Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant Review 2026
Applying? How to answer all seven questions, with examples → or start your free draft preview
Is the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant legit? Yes, and it is small and crowded. The women’s media company gives one $5,000 grant per round and named the Volume I and II winners publicly. Entry costs $25 ($12.50 for INSIDER members). Volume I drew 203 applications; Volume II drew about 1,000.
Checked as of November 2026 against Her Agenda’s grant site, the Volume IV application form and terms, the archived Volume III terms, and Her Agenda’s own launch and winner posts for every volume. GrantCompass is independent and not affiliated with Her Agenda.
Who runs the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant, and what it gives
Her Agenda, a media company for ambitious women founded by Rhonesha Byng, runs the Breakthrough Grant and pays for it with its own money, donations and entry fees. Each round, which Her Agenda calls a volume, gives one entrepreneur a one-time $5,000 grant for her business.
Byng launched the grant in May 2025 for Her Agenda’s 17th anniversary. She has said plainly why it is a small grant run by a small company: “We originally wanted to launch this grant years ago in collaboration with a brand. As a small business, we’re not exactly sitting on extra funds that we can give out.” No brand signed on, so Her Agenda turned to its readers.
- Runs itHer Agenda, which describes itself as “bridging the gap between ambition and achievement.” Its staff run the application and publish each winner.
- Pays for itHer Agenda, its readers and INSIDER members. The grant site calls it “fully community-funded” and says “every application fee and donation goes directly toward” the grant pool. For Volume I, 48 donors gave $4,343.63 toward the $5,000.
- Judges itA volunteer panel. Sixty-four entrepreneurs, executives and industry leaders answered Her Agenda’s first call for judges, and the winner posts name many of them.
- Gives$5,000, once, paid by ACH or check after the winner sends verification such as a W-9. The terms say it must support “the applicant’s business or professional development”; no receipts are required.
Apply-Ready
Entering other grants this month? We draft these too.
For these seventeen grants (six of them only for women-owned businesses), 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$15,000 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 →
Other deadlines
- Sephora Beauty Grant$100,000Beauty brands · $100K+ revenue · 51%+ underrepresented-owned · no entry feeFinal deadline November 6, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- 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 →
- IFW Startup Accelerator Grant$5,000Any US owner (50%+) · idea stage welcome · $5 entry feeFinal deadline November 30, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- The Hustle Grant$1,000 monthlyWomen-owned · USMonthly; winner named on the 15thDraft my applicationit →
- Hustler's MicroGrant$1,000 monthlyAny US small-business owner · $15 entry feeMonthly; no published closing dateDraft my applicationit →
- Seated Together Microgrant$750 ($1,000 veteran-owned)Any US for-profit · startups welcome · $5 entry feeRolling; reviewed each quarterDraft my applicationit →
- Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant$10,000–$25,000Veteran or military-spouse owned · 3–20 people · no entry feeFinal deadline December 15, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Awesome Foundation Micro-Grant$1,000 monthlyAnyone with a community project · no entry feeRolling; most chapters choose monthlyDraft my applicationit →
- Outta Excuses Grant$3,000 quarterlyRegistered LLC · under $500K revenue · $15 entry feeFinal deadline December 31, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Tory Burch Foundation Fellows$2,000 + a year's fellowshipWomen-owned · $75K+ revenue · no entry feeFinal deadline November 17, 2026Draft my applicationit →
- Thiel Fellowship$250,000 over 2 yearsAge 22 or under · no university degree · no entry feeRolling; open all yearDraft my applicationit →
Is the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant legit? What can be checked
Yes. The Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant is run by a real media company under its own name, publishes written terms for each volume, and has named a winner, her business and her website for Volumes I and II. The entry fee is real, though, and it is not refundable.
A common grant scam tells you that you won and then asks for a fee to release the money. The Breakthrough Grant works the other way round: you pay a $25 entry fee inside the application form, and that is the only payment in the process. The terms say a winner is paid by ACH or check after sending documents such as a W-9, and they mention no second fee. Anyone who asks a “winner” for more money is not following these terms.
Four things check out on the record:
- WinnersThe winners are public. Her Agenda named Ugenia Stokes of FWIN Productions on December 4, 2025 and Emily Mack of Offline Wine on May 4, 2026, each with a link to the business.
- PeopleThe people are named. The winner posts list the volunteer judges by name and company, and a separate post thanks the Volume I donors by name.
- RulesThe rules are written down. Each volume has its own terms and FAQ, linked from the application.
- MoneyThe money is described. Her Agenda published Volume I’s donor total, $4,343.63 from 48 donors.
