Gabrielle Union to award $75,000 in grants and mentorship sessions to black female-owned businesses
In honor of International Women’s Day, actress and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union and celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims, co-founders of Flawless by Gabrielle Union, are partnering with LinkedIn to help close this gap with a $25,000 grant initiative, awarded to three Black female-owned businesses each in the fashion, skincare and hair accessories space.
A significantly wide gap in access to capital, expertise, and opportunities for Black female entrepreneurs remains. Black business owners typically receive less than 2% of overall funding each year, and in 2021, Black female entrepreneurs received 0.34% of the total venture capital spent in the United States.
As these numbers stagnate year after year, Flawless by Gabrielle Union is taking a step forward in helping to elevate female Black-owned businesses.
On March 8, eligible black female entrepreneur applicants will have the chance to win $25,000 each through the inaugural grant. In addition to financial support, the Lift As We Rise Grant will offer a one-year LinkedIn Premium membership and a mentorship session to help elevate your LinkedIn profile.
“We are so grateful to have a platform to support other Black female entrepreneurs,” Union said.
Powerful industry leaders are joining Union and Sims to provide their guidance and insights that may result in multi-fold growth in revenue, customers, and market share.
B. Pagels-Minor of Dvrgnt Ventures, the first Black trans-VC founder, will serve as an expert on the panel of judges for the initiative and offer mentorship sessions to the winners. Antoine Gregory, the founder of the Black Fashion Fair, has also been added to the panel of expert judges.
“We want to give these individuals the necessary tools to succeed in a saturated space,” Sims said. “Financial support, along with one-on-one mentorship sessions with some of our incredible partners aim to give recipients the opportunity to feel seen, supported, and uplifted.”
Eligibility requirements
- Must be 18+.
- The company must be based and operated in the United States (open to U.S. residents and U.S.-based brands only).
- The company must be in one of the following categories: fashion, skincare, or hair accessories/tools.
- Must have an existing company website and social media presence.
- Products are not in distribution at a major retailer.
- Businesses must be past the ideation phase with a fully developed product or service with customers, or ready for customers.
Deadline
Eligible applicants must complete the application in its entirety and submit it by April 19. To learn more about the Lift As We Rise Grant visit https://flawlesscurls.com/pages/lift-as-we-climb-grant-initiative-promotion.
