Galaxy Grant for Women and Minority Business Owners
Galaxy of Stars (Hidden Star 501(c)(3))
$2,500
Researched for this program: 3 rejection traps · 1 required documentWhat decides this award ↓
Quick free grant for women & minority founders
Galaxy of Stars, the nonprofit arm of Hidden Star, awards grants several times a year to women and minority business owners at any stage — from aspiring entrepreneurs to established small businesses. The program is free to apply, takes under 30 seconds, and has distributed over $420,000 since 2016. No industry restrictions, no revenue requirements, and no government certification needed.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- $2,500 – $2,500
- Realistic amount
- $2,500 flat award in the current cycle (published past awards range from $750 to $25,000). Program has distributed $420K+ since 2016.
- Deadline
- Current cycle — October 31, 2026 (winners announced the following week)
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump sum
Who qualifies
- Women business owners or aspiring women entrepreneurs
- Minority business owners or aspiring minority entrepreneurs
- Based in the United States
- Any business stage — from idea phase to established business
- Any industry
- No minimum revenue requirement
- No government certification (WOSB, MBE, etc.) required
Hard requirements
- Demographic eligibility: women-owned
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Any legitimate business expense — program does not restrict fund use
- Equipment and tools
- Marketing and advertising
- Website and technology
- Inventory
- Working capital
Ineligible expenses
- Personal expenses unrelated to business
How to apply
-
1
Visit the Galaxy Grants application page
Go to galaxyofstars.org/galaxy-grants/ and click 'Apply Now.' The application is embedded directly on the page.
~0.05 hrs
-
2
Submit your basic information
Enter name, email, zip code, gender, and ethnicity. Indicate whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or current business owner. The entire form takes under 30 seconds according to the program website.
~0.1 hrs
-
3
Await winner announcement
Winners are announced the week following the deadline (after October 31, 2026 for the current cycle). Only winners are notified; no status updates are sent to non-selected applicants.
~0 hrs
This is the lowest-friction grant in the US catalog — 30 seconds, zero fee, no essays. Galaxy Plus+ membership auto-enters you into every cycle.
Deadline & timing
The current cycle closes October 31, 2026 with winners announced the following week. Galaxy of Stars runs several cycles a year; prior cycles had April 30 and July 31 deadlines. Galaxy Plus+ members are automatically entered into all grant cycles — membership may provide ongoing entry.
Deadline: October 31, 2026 — put it in your calendar before you close this tab.
Includes reminders one week and one day before. Verify on the official program page — funders move dates.
Applications are open — don’t lose the window
GrantCompass tracks Galaxy Grant for Women and Minority Business Owners’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
Galaxy Grant 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 · review | $500 + $2,500 year-end | $19 | Monthly | Any US small business; women encouraged | |
| Galaxy Grant (this page) · 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 13, 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.
Apply-Ready
Looking for more grants to enter?
We don't draft Galaxy Grant applications. We do draft these eight. Answer a few short questions once and we draft your application from what you tell us: only your facts, with a blank wherever the judges want a detail only you know. You submit it yourself.
You see a free preview first and pay only if you want the full draft: $9 per grant. You can add the other month-end grants you qualify for at $5 each (never more than $15 extra).
Close at the end of every month
- Hey Helen Grant$10,000 monthlyWomen-owned · US · under $1M revenueCloses the last day of every month, 11:59pm ETDraft my applicationit →
- Amber Grant$10,000 monthlyWomen-owned (50%+)Closes the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
- HerRise MicroGrant$1,000 monthly51%+ women-owned · US · under $1M revenueCloses the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
- Big Idea Grant (YippityDoo)$1,000 monthlyWomen-owned and run · ideas welcomeCloses the last day of every month, 11:59pm PTDraft my applicationit →
- Freed Fellowship$500 monthlyAny US for-profit businessCloses the last day of every monthDraft my applicationit →
Three more, with other deadlines (one welcomes idea-stage founders)
- SecretSoS Small Business Grant$2,500 quarterlyWomen-, veteran- or minority-owned, or turned down for a bank loan · USCloses the last day of each quarterDraft my applicationit →
- Business Freedom Grant$1,000Idea stage welcome · no entry feeReview rounds until the final deadline, December 31, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- The Hustle Grant$1,000 monthlyWomen-owned · USMonthly; winner named on the 15thDraft my applicationit →
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Last updated October 5, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.