15 Grants for Black Owned Businesses to Apply for in August

August brings a powerful wave of funding opportunities for Black-owned businesses—and it’s your time to move boldly. With grant season well underway and new doors opening daily, staying ready could make all the difference. We’ve gathered 15 grants grants for black owned businesses available this month to help you grow, build, and lead with confidence. Step into position and pursue the capital your business deserve

AmEx Backing Small Businesses Grant

The $5,000 Skip Growth Grant is open to U.S.-based entrepreneurs and small business owners who are at least 18 years old. Offered in partnership with Galaxy of Stars and Pink Print, the grant is designed to help applicants grow or launch their businesses. To apply, entrepreneurs must submit a completed application and upload a current business plan through the Skip platform. 

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: August 1, 2025

Paypal Small Business Impact Awards

PayPal and Global Citizen have joined together to celebrate small businesses that are revolutionizing commerce and advancing social and environmental impact.

The Global Citizen and PayPal Small Business Impact Awards were established to celebrate entrepreneurs and small business owners. We are looking for innovative leaders of small businesses and social enterprises who have developed products, services, and business models that make a positive social or environmental impact.

The awards platform will grant these community leaders a $25,000 USD cash prize and connect them to data and insights, access to highly skilled commerce and payments experts, and marketing/brand activations to accelerate their work and impact.

Eligibility:

• Active Business Leader The applicant must be the business's owner, CEO, or founder and actively involved in business strategy and/or operations.

• Small-to-Medium Sized Business Business has fewer than 50 full-time employees or annual revenue under $1 million and be registered as a small business in its home country.

• Demonstrate Community Impact The business should have at least 3 years of operation and show significant, tangible contributions to the local community.

  Supporting local causes, charities, or nonprofit organizations.

  Engaging in community development projects or local partnerships.

  Implementing sustainable practices that benefit the local environment or economy.

  Creating jobs or providing educational/training opportunities for community members.

• Serve the Local Community The business must operate and primarily serve the local community.

• ❌ Business Cannot Be:

  • Affiliated with an organization from any country or entity subject to financial or other sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or other government entity of the United States of America.

  • A franchise or part of a national or international chain, as the focus is on independent, locally owned enterprises.

Amount: $25,000

Deadline: August 15, 2025

Alibaba CoCreate Pitch

The Alibaba CoCreate Pitch offers product-driven startups a chance to win a share of $1 million to help launch or scale their business. Entrepreneurs worldwide can qualify by pitching their vision through a short video on TikTok or Instagram or by submitting an online application. The top 10 finalists each receive $40,000, while the first-place winner is awarded $200,000. The program also connects participants with global manufacturers, investors, and Alibaba.com’s sourcing network to boost their market reach. Applications are due by August 15, 2025.

Amount: $40,000/ 200,000

Deadline: August 15, 2025

The Sky Is Not the Limit Social Impact Grant

At Bombshell Impact Design Agency, we believe the world’s most powerful brands are those driven by purpose. That’s why we created The Sky Is Not the Limit Social Impact Grant—an exclusive opportunity for social impact brands to access up to $10,000 in professional design, marketing, and “AI for Good” strategy services.

If your brand exists to make a difference—whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, B Corp, or mission-driven for-profit—this grant is for you. We’re ready to help you amplify your message, elevate your brand, and harness technology to drive measurable impact.

This grant is exclusively for social impact brands—organizations with a clear, measurable social or environmental mission at their core.

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: August 19, 2025: (World Humanitarian Day)

Women Founders Grant

Women Founders Grant awards $5,000 merit-based grants to women founders and business owners. "Women are desperately underfunded yet have an abundance of talent and grit” Short listed candidates will be contacted after application deadline. Nominal application fee $25 will be applied to our grants

Awarded on a rolling basis with deadline posted above.

No strings attached.

Just belief in you.

Amount: $5,000

Deadline: Year-Round/Rolling

Amika: Rooted in Growth Grant

Amika’s rooted in growth startup grant + mentorship program powered by Innovation Studio supports emerging professional hair brand founders to increase equity in the beauty + hair industry. They are funding 4 emerging professional hair founders each with $50,000 grants along with a 4-month mentorship program + networking opportunities with the amika team, plus hair + beauty industry leaders.

Eligibility:

• Business must have 51% or more ownership by an underrepresented founder or founding team

• Business must operate in the hair care category (products, tools, wigs, extensions, color, etc.)

• Business must sell a CPG (consumer packaged good) product

• Business must currently sell to or aspire to expand into professional distribution channels (e.g. salon distributors, direct-to-stylist, etc.)

