Apply for Boundless Futures Foundation – EmpowHer Grants & Her Village Grants for Female Founders

Application Deadlines:  December 27, 2026

About the Foundation

Boundless Futures Foundation provides financial and leadership resources for female founders who leverage their businesses for both growth and good. The foundation supports female business-founders and mission-aligned nonprofit organizations through its two grant-making programs: EmpowHer Grants and Her Village Grants. The foundation’s mission is rooted in the belief that entrepreneurs have the potential to contribute powerfully to solutions to society’s issues through successful businesses. By providing financial and leadership resources, Boundless Futures Foundation aims to solve systemic inequities through transformational support for female founders.

EmpowHer Grants

Eligible Applicants: Female founders 22 years of age and older with businesses registered and operating in the United States.

Business Requirements:

• Make a clear social impact
• Be a registered for-profit entity
• Be earning revenue
• Not be more than five years old

Social Issue Focus:

Businesses must address one of the following social issues through their product or business model:

• Poverty, Hunger, or Humanitarian Aid
• Sustainability & the Environment

The foundation refers to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a useful tool for thinking about social issues.

Additional Requirements:

• Applicants must self-report a credit score
• Applicants must agree to a third-party background check

Application Process:

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
• Grants are awarded in the spring and fall
• This is a competitive review process; the foundation receives more applications than the number of grants awarded

Upcoming EmpowHer Grant Cycles:

• Spring 2026: Application opens May 1, grants awarded fall 2026
• Fall 2026: Application opens November 1, grants awarded spring 2027

Important: When an application is open, the link is at the bottom of the page. If you do not see a link, please check back at the start of the next grant cycle. Businesses that have received EmpowHer grants in the past are described on the foundation’s website. All prospective applicants are encouraged to read about past grantees.

Her Village Grants

Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organizations that support female business-founders.

Organizational Requirements:

• Must be registered and operating in the United States
• Must offer entrepreneurship-related programs or services directly to women, including (but not limited to):

• Skill-building opportunities
• Business mentorship
• Business education
• Business incubators/accelerators/services
• Access to capital or financial support for businesses

Grant Details:

• One Her Village grant is awarded annually to a partner organization
• Qualifying nonprofit Her Village grantees make a deep impact through their work to advance and strengthen women’s entrepreneurial resources, networks, access to capital, and educational opportunities with a focus on social enterprise and the power of businesses to be agents of positive social change

2026 Her Village Grantee: Boundless Futures Foundation is proud to partner with Ladies Who Launch, the 2026 Her Village grantee.

Next Her Village Grantee: The next Her Village grantee will be announced in January 2027.

Why These Grants Matter: Female founders face systemic barriers to accessing capital, including gender bias in investment decisions, lack of access to networks, and the disproportionate burden of caregiving responsibilities. These barriers are even more acute for women founding social enterprises, where the dual focus on profit and purpose can be misunderstood by traditional investors.

The Boundless Futures Foundation EmpowHer Grants address these barriers by:

• Providing financial resources to early-stage (less than five years old), revenue-generating businesses
• Focusing on social impact businesses addressing poverty, hunger, humanitarian aid, or sustainability and the environment
• Offering leadership resources beyond just funding
• Targeting female founders aged 22+ in the United States

The Her Village Grants support the organizations that support female founders, recognizing that systemic change requires strengthening the entire ecosystem of women’s entrepreneurship resources. For female founders of for-profit social enterprises addressing poverty, hunger, humanitarian aid, or environmental sustainability, these grants offer funding and recognition to scale their impact.

Code of Conduct for All Applicants

Grants made by Boundless Futures Foundation support female entrepreneurs and mission-aligned organizations whose practices and workplaces foster equal and inclusive opportunities for clients, employees/volunteers, and constituencies. By submitting a grant application, as a prospective grantee you agree not to discriminate, harass, or promote harm or divisiveness through work, publicity, social media, or other outlets that could be connected to your enterprise or organization.

Ineligible Entities: In fulfillment of the foundation’s Mission and Code of Conduct, Boundless Futures Foundation does not extend financial support to entities that depend upon unresolved or contested legislation (municipal, state, or federal), or whose focus includes political causes, candidates, or lobbying, illegal activity, or the promotion of religious doctrine.

How to Apply

Apply for a Boundless Futures Foundation EmpowHer Grant using the online application through Submittable.

Application Link:  Click here to apply  

Important Notes:

• You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit your application
• You can save a draft of your work if you would like to finish filling out the form at a later date
• Submittable works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported
• Boundless Futures Foundation will follow up with you about your submission by email through Submittable. This typically happens within 2–5 months
• Be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable account regularly

Technical Questions? Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support. Please do not contact Boundless Futures Foundation with technical questions. If you are unable to apply online, please refer to the Boundless Futures Foundation website for ways to contact the foundation.

For More Information: Visit the Official Boundless Futures Foundation Submission Manager and website for more information about past grantees and the foundation’s work.