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2026-10-15 18:32 Guides

Business Grants for Women in 2026: What's Open Now, What's Really a Loan, and Upcoming Deadlines | EU Grants for STARTUPS

TL;DR: which business grants for women are open right now?

In Europe, two real grants for women are open with a date: the EU Prize for Women Innovators (up to €100,000, closes 1 December 2026) and Women TechEU (€75,000 for deep-tech startups, next deadline 14 January 2027). In the US, the Amber Grant, Galaxy Grant and HerRise Microgrant run monthly or quarterly rounds. Be careful with national "women's schemes": in Spain, Italy and France they are loans or loan guarantees, and in Malta a tax credit, not grants. Below is every option we could verify on the funder's own page on 15 October 2026, sorted by deadline.

👉 Find more calls that fit your startup with our grant finder
Search for "business grants for women" and you'll get long lists full of programs that closed years ago, loans described as grants and, too often, scams. So we did it the slow way: we opened every funder's official page and checked the amount, the type of money, who qualifies and the next deadline. Only six cash grants or prizes for women are open now with a published date. Here they are, followed by the schemes that are really loans and the recurring grants to prepare for.
If you are a woman founder in Europe, also read the Fe/male Switch Foundation's overview of grants for female entrepreneurs in Europe and our honest take on why EU funding for female entrepreneurs is flawed, and why you should apply anyway.

Business Grants for Women Open Now (Sorted by Deadline)

GrantWhereAmountTypeDeadline
Amber GrantUS, Canada$15,000 monthly; $75,000 year-endGrant ($15 fee)31 Oct 2026, then monthly
Galaxy GrantUS$2,500Grant (free)31 Oct 2026
HerRise MicrograntUSSmall monthly grantGrant ($15 fee)Last day of each month
Tory Burch Foundation FellowsUS$2,000 education grant + coachingFellowship17 Nov 2026
EU Prize for Women InnovatorsEU + Horizon Europe associated countries€20,000–€100,000Prize1 Dec 2026, 17:00 CET
Women TechEUEU + associated countries€75,000 + coachingGrant14 Jan, 1 Apr, 8 Jul 2027
Poland: female-led SME call (EEA and Norway Grants)Poland€8M total budgetGrantCall expected in 2026
EXIST-WomenGermany€2,000 costs + up to 3 months' stipendStipendSet by each university
Sources: funders' official pages, checked 15 October 2026. Deadlines move; confirm before you apply.

EU Grants and Prizes for Women-Led Startups

EU Prize for Women Innovators 2027

Amount: €100,000, €70,000 and €50,000 (Women Innovators); €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 (Rising Innovators, under 35); €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 (EIT Women Leadership Award) · Deadline: 1 December 2026, 17:00 CET · Who: women founders or co-founders of a company registered before 1 January 2025 in an EU member state or Horizon Europe associated country
Run by the European Innovation Council and the EIT, this is the largest prize for women innovators in Europe. You apply as a person, in one category only, and the money is yours to use. Read our guide to prize competitions and innovation challenges before you write, and see the official page.

Women TechEU: €75,000 for deep-tech startups

Amount: €75,000 non-dilutive, plus coaching · Deadlines: full proposals 14 January, 1 April and 8 July 2027; weekly eligibility cut-offs every Tuesday, the last on 15 June 2027 · Who: deep-tech startups registered 6 months to 5 years ago, with a woman in a CEO, CTO, CSO or equivalent role
Women TechEU is a two-step call: you pass a quick eligibility check first, then submit a full proposal. Our news post explains how to prepare for the 14 January 2027 deadline, and our guide to EmpoWomen deep-tech grants covers a similar program. See the official page.

Grants for Women in European Countries: Grant, Loan or Tax Credit?

Many lists of "grants for women" in Europe include national schemes that you have to pay back. They can still be excellent money, often cheaper than a bank loan, but they are not grants. Here is what each one really is.

EXIST-Women (Germany): a real grant

Amount: €2,000 for costs, plus an optional stipend for up to 3 months of €1,000 to €3,000 a month and €150 per child · Who: women at German universities and research institutes with an early business idea · How: through a participating university, which sets its own deadline
Non-repayable and designed for the very first stage. Our guide to startup grants in Germany covers the wider EXIST family. See the official page.