What you can’t check is the fee side. Her Agenda says fees and donations go toward the grant pool, but it doesn’t publish how much each volume raised in fees. Its posts have asked readers to donate so it can “consider awarding more than one entrepreneur,” and Volumes I and II each named one.
Who wins the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant: the Volume I and II winners
The Volume I and II Breakthrough Grant winners are Ugenia Stokes of FWIN Productions (Volume I) and Emily Mack of Offline Wine (Volume II). Both run creative businesses built around a community. Volume III closed September 18, 2026; its winner will be posted on Her Agenda’s grant site.
| Winner and business | Volume | What the business does | Applications | Named |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ugenia StokesFWIN Productions | Volume I | A “BIPOC, woman, & LGBTQIA+-led production and film company”: scripted narrative, documentary and animation | 203 | Dec 4, 2025 |
| Emily MackOffline Wine | Volume II | A “sister-founded, non-snob wine brand” making research-driven wines for millennial women, building since 2024 | About 1,000 | May 4, 2026 |
What the Volume I and II winners share. Both write about community as the point of the business. Her Agenda quoted Mack: “By helping women feel seen and connected, we’re not just selling wine, we’re helping them find community and step into power.” Her Agenda describes FWIN’s work as sitting “at the intersections of art, education, community and technology.” Both had a working website and a product a stranger can understand in one line.
Both answered the breakthrough question memorably. Her Agenda printed each winner’s definition of a breakthrough, the last essay on the form. Stokes wrote that it is “the moment when all the pieces you have been building come together.” Mack described a scene: walking into a community event “and not hearing a single woman apologize for ‘not knowing much about wine.’”
Two winners (Volumes I and II) are too few to call a pattern. Neither post gives a location, revenue or team size, and Her Agenda doesn’t publish finalists. What the record does show is that a young business can win: Offline Wine had been building since 2024 when it was named in May 2026.
Every Breakthrough Grant volume since 2025, and what changed
Her Agenda has run Breakthrough Grant Volumes I to IV back to back since May 2025, each for one $5,000 award. Each new volume opened as the last one closed. The entry fee fell to $25 after Volume I, Volume III ran for eight months, and the Volume IV terms tightened the location and for-profit wording. The seven written questions have stayed the same.
Each volume’s application window, and when its winner was named
- Volume I4 months · 203 applicationsVolume I May 17 to Sep 17, 2025 · 203 applications · winner named Dec 4, 2025
- Volume II4 months · about 1,000Volume II Sep 18, 2025 to Jan 18, 2026 · about 1,000 applications · winner named May 4, 2026
- Volume III8 months · count not publishedVolume III Jan 18 to Sep 18, 2026 · count not published · winner posted on Her Agenda’s grant site
- Volume IV4 months · to January 19, 2027Volume IV Form live Sep 18, 2026 · last day Jan 19, 2027 · winner planned for March 2027
Application windowWinner namedVolume III winner: on Her Agenda’s site
| Volume | Opened | Last day to apply | Applications | Entry fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume I | May 17, 2025 | Sep 17, 2025Extended from Aug 17 “due to demand” | 203 | $50Per the Volume I form; half for INSIDERs |
| Volume II | Sep 18, 2025 | Jan 18, 2026Winner was planned for March; named May 4 | About 1,000 | $25Free for Volume I applicants |
| Volume III | Jan 18, 2026 | Sep 18, 2026 | Not published | $25$12.50 for INSIDERs |
| Volume IV | Form went live Sep 18, 2026Announced Oct 5, 2026 | Jan 19, 2027, 11:59pm ESTWinner planned for March 2027 | Not published | $25$12.50 for INSIDERs |
The fee came down once. Her Agenda’s Volume II post said “the administrative fee has been reduced for Volume II” to $25, and anyone who applied to Volume I could reapply free with a code sent by email. The Volume I application form, still online, is set to charge $50. Every volume since has charged $25, with 50% off for INSIDER members.
The deadlines follow the anniversary. Each deadline falls on the 17th, 18th or 19th of a month. Her Agenda says the Volume IV date was chosen “in honor of our 19th year.”
The terms changed in small ways. The Volume III terms said a business “must be based in the United States or serve a U.S.-based market.” The Volume IV terms say it “must be based in the United States” and add “You must be a for profit business (non-profit organizations are not eligible),” a rule the FAQ already stated. Both versions require a business “in operation for at least one year.”
The questions haven’t changed. The application forms for Volumes I, III and IV, all still online, ask the same seven written questions in the same order, from “Describe your business or business idea” to the closing question about “breaking through.”
