Young Woman’s Grant for Entrepreneurs being launched
A partnership between Yarmouth-based Goodness to Go Energy, the Connecting Women in Business group and Ignite Labs has resulted in a new grant program being offered to young women between 16 and 30 in the Tri-County region wanting to start their own business.
The Young Woman’s Grant for Entrepreneurs is being launched at an information session on Oct. 18 from 12 to 1 p.m. at the NSCC Burridge Campus Ignite Labs (Room C290). The grant, which is being funded by Goodness to Go Energy, is for $1,000 and will be awarded twice a year.
“We just launched our business about six months ago,” said Goodness to Go Energy owner Jessica Sollows.
“We knew right away we wanted to donate a percentage of profits to charity,” deciding to “create a program for young women entrepreneurs because I’m a young woman entrepreneur and it still very much a man’s world out there so we’re trying to support other young women such as myself,” Sollows said, adding from experience there are a lot of roadblocks and startup costs associated with business start-up and for women, who are often tasked with looking after children or even the older generation in addition to trying to make a living, it can be even more of a juggling act.
Sollows said after the company made the decision to create the program, “we decided we just wanted to fund the program.”
“We didn’t have the capacity to run it so who better to run the program than an organization dedicated to women so that’s why we contacted the Tri-County Women’s Centre about delivering the program for us,” she said. “We also had been in contact with Ignite Labs. They have just been an incredible resource to our company and connecting us to the people we needed to know to advance our business. Ignite Labs is an incredible partner to us, so we asked if they would mind being a resource as well to whoever was the successful candidate of our program and they said yes so that’s why the partnership with those two organizations.
“Right now, the grant is going to be $1,000 and run twice a year with the potential for funding to grow depending on the success of our business,” she said, which produces organic granola bars.
“If the business grows the grants will grow,” said Sollows, adding if anyone wants to participate or donate funds to the grant they would be open to that as well.
Applications for the first grant will be available starting Oct. 18, with a deadline for submission of Dec. 31. The successful applicant will be notified by Jan. 9, 2019 and will be highlighted at the Women’s Winterlude Trade Show on Jan 19.
Applications can be accessed at the Oct. 18 information session, and after by email at entrepreneur@ tricountywomenscentre.org or by visiting the Tri-County Women’s Center at 12 Cumberland St. in Yarmouth. The Tri-County Women’s Center executive director and the Connecting Women in Business Group will select the successful applicant.