• Business must submit a complete application, including an up-to-date profit and loss statement

• Founder(s) must be able to travel to NYC in October 2025 for the in-person program kick-off and participate in a spring 2026 industry trade show

• Founder(s) must be willing to participate in monthly virtual mentorship sessions from October 2025 - April 2026

Amount: $50,000

Deadline: August 22, 2025

Detroit Start-up Grant

Detroit City Council. Tech startups and founders now have the chance to apply for as much as $50,000 in grant money to create jobs and stay in Detroit. City officials announced on July 28 the launch of the Detroit Startup Fund at Newlab Detroit at Michigan Central Station, a hub for mobility businesses in the Corktown neighborhood, and touted the initiative as the first of its kind. The new program — supported by $700,000 of the city's general fund dollars approved by the Detroit City Council — will award 26 grants across two rounds into next year, including $15,000 seed grants for 20 recipients and $50,000 scale grants for six startups that have already secured outside investments in the past 18 months.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must meet the following criteria to qualify for the startup fund, according to a news release and Justin Onwenu, the city of Detroit's director of entrepreneurship and economic opportunity:

• Be a Detroit-based startup or founder building in Detroit that has been established for up to a decade.

• Be a "scalable, venture backable company" — meaning companies, typically tech- or software-enabled, that can grow quickly — with a service or product that improves residents' lives or enhances city services or operations.

• Become certified as a Detroit-based business.

• Share progress and outcome data with the city and DEGC.

  
  

  There are two types of awards: $15,000 "seed grants" and $50,000 "scale grants" for applicants who have raised at least $100,000 in outside investment in the past year or so and are actively seeking at least $250,000 in private capital. Grantees can use the money to develop their product, hire and retain staff, test and pilot, among other needs.

Amount: $15,000/$50,000

Deadline: August 25, 2025

BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program

The BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program was launched as a way to ensure that women-owned businesses received and the resources and the attention they needed to thrive. Since its inaugural year, the grant has supported a multitude of women-owned businesses across Canada, and within various sectors and industries.

Eligibility:

• Be a business that is at least 51% or more owned and controlled by an individual or individuals who self-identify as women, non-binary individual(s), or trans women

• The business must be for-profit, and must be currently active and operating in Canada.

• The business may not be a previous BMO Celebrating Women Grant recipient

  
  

  Amount: $10,000

  Deadline:  August 19 at 8:00 pm ET

StartHER Grant

Looking for help to get your startup off the ground and the resources to succeed? The CWE’s StartHER Grant Program supports women-owned startups in launching new initiatives and driving early-stage growth through innovative projects.

Eligibility:

Women Owned Startup

Early Stage Growth

Amount: $5,000

Deadline: August 26, 2025

Hey Helen Grant

The Hey Helen Grant provides $5,000 in funding to women-owned businesses who have between $25K-$1M in revenue in the last 12 months. Grants are provided by Visionaries to fuel growth, operations, marketing, or infrastructure.

Eligibility

• Must identify as a woman (or be nonbinary individuals who were assigned female at birth or otherwise align with the grant’s mission)

• Must own 100% of the business which must be a for-profit entity registered in the U.S.

• Annual revenue must be between $25,000 and $1 million

• Eligible applicants must be legal U.S. residents aged 18 or older, with a U.S. based business bank account.

Amount: $5,000

Deadline: August 29, 2025

Empowering Growth Small Business Grant

The next round of applications for the 2025 Empowering Growth Grant Program will open soon for small businesses in the Greensboro Market! One deserving business in Greensboro will receive a $10,000 grant to help take their company to the next level.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications for our 2025 Empowering Growth Small Business Grant with updated eligibility criteria are designed to welcome more businesses like yours!

✔ Your business must have gross revenues of $750,000 or less

✔ Must have been in business for ten (10) years or less as of January 31, 2025

✔ Your small business must have twenty-five (25) employees or less, including yourself

✔ Your business must operate in Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, or Randolph County

❌ Previous grant recipients are not eligible to apply

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: August 31, 2025

SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant

SoGal Foundation has teamed up with Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Twilio, and other sponsors to make a small step towards progress by providing several $10K and $5K cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs.

Awardees will also receive tactical help navigating the fundraising environment at large so that they will have a more equitable opportunity at scaling the next billion dollar idea.

To qualify, you should:

– self-identify as a Black woman or Black nonbinary entrepreneur (inclusive of multiracial Black women and multiracial Black nonbinary folks)

– have a legally registered business

– plan to seek investor financing in order to scale, now or in the future

– have a scalable, high-impact solution or idea with the ambition to be the next billion dollar business.

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: Rolling

Amber Grant Monthly Start-Up Grant

Amber Grant offers an additional grant opportunity: the WomensNet Startup Grant. We define a “startup” as a business still in the idea phase or one with minimal sales (under $10,000). While startups are eligible for our monthly Amber Grants, they created this additional grant to support this underserved sector.Monthly winners also qualify for the year-end $25,000 Amber Grant.

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: Rolling; Monthly

EmpowHer Grant

Boundless Futures Foundation partners with EmpowHer to provide financial and leadership resources for aspiring female entrepreneurs building businesses to solve today's biggest social issues so they can have a boundless impact in society.

Eligible Applicants: Female founders 22 years of age and older with businesses registered and operating in the United States. An applicant’s business must:

This grant is for entrepreneurial women who are leveraging their businesses to solve social issues.

Amount: $25,000

Deadline: August 1, 2025

Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant

Her Agenda is awarding $5,000 to one ambitious woman entrepreneur ready to break through barriers and take her business to the next level.

Amount: $5,000

Deadline: August 17, 2025