Poland: EEA and Norway Grants call for female-led SMEs (upcoming)

Budget: €8 million in total; grant size not yet published · Who: businesses registered in Poland, managed or co-managed by a woman · When: call expected in 2026, run by PARP
This is the only women-specific grant call in an EU country that we could confirm is coming. Watch PARP and our Poland funding guide. Details on the official page.

ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales (Spain): a loan

Amount: €25,000 to €1.5 million, without collateral · Type: participatory loan: Euribor plus a margin and a profit-linked part, up to 7 years, with up to 2 years before repayments start · Who: women-led tech SMEs incorporated in Spain
Not a grant, but one of the most generous women-focused loans in Europe. See the official page.

ON – Nuove imprese a tasso zero (Italy): a loan

Amount: projects up to €3 million, covering up to 90% of costs · Type: since 1 July 2026 only an interest-free loan, as the grant part has run out · Who: companies up to 5 years old, majority owned by people aged 18–35 or by women of any age
Older articles still call this a grant. For applications from July 2026 it is a 10-year interest-free loan. See the official page.

Garantie Égalité Femmes (France): a loan guarantee

Covers: up to 80% of a bank loan, with the guarantee capped at €50,000; one-off fee of 2.5% · Who: women starting or taking over a business who are jobseekers or in financial hardship · How: through regional France Active associations
It helps you get a bank loan without a personal guarantee; you still repay the loan. See the official page.

Micro Invest (Malta): a tax credit

Type: tax credit, not a grant · Next cut-off: 25 November 2026, for 2025 costs · Who: businesses with up to 50 employees
Malta has no dedicated women's grant. Micro Invest is open to everyone; reports say female-majority-owned businesses get a higher ceiling, but the official page does not state the figure, so check with Malta Enterprise. See the official page.

Grants for Women-Owned Businesses in the US and Canada

Most famous small grants for women are American. If your company is registered in the US or Canada, these are open now:

Amber Grant (WomensNet)

Amount: $15,000 a month; monthly winners qualify for three $75,000 year-end grants · Fee: $15 · Who: women aged 18+ with a business at least 50% women-owned in the US or Canada
The next cut-off is 31 October 2026, then monthly. See the official page.

Galaxy Grant (Galaxy of Stars, formerly Hidden Star)

Amount: $2,500 · Fee: free to apply · Who: women and minority business owners at any stage, including idea stage
The current round closes on 31 October 2026. See the official page.

HerRise Microgrant

Fee: $15 administrative fee · Who: US-registered women-owned businesses with under $1 million in revenue; non-profits, franchises, direct sellers and consultants are excluded · Deadline: last day of each month
A small monthly grant. The official page does not state the amount, so check it before you pay the fee. See the official page.

Tory Burch Foundation Fellows

Amount: $2,000 education grant, plus coaching and a network · Deadline: 17 November 2026, 11:59 pm ET · Who: US businesses at least 51% women-owned with at least $75,000 in annual revenue; applicant 21 or older
Fellows are selected in May 2027. See the official page.

Recurring Grants for Women That Are Closed Now

These come back every year. Put the usual opening month in your calendar and prepare early:
GrantAmountLast roundNext round
Cartier Women's Initiative (global)$100,000 / $60,000 / $30,000Closed 16 Jun 2026 (2027 edition)Not announced
Visa She's Next (Ireland)4 × €10,000 + 1 × €50,000Closed 9 Apr 2026Yearly
Visa She's Next (Baltics, Finland)€10,000 + 1 year of coachingMarch 2026Yearly
Innovate UK Women in InnovationUp to £75,000Closed 4 Feb 2026Not announced
Female Founders Grant (Northern Ireland)Up to £35,000Closed 27 Jan 2026Not announced
Giving Joy Grant (global)Up to $500Closed 30 Sep 2026Spring round
Sources: funders' and partners' pages, checked 15 October 2026.

