Giving Joy Microgrants for Women Entrepreneurs
Giving Joy
Up to $500
Up to $500 microgrant for women entrepreneurs; Fall 2026 cycle opens Sept 1, closes Sept 30.
Giving Joy awards microgrants of up to $500 to women entrepreneurs worldwide. In 2026 the program moved to two global cycles per year. The Fall 2026 cycle opens September 1 and closes September 30, 2026. Grants can start or expand a business, nonprofit, NGO, or specific project, provided the work benefits women, girls, and/or families.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- $500 – $500
- Realistic amount
- Up to $500 per recipient
- Deadline
- September 30, 2026
- Status
- upcoming
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Women ages 18 and up
- Business, nonprofit, NGO, charity, or project idea that benefits women, girls, and/or families
- Activities must be legal
- Applicants may apply once per cycle; prior winners cannot apply again
- Applications accepted in any language translatable by Google Translate
Who is not eligible
- Men-only applicants
- Activities primarily focused on purchasing merchandise/inventory for resale without broader community impact
- Advertising or marketing-focused activities without community impact
- Personal expenses not connected to broader community impact
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Equipment, materials, or supplies
- Training or workshops
- Community events or programs
- Other project costs that benefit women and communities
Ineligible expenses
- Merchandise or inventory for resale without community impact
- Advertising or marketing without community benefit
- Personal expenses
How to apply
-
1
Review FAQs and cycle dates
Read the 2026 Grant Cycle information and FAQs on givingjoygrants.org to understand evaluation criteria.
~0.5 hrs
-
2
Prepare project description and budget
Clearly describe what you plan to do, who will benefit, and provide a concrete $500 budget.
~1 hrs
-
3
Submit online application
Complete and submit the online application form when it opens on September 1, 2026.
~0.5 hrs
-
4
Await shortlist notification
Shortlisted applicants are contacted by June 30 for interviews; final winners notified individually by email.
Be specific: show exactly what the $500 will purchase and how multiple women or families will benefit; vague community-impact statements are the main reason applications fail.
Deadline & timing
Cycle 2 (Fall 2026) opens September 1, 2026 and closes September 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Awards announced in December 2026.
Deadline: September 30, 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.
Not accepting applications right now — get one email when it reopens
GrantCompass tracks Giving Joy Microgrants for Women Entrepreneurs’s application windows in the live catalog. Leave an email and we’ll tell you the day the next window opens.
Free. One email when the window moves, deadline warnings on your watchlist, and the monthly closing-soon digest. Unsubscribe anytime.
Required documents
- Online application with project description
- Concrete $500 budget
- Photos of applicant and business/organization if requested during review
Related programs
This program is not taking applications today — these are
Alternatives computed from the live GrantCompass catalog on August 25, 2026 — all 183 open grant programs · filter the database.
Explore more funding
Last updated August 24, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.