Alternative Funding: Beyond the SBA

Here are some alternative funding/assistance sources for entrepreneurs and small business owners, as shared by the Program Director of the Bank of America Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may find it helpful.

• SheaMoisture launched a $1 Million Fund to support entrepreneurs of color.  Applications open today (4/8) and have a quick turnaround.
• Spanx Red Backpack fund is a $5 Million fund targeting women entrepreneurs.  Applications opened 4/6.    
• Facebook is offering $100 Million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 small businesses.  More information can be found here. 
• Verizon has donated $2.5 million to the national nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  LISC is targeting grants up to $10,000 to entrepreneurs of color and women-owned businesses.  To register for the mid-April round of funding, click here. 
• Hello Alice is offering $10,000 grants to help small business owners.  For more information about those grants and other small business resources, click here
• Microsoft is providing six months of Office 365 tools for free to enable remote collaboration, file sharing and video conferencing.  For more information, click here
• Tory Burch Foundation has a useful list of resources (for both funding and advice) for small businesses that can be found here.