Grants for Women That No Longer Exist

  • Fearless Fund Strivers Grant: permanently closed after a 2024 legal settlement.
  • Fondo Impresa Femminile (Italy): funds ran out in 2022, with no reopening announced.
  • Enterprise Ireland's women-only Competitive Start Fund: no dedicated call since 2021, and it was equity, not a grant.
  • The Netherlands: we found no women-specific business grant.

How to Spot a Fake "Grant for Women"

  • A real grant never asks for a fee to release the money. Small application fees exist (Amber, HerRise), but never a payment after you "win".
  • Check the funder's own domain. EU calls live on europa.eu sites or the official program site, not on a social media page.
  • Be wary of "guaranteed" grants. Every real grant is competitive.
Read our full guide to what free grants really cost and the scams to avoid.

How to Win a Business Grant as a Woman Founder

  1. Check eligibility line by line before you write. Country, company age, ownership share and the founder's role rule out most applicants.
  2. Match the funder's language. Evaluators score against published criteria, so answer them in the same words.
  3. Show evidence: customers, pilots, revenue or letters of intent. Our guide to startup eligibility for European grants explains what evaluators check.
  4. Build a calendar. Our grant deadline calendar lists upcoming EU calls.
  5. Apply to several. Combine a prize, a grant and a cheap loan rather than betting on one call.
If you need skills as much as money, many of these funders also run training. See the Fe/male Switch Foundation's guide to entrepreneurship training programs for women, and mean.ceo's list of European grants specifically for female-founded startups.
Get your grant application ready

The Fe/male Switch startup game helps you build the business plan, market analysis and pitch that grant evaluators look for, with an AI co-founder guiding each step.

👉 Start the game

Conclusion: Fewer Grants Than the Lists Promise, but Real Money

Real business grants for women are rarer than most lists suggest, and several national "women's grants" are loans. But the ones that exist are worth the effort: up to €100,000 from the EU prize, €75,000 from Women TechEU and steady monthly grants in North America. Pick the two that fit your stage and country, put the deadlines in your calendar and start writing now. For the bigger picture of EU funding, use our grant finder.

FAQ: Business Grants for Women

Are there business grants for women in Europe?

Yes, but few. The EU Prize for Women Innovators (up to €100,000) and Women TechEU (€75,000) are open now, Germany's EXIST-Women gives a stipend, and Poland expects a call for female-led SMEs. Many national women's schemes are loans.

What is the biggest grant for women entrepreneurs?

In Europe, the EU Prize for Women Innovators, with a first prize of €100,000. Globally, the Cartier Women's Initiative awards $100,000 to each first-place winner, but its 2027 edition is closed.

Is ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales a grant?

No. It is a participatory loan of €25,000 to €1.5 million without collateral, repaid over up to 7 years.

Is Italy's ON (Nuove imprese a tasso zero) a grant for women?

Since 1 July 2026 it is only an interest-free loan; the grant part has run out. Companies majority owned by women of any age, or by people aged 18–35, can apply.

Are there grants for women-owned businesses in the Netherlands?

We found no women-specific business grant in the Netherlands. Dutch women founders can apply for EU programs such as Women TechEU and the EU Prize for Women Innovators.

When is the next Women TechEU deadline?

The next full-proposal deadline is 14 January 2027, followed by 1 April and 8 July 2027. You must pass the eligibility check first.

Can I get a grant for women as an idea-stage founder?

Yes. EXIST-Women in Germany and the Galaxy Grant in the US accept idea-stage founders. Most EU grants require a registered company.

Do I have to pay to apply for a grant for women?

Usually not. A few US grants charge a small application fee ($15 for Amber and HerRise), but a real grant never asks for a payment to release money you have "won".

Are there grants for women in the UK?

Innovate UK's Women in Innovation Awards (up to £75,000) and Northern Ireland's Female Founders Grant (up to £35,000) both closed in early 2026; no new rounds are announced yet. UK startups can apply to Women TechEU.

Where can I find all EU grants for my startup?

Use our grant finder and the grant deadline calendar on grant-grants.com, which list current EU calls for startups and SMEs.