Are you a woman business owner in Idaho? You can earn $10,000 from this grant. Here’s how
Idaho was recently ranked one of the worst states for women to live in, but that doesn’t mean women business owners in Idaho can’t succeed.
The Amber Grant, a grant provided by New York-based organization WomensNet, is aimed at providing money to women majority-owned businesses is providing up to $10,000 per month to companies across the country, including Idaho.
Through the Amber Grant, WomensNet is responsible for gifting $218,000 per year to women majority-owned businesses.
The organization is also responsible for providing grants to nonprofits, startups, and monthly grants based on the type of business.
WomensNet founded the Amber Grant in 1998 in memory of Amber Wigdahl, who passed away at 19 before realizing her business dreams. Amber was the sister of WomensNet founder Melody Wigdahl.
The Amber Grant awards $10,000 to one business nationwide monthly, with four other finalists receiving $1,000. The 12 winners each year will be eligible for an end-of-year $25,000 grant.
A second $25,000 grant will be awarded to one of the twelve winners of the monthly category grants. The category for March — which is also Women’s History Month — is food and beverage.
Businesses can apply for the grant online. The application fee is $15, and the deadline for this month is March 31.
“Applying for the Amber Grant is easy. Don’t try to ‘sound corporate,’” WomensNet states on its website. “Past grant winners are women who have simply shared from the heart. Our judges are looking for passion as well as business smarts.”
Past Amber Grant recipients range from scientific inventors to bakers, according to WomensNet.
The application process only takes a couple of minutes, according to WomensNet. Applicants must detail what their business is, and what they would do with the money if awarded the grant. Winners will be announced by the 23rd of the following month.
Tips for finding a grant
WomensNet provides six tips for finding and applying for a small business grant:
Analyze your organization’s needs: When applying for the grant, ensure you have a solid understanding of the problem that needs to be addressed, the audience that will benefit from your product, and the kind of support you need.
Research the types of foundations: A business owner should know about three types of foundations: corporate, civic and private. You can read more about the kinds of foundations online at the Council on Foundations.
Look for a funder who matches your project: Consider the grant funder’s geographic area, if they share a similar core mission or goals, and if they’ve supported similar projects to your own in the past.
Compile a list of prospective funders: Before applying, list grants you could apply for and group them by geographic location and field of interest.
Review and refine the list: Once you’ve created a list of potential funders, eliminate any that don’t fund in your state, your type of organization or subject, the kind of support you need, or the size of your project.
Research: Search print and online media to identify projects that have received grants in the past and ask former recipients for advice on why they think their application was successful.
