Freed Fellowship Grant
Freed Studio
$500/mo + $2,500 year-end
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 5 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Monthly micro-grant with year-end bonus for small business owners
Monthly rolling grant of $500 for one US micro or small business owner, with all Fellows automatically considered for a year-end $2,500 bonus award. Applications accepted on a rolling basis with a $19 application fee. Funds are completely unrestricted. Especially encourages women, minorities, and underrepresented entrepreneurs to apply. Non-profits are not eligible.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Private
- Amount range
- $500 – $2,500
- Realistic amount
- $500 for monthly Fellows; $2,500 year-end for standout Fellows
- Deadline
- Rolling — submit by midnight ET on the last day of each month to be considered in that month's cycle
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump sum
Who qualifies
- Any micro or small business owner in the United States
- For-profit businesses only (non-profits currently ineligible)
- Women, minorities, and underrepresented entrepreneurs especially encouraged to apply
- No minimum revenue or years-in-operation requirement specified
- $19 non-refundable application fee required
What the Freed Fellowship Grant application asks
The Freed Fellowship Grant application asks three written questions, alongside your contact and business details. The entry fee is $19. The deadline is the last day of each month, midnight ET, and you submit on the funder’s own form at freedfellowship.com. These are the questions as they appear on the form:
-
1
Tell us about your business. (For example: "I help X find Y through Z. I'd like to reach $100K in revenue but…")
-
2
How do you contribute to your community?
-
3
How would you use the grant funds? (For example: "I would use the funds to run a Facebook campaign for an upcoming launch.")
What the judges look for
- Context: your market
- Content: your core story
- Community: who you've found or built
- Chemistry: what makes you special
- Commerce: your business model
GrantCompass drafts the Freed Fellowship Grant application from your own answers. You answer five short questions about your business and we write all three answers around what the judges look for, to fit the form. We use only what you tell us: nothing is invented, and anything a stronger answer needs is left as a marked blank for you to fill. The preview is free with no card. The full draft is $9, refunded in full within 7 days if it doesn’t make your application stronger. You review it and submit it yourself; GrantCompass is independent and not affiliated with Freed Studio. Start a free draft on this page (grantcompass.co/grants/freed-fellowship-grant), or read how the drafting works.
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Any business expense — funds are completely unrestricted
- Marketing and advertising
- Equipment and tools
- Software and subscriptions
- Inventory and supplies
- Professional development
- Hiring or contractor costs
Ineligible expenses
- Non-profit organizations (explicitly excluded)
- Personal non-business expenses
How to apply
-
1
Review the 5C Framework criteria
Understand what reviewers evaluate: Context (market positioning), Content (business narrative), Community (audience), Chemistry (competitive advantage), Commerce (revenue model). Prepare notes on each.
~1 hrs
-
2
Complete online application form
Answer questions about your business through the online form — described as taking 'just a few minutes.' Describe your business, revenue model, and how you'd use the $500.
~1 hrs
-
3
Pay $19 application fee
Non-refundable $19 fee paid at submission. Covers platform and administrative costs.
~0.1 hrs
-
4
Submit by month-end deadline
Applications must be submitted by midnight ET on the last day of the month to be considered in that month's cycle.
~0 hrs
-
5
Receive feedback and award decision
One Fellow selected per month. All Fellows are automatically considered for the year-end $2,500 bonus. Feedback typically arrives by end of the following month.
~0 hrs
The $19 fee filters casual applicants — treat it as a signal to submit a polished narrative. The 5C Framework is the rubric: nail Commerce (show real revenue) and Chemistry (what makes you different). Year-end $2,500 bonus goes to standout monthly Fellows, so monthly winners have a second shot at larger money.
Deadline & timing
Applications accepted year-round on a rolling monthly basis. Submit by end-of-month to be reviewed in that cycle. Feedback typically provided by end of the following month.
Applications are open — don’t lose the window
GrantCompass tracks Freed Fellowship Grant’s application windows in the live catalog. Leave an email and we’ll warn you before this window closes — and tell you when the next round opens.
Free. One email when the window moves, deadline warnings on your watchlist, and the monthly closing-soon digest. Unsubscribe anytime.
Programs that stack well
Freed Fellowship compared with 11 other microgrants women founders apply to
Business Freedom Grant, Coach K Legacy Grant, Galaxy Grant and IFundWomen grants cost $0 to enter. Amber Grant, HerRise MicroGrant, Hey Helen Grant, SecretSoS Grant, The Hustle Grant and YippityDoo Big Idea Grant each charge $15, Freed Fellowship charges $19 and Women Founders Grant charges $25 per entry. Amber Grant and Hey Helen Grant pay the largest monthly award, $10,000; Coach K Legacy Grant is the only monthly award in this table with no entry fee.
| Program | Award | Entry fee | Cadence | Next close | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach K Legacy Grant · review | $1,000 | $0 | Monthly | Aspiring and existing business owners | |
| Amber Grant · review | $10,000 (3 a month) + $50,000 year-end | $15 | Monthly | Women-owned businesses, US and Canada | |
| Freed Fellowship (this page) · review | $500 + $2,500 year-end | $19 | Monthly | Any US small business; women encouraged | |
| Galaxy Grant · review | $2,500 | $0 | About quarterly | Women and minority business owners | |
| HerRise MicroGrant · review | $1,000 | $15 | Monthly | Women-owned, under $1M revenue | |
| Hey Helen Grant | $10,000 | $15 | Monthly | Women-owned, under $1M revenue | |
| Women Founders Grant · review | $5,000 | $25 | Rolling, posted deadlines | Women founders, any stage | |
| YippityDoo Big Idea Grant | $1,000 | $15 | Monthly | Women-owned, idea stage welcome | |
| Business Freedom Grant | $1,000 | $0 | Review rounds | Any founder, any stage | |
| SecretSoS Grant | $2,500 | $15 | Quarterly | Women/veteran/minority-owned or loan-denied, 21+ | |
| IFundWomen grants · review | $10,000–$25,000 (by sponsor) | $0 | Rolling | Rolling, by sponsor | Women-owned for-profit businesses |
| The Hustle Grant | $1,000 | $15 | Monthly | Monthly; cutoff by newsletter | Women-owned businesses and ideas |
Table updated October 11, 2026 from the GrantCompass catalog. Entry fees are verified against each funder’s published rules; confirm the date on the funder’s own page before you apply.
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Last updated October 11, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.