Our Impact
What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Our Impact
Boundless Futures Foundation empowers, embraces, and elevates female entrepreneurs through grants to new businesses and to likeminded nonprofits.
Boundless Futures Foundation’s grants to businesses are awarded directly to female entrepreneurs who put social impact front and center in their business products or practices. We look at a society’s biggest issues and believe in the power of entrepreneurs to provide solutions by going above and beyond “business as usual” to create impact through profit and purpose — to solve a problem, improve on the status quo, or give back in an intentional way.
Grant-eligible entrepreneurs demonstrate clear and consistent commitment to creating positive change through businesses with ambitious and effective social reach. These businesses address issues related to:
- Poverty & Hunger
- Sustainability & the Environment
- Strong Communities
Past grantees illustrate the kinds of powerful businesses and visionary entrepreneurs Boundless Futures Foundation supports.
Grants are also awarded to mission-aligned nonprofits that provide women with skills and resources to start and sustain businesses through entrepreneurship-focused programs or services.
We’ve seen the statistics, and we are proud to join the effort to reduce barriers for women to thrive as entrepreneurs. We have also been a part of those statistics: we know, firsthand, that female entrepreneurs benefit from capital, expertise, and education. Our grants reflect our commitment to meeting those needs. We amplify our impact by supporting female-founded business that do good by doing well.
All prospective applicants are encouraged to confirm eligibility before beginning the grant application process.
EmpowHer Grants
Eligible Applicants: Female entrepreneurs 22 years of age and older with businesses registered and operating solely in the United States. An applicant’s business must address a social issue directly or through its business model, and must not be more than 3 years old. To be awarded grant funding, applicants must self-report a credit score and agree to a third-party background check.
Grants: Applicants may request up to $25,000 in business support. Grant funding is remitted as reimbursement (following proof of payment) for business-related expenses. Applications must include business plans and detailed budgets. Funding is paid to grantees after business-expense receipts are submitted to Boundless Futures Foundation.
Grants For Individuals
Details: EmpowHer grants support women who need early-stage business capital, a network of business advisors, or both. Grantees will have access to financial, marketing, leadership, and sector professionals who can advise on business focus, next steps, and longer-range planning. As an entrepreneur, you’re not alone: our network is full of people who have been in your shoes.
Her Village Grants
Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that support female entrepreneurs through education, mentorship, financing, and/or other mission-aligned programming.
Grants: Applicant organizations may request up to $30,000 in support.
Grants For Nonprofits
Details: Her Village grants awarded to qualifying nonprofit organizations support work that advances and strengthens entrepreneurial skills, resources, ecosystems, and educational opportunities for girls and women. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $30,000. Our grantmaking to nonprofits is founded in the belief that, equipped with support, skills, and capital, female entrepreneurs can have a boundless impact in society.
Our Community
EmpowHer Grantees
Tatiana Freeman’s idea for Minnesota-based Nosh Posh grew out of her own personal experience seeing how healthy changes in diet and food choices improve lives. Her business offers healthy snack boxes sourced from small, female- and BIPOC-owned producers and stocks branded vending machines intended to provide healthy alternatives in ‘food desert’ pockets of her Minneapolis community.
Tina Arroyo, ABOC, is an optician who opened Spectacle Society after noting an industry trend of poor personal service. When she opened her business in Detroit in December 2020, Arroyo emphasized individualized custom curated appointments and stocking handcrafted frames by small, independent producers. Giving back has been a pillar of Spectacle Society since it opened: in 2023, she collected donations of new and gently used glasses to benefit hundreds of housebound and underserved seniors in the Detroit community.
Artisan Joy founder Stephanie Blanchard utilizes her media platform to amplify creative entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and artistic disciplines, especially women and people from underrepresented groups. Artisan Joy publishes an online and print magazine featuring in-depth interviews with creative entrepreneurs, photos of their art and goods, and information on where consumers can purchase them. Blanchard’s vision for Artisan Joy is for established and aspiring creative entrepreneurs to have a destination for inspiration, business tips, and publicity for their businesses.
