Glossier Grant for Black-Owned Beauty Businesses
Glossier
$50,000 (new) / $100,000 (alumni)
$50K grants for Black beauty entrepreneurs
Glossier's annual grant program awards $50,000 each to multiple Black-owned US beauty businesses selling their own physical products, plus a $100,000 Alumni Award for a previous grantee ready to scale. The program provides capital, advisory support (monthly calls with Glossier's team and CEO), peer community access, and amplification via Glossier's channels. Pre-launch businesses are ineligible; applicants must already be selling beauty products. Approximately $300,000 in total grants are awarded per cycle to five businesses.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Private
- Amount range
- $50,000 – $100,000
- Realistic amount
- New grantees receive $50,000 each (4 per cycle); one former grantee receives the $100,000 Alumni Award. Five businesses…
- Deadline
- Annual — 2024 cycle: applications May 15 – June 1, 2024. 2025/2026 cycle dates not yet announced. Monitor glossier.com for updates each spring.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump sum
Who qualifies
- Black-owned beauty business — must be the founder/owner
- Business must be based in the United States
- Business must already be selling its own physical beauty products (pre-launch businesses are ineligible)
- One application per business maximum
- For-profit business structure
Hard requirements
- Demographic eligibility: Black-owned
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Product development and formulation
- Manufacturing and packaging
- Marketing and distribution
- Working capital and operations
- Any legitimate business expense (grant is not restricted)
Ineligible expenses
- Personal expenses
- Pre-launch businesses not yet selling products
- Non-beauty businesses
How to apply
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1
Monitor Glossier's grant program page for annual opening
Visit glossier.com/pages/faq-grant-program in spring (historically May) for the current cycle opening announcement. The 2024 cycle opened May 15. Subscribe to Glossier communications for updates.
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2
Complete OpenWater application (~2 hours)
Submit the application on the OpenWater platform (linked from Glossier's grant page). The application takes approximately 2 hours and covers: business description, product details, stage of business, financial information, and narrative about how the grant would help address inequity and grow the business.
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3
Glossier review and selection
Glossier reviews all applications. Selection criteria prioritize Black-owned businesses already selling physical beauty products. The review timeline between close and announcement is not published.
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4
Grant award and program participation
Winners receive $50,000 and are enrolled in the advisory program: monthly team calls, one call with Glossier's CEO, peer community video calls, and a dedicated feature on Glossier's brand channels.
The Glossier CEO call is a genuine benefit — past grantees have noted it as a meaningful mentorship moment. The Alumni Award ($100K) means prior grantees should re-apply in subsequent years. Being already selling is a hard requirement — pre-launch ideas are ineligible.
Deadline & timing
The 2024 cycle opened May 15 and closed June 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Applications are submitted through the OpenWater platform. The 2025/2026 cycle dates had not been announced as of late May 2026. The program has run annually since 2021; a May–June window is the historical pattern.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.