This Woman Knows announces new $500 microgrant for U.S.-based women entrepreneurs and creatives

Powered by This Woman Knows, the grant uplifts women building bold, meaningful work—without essays, trauma pitches or popularity contests.

CYPRESS, TX, UNITED STATES, April 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a time when many women are quietly navigating job loss, creative pivots, and economic uncertainty, This Woman Knows, a Black woman-led media platform, is launching a $500 microgrant to support those building from the ground up or restructuring their current business.

The This Woman Knows Grant opens May 1 and is available to U.S.-based women who are entrepreneurs, artists, or creatives bringing their ideas to life. The grant is designed for women who are bootstrapping their dreams, navigating reinvention, or simply trying to make ends meet while bringing something meaningful into the world.

“I had a Google Drive full of essays I’d written and reshaped for grant applications. I’d applied to dozens during the pandemic and avoided the ones that turned support into a popularity contest,” said Lisa N. Alexander, founder of This Woman Knows. “After a long line of rejections, I finally got a yes—and it meant everything. It helped me breathe again.”

Alexander also acknowledges a larger pattern she’s witnessed across funding spaces: “A common complaint—especially among Black women—is that we’re often over-mentored and underfunded. We’re one of the most educated and highly mentored groups starting businesses. Mentorship is valuable, but what we need just as much is access—to funding, to networks, to real opportunities.”

While the grant is open to all U.S. women, it reflects a deeper awareness of the systemic gaps that women of color and underestimated founders often navigate when seeking support.

Unlike many grant programs, The This Woman Knows Grant does not require essays, proof of hardship, or daily online voting.

“No trauma contests. No popularity games,” Alexander said. “We don’t compare pain—we amplify purpose.”

Applicants will answer a single question: What are you building, creating, or reclaiming right now—and why does it matter to you and your community? The application includes space for optional voice notes or visual uploads, with a clear message: your voice is enough.

The grant is entirely community-funded through entry fees and contributions, including a $25 “Supporter Entry” option for those who want to pay it forward without applying.

“The economic climate we’re in is squeezing everyone,” Alexander said. “But especially women—especially Black women—who are often the last to receive resources but the first to be called upon to lead.”

Women may use the funds however they choose: for materials, rent, registration, a new website—or even toward their migration out of the U.S. “We trust women who understand what they need.

The winner will be announced June 1. A new grant cycle will open every other month.

To apply or support this initiative, visit: https://www.ThisWomanKnows.com/grant

Applications open May 1.

Lisa N. Alexander
This Woman Knows Media
+1 832-877-1900
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