These programs just got awarded grants to help DC’s women entrepreneurs

BEACON DC announced the women-led ventures that will receive support from the inaugural round of its grant program this week.

The grants are designed to help female founders connect, and find new ways to support women entrepreneurs, Beacon board member Xina Eiland told Technical.ly DC in June. For this first round, the program provided 19 grants for a total of $50,000. The program drew 85 applicants, and the recipients were chosen with the help of a public vote.

The grantees were announced Wednesday night at Union Market.

https://twitter.com/thebeacondc/status/908113731154059264

“We were thrilled by the interest in the grant program. It’s evidence that DC’s ecosystem is primed with talented women entrepreneurs and organizations ready to support them,” Alexandra Givens, a BEACON Board Member and the executive director of the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law, said in a statement.

Here are the ventures that received funding:

• Black Female Founders, for an eight-week pre-acclerator program supporting women entrepreneurs of color confidence, which aims to build confidence, social capital, and community.
• Black Girl Vision, for a crowdfunded pitch competition that connects women of color entrepreneurs to investors and capital.
• ByteBack, to provide support for a tech training program focused on women entrepreneurs in underserved areas of D.C.
• Canady Foundation for the Arts, for the Miss Media Conference, which will provide media arts training to young women of color.
• Cee Smith Media Group, for Hustle Camp, a weekend training for LGBTQ entrepreneurs in the creative arts.
• Design Choice, for a “skills-first” directory to connect female freelancers to job opportunities.
• District Mugs, to provide more chances to buy coffee mugs made by homeless women.
• FranciePants LLC, for a program that offers free sewing classes and contracting opportunities.
• Global Empowerment Solutions, for “Holiday Hustle,” a training program with a 6-week training program and retail showroom.
• HeraHub, for a mentorship roadshow for women entrepreneurs.
• MET Community, for a program that connects Latina woman entrepreneurs to African American and Asian American–owned businesses.
• Nubian Hueman, for an eight-week training course to teach young women about starting and running a fashion business.
• Springboard Enterprises, for a series of the Dolphin Tank pitch competition that will partner with other orgs focused on helping women entrepreneurs.
• Tech Lady Hackathon 2017, for the event providing civic hacking opportunities, as well as training and workshops for women in tech.
• TechMoxie, for a course in digital and social media literacy that helps low-income women in areas underserved by women-owned businesses.
• The Black upStart, for a business development program for women of color entrepreneurs from Ward 8.
• The Mentor Method, for an online video and curriculum–based resource to empower non-technical women founders starting a business.
• Walker’s Legacy, for a program ensuring women entrepreneurs have childcare while attending a mom-entrepreneur training program.
• Zora & Amelia, to support pop-up retail for women-owned business.

We’ll be looking to cover these initiatives further as they move forward.