WOSB certification: contracts, not a check
WOSB is an SBA contracting program, not a grant. A business qualifies if women who are U.S. citizens own and control at least 51% of it, and certification through certifications.sba.gov is free. The federal government aims to send 5% of contracting dollars to WOSBs. The economically disadvantaged tier (EDWOSB) adds limits: personal net worth under $850,000, average income under $400,000, and assets under $6.5 million.
The Amber Grant is the one recurring cash award most women owners hear about. WomensNet gives three $10,000 grants every month, and each monthly winner is eligible for one of three $50,000 year-end grants. There is a $15 application fee, the deadline is the last day of each month, and it is open to women-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Our Amber Grant page has the details.
Free help that isn't a grant: SBA Women's Business Centers
The SBA's Women's Business Centers provide free to low-cost counseling and training for women who want to start, grow, and expand a small business. Find the nearest one with the SBA's local assistance tool.
Beyond the women-only list
Women-only programs are the start, not the whole picture. The registry holds 315 verified private and state programs, and most of them are open to any qualifying small business. A woman-owned bakery competes for those the same as anyone. State programs are their own lane: we track them on dedicated pages for Virginia, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, with more states coming. And the full, always-current list of grants built for women-owned businesses lives on our grants for women-owned businesses page, refreshed as each window opens and closes.
Many women-owned businesses qualify under more than one category. If yours is also veteran-owned or minority-owned, those pages pull from the same verified registry. Running a nonprofit? There's a separate list for that too: grants for nonprofits.
If you fit one of those categories, its own guide goes as deep as this one. Read grants for veteran-owned businesses or grants for minority-owned businesses, each built from the same registry and the same checks.
Finding the grants is step one. Writing the application is step two, and you have options there. If you're deciding whether to hire help, what a grant writer actually costs lays out honest 2026 pricing before you spend a dollar. If you'd rather write it yourself, the AI grant-writing tools worth trying and our wider rundown of grant tools for small businesses break down what each one really does. All three are built from the same checks as this list.
Every verified grant deadline in the next 90 days is on one page: the live deadlines list.
Straight answers
Are there grants just for women?
Yes. The programs on this page are small-business grants set aside specifically for women-owned businesses, funded by companies and foundations that back women entrepreneurs. If you are looking for personal or education grants, those are a separate category. This page covers business grants: money for a business a woman owns, and it is never paid back.
What is the difference between grants for women and grants for women-owned businesses?
“Grants for women” is a broad search that mixes personal, education, and business funding together. WinAGrant tracks the business slice: grants a woman can win for the business she owns. Every program here names its funder, links to the official application page, and shows the date we last verified it.
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.
Do I need a WOSB certification to apply?
Not for the private grants on this page. Each funder sets its own proof of ownership, stated on its official page. Federal WOSB certification matters for government contracting set-asides, which are a different program.
What are the odds of actually winning one?
It depends on the program's format. Some draw winners from a short application, so they're volume-based. Recurring programs let a strong application compete again next cycle. Judged competitions weigh the story you tell. The common thread: the application is usually short. The funder's official page states the format and any fee.
How do I find grants that match my specific business?
This page lists national women-owned 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.
Related reading
Somewhere, a woman who qualifies for one of these will never hear about it.
Don't be her. The registry holds 315 verified private and state programs plus live federal grants. The free 3-minute quiz scores every one against your industry, state, and ownership, ranks them by fit, and flags the ones closing soonest.
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