Her Village Grantees
Traverse Connect, the lead economic development organization for Michigan’s Grand Traverse region, provides programming developed to support women at each stage of their careers – to grow as emerging leaders, develop their businesses, and gain the skills needed to grow as community entrepreneurs and leaders. Boundless Futures Foundation’s $30,000 grant over two years supports scholarships for women participating in three of Traverse Connect’s programs that equip and support female entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Boundless Futures Foundation awarded the Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE) a $30,000 Her Village grant to fund their female entrepreneurship programming. For more than 25 years, CWE has been helping aspiring female entrepreneurs and women business-owners in New England launch, build, and grow their businesses by providing greater access to the resources, tools, and support they need to succeed.
Grant Applicant FAQ
Boundless Futures Foundation awards grants to women starting businesses and to nonprofit organizations that support female entrepreneurs. This section provides more detail about our funding, the process, and requirements. Additional questions can be directed to info@boundlessfutures.org.
How do I apply for a Boundless Futures Foundation grant?
Please create an application account using one of the APPLY buttons on this page. Grants can only be completed and submitted through your account; we do not accept other application formats. Please read eligibility requirements and grant descriptions carefully before beginning an application.
Will Boundless Futures Foundation keep application materials confidential?
Yes, all grant materials will be treated as confidential information.
What are the criteria for individual business grants? Does any business qualify?
Businesses must be registered in the U.S., and grantees must live and work in the U.S., too. We support female founders whose businesses are legal in all states and do not promote political causes or figures, discord, divisiveness, or exclusion.
We ask applicants to explain how their product or business model addresses a social issue and creates positive change. A business’s social impact must fit into one of three general categories – poverty and hunger, sustainability and the environment, or strong communities. We ask entrepreneurs to define their social purpose or mission within a society-wide picture of problems and solutions.
If basic eligibility criteria are met, we evaluate an application based on its business plan, whether we think the business concept will be well-received in its business community or sector, and the founder’s commitment to the concept and its impact.
What are the criteria for grants to nonprofits?
Eligible nonprofits support female entrepreneurs. That support can take the form of direct funding, financing, networking, business resources, training, skill-building, incubators and accelerators, or leadership development.
How much funding is a grantee awarded?
Each EmpowHer applicant can request up to $25,000; Her Village applicants can request up to $30,000. Grant amounts are based on demonstrated need, financial positions, and potential impact
What is the deadline for applications?
Grants to individuals (EmpowHer Grants) are always open; applications are reviewed quarterly. There are two cycles per year for grants to nonprofits (Her Village Grants): applications are due on April 1 and October 1.
Does grant funding need used in a particular way?
Funding to individual entrepreneur grantees is distributed as reimbursement for business expenses: in exchange for proof of payment or receipts, the Foundation will remit grant funds. Funding to nonprofit grantees must be used according to terms described in their grant proposals. For nonprofits we prefer to fund programming or direct support; capacity-building, facilities, and other organizational needs will be considered but they are not a priority for Boundless Futures Foundation.
Will the Foundation require reports from grantees?
Yes, the Foundation requires a final report and a wrap-up conversation at the end of the grant period. Grant periods are determined on a case-by-case basis but will not exceed 12 months for individuals or 18 months for nonprofits. We measure our impact through grantee impact; we are especially interested in hearing about the people and markets served by our grantees.
Boundless Futures Foundation grants to individuals support businesses that have been in operation for three years or less – why?
Through our own experience, we understand the difficulty of access to capital and resources for women starting a new business and sustaining it through the start-up phase. That’s where we come in: our goal is to provide support and mentorship to smooth the start-up bumps, answer questions, and use our know-how to make the process easier.
Does Boundless Futures Foundation fund for-profit organizations doing mission-aligned work?
No, grants are only made to individuals and nonprofit organizations.
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