The odds math, from the numbers Her Agenda publishes
Her Agenda has published both sides of the math for Volumes I and II: one award from 203 applications in Volume I, and one from about 1,000 in Volume II. That is about 1 in 200, then about 1 in 1,000. Those are past ratios from Her Agenda’s own counts, not a forecast. Her Agenda publishes no acceptance rate and no count for Volumes III or IV.
Applications for one $5,000 award, by volume
- Volume I203
- Volume II~1,000
- Volume IIINot given
Counts from Her Agenda’s grant site and winner posts. Volume II’s figure is Her Agenda’s own round number (“nearly five times” Volume I).
- Awards per volume
- 1
- Volume I applications
- 203
- Volume II applications
- About 1,000
- Prize per application (Vol. II)
- About $5
- Entry fee
- $25
- INSIDER entry fee
- $12.50
Award, fee and application counts are Her Agenda’s own. The ratios are simple division on those figures: $5,000 ÷ about 1,000 applications.
The field grew about fivefold between the first two volumes, which Her Agenda read as a sign of “the growing need for capital among women-led businesses.”
The Breakthrough Grant is judged, not drawn: a panel reads every application against four published criteria. Because the ratio counts every entry, rushed or careful, your seven answers are the one part of the odds you control. That is a reason to give them a real afternoon, and a poor reason to pay $25 if you don’t clearly meet the rules.
The Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant fine print, in its own terms
The Volume IV terms require you to be 18 or older, subscribed to the Her Agenda newsletter, and running a U.S. for-profit business that has operated for at least a year. The fee is non-refundable even if you turn out to be ineligible, past winners can’t apply again, and Her Agenda may use your application in its marketing.
Who can apply
The terms ask for applicants “at least 18 years old and subscribed to the Her Agenda newsletter,” with “an active business that has been in operation for at least one year.” The FAQ says idea-stage applicants should apply “once your business is further along,” and that sole proprietors and LLCs qualify. The grant is promoted to women entrepreneurs, and one question asks about barriers “as a woman entrepreneur,” but the terms themselves don’t list gender as a rule.
The location wording differs
The Volume IV terms say the business “must be based in the United States.” The FAQ in the same document says to “be based in the U.S. or operate a business that serves a U.S.-based market.” If your business is based outside the U.S., ask Her Agenda before you pay.
The fee is final
“Entry fees are non-refundable, including in cases of incomplete, withdrawn, or ineligible applications.” Check every rule before the payment screen, which is the last step of the form. Her Agenda’s question sheet says the form “must be completed in one sitting,” so write your answers first.
Who can apply again
Applicants to earlier volumes who didn’t win are “eligible and encouraged to apply again.” Past winners are not: “if you have won in a previous edition you are not eligible.”
How the money is used and paid
The $5,000 “must be used to support the applicant’s business or professional development,” such as marketing, product development, legal or operational costs, or skills. “While no receipts are required, Her Agenda may request a post-award update.” It is paid by ACH or check once the winner completes verification documents such as a W-9.
What Her Agenda can do with your application
By applying, you agree Her Agenda “may use your name, image, and content from your application for marketing and promotional purposes.” Your materials stay your intellectual property, and Her Agenda “will not reuse or republish proprietary materials without permission.” Decisions are final, and Her Agenda can “modify, pause, or cancel” the program “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Apply or skip: the verdict on the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant
Apply if you run a U.S. for-profit business that has operated for at least a year and you can write seven strong answers you would be glad to see quoted. Skip it if you are pre-launch, if $25 is money you need this month, or if you want better odds: in Volume II, one award went to one of about 1,000 applications.
Apply if your business is real, open at least a year, and easy to explain, and you can say exactly what $5,000 would change. The Volume I and II winners ran creative businesses with a clear community and gave a memorable answer to the breakthrough question. If you already read Her Agenda, the newsletter rule costs you nothing, and paid INSIDER members pay $12.50.
Skip it if you are still developing the idea, since the FAQ rules that out and the fee is not refunded. Skip it, too, if you are based outside the U.S. until Her Agenda confirms you qualify, or if you would not want your answers used in its marketing.
How much time to give it: about three hours, by our estimate, for seven answers of up to 300 words. Her Agenda’s question sheet says the form “must be completed in one sitting,” so write them in a document first and paste them in.
The application
Applying? How to answer each question
The program page goes through all seven questions in the form’s order: what each one asks, what Her Agenda’s own FAQ says it wants, and a made-up example answer from one small business, with word counts.
See the seven questions, with examples → Start your free draft preview
Grants worth pairing with the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant
The Breakthrough Grant names one winner per round, months apart, so pair it with grants that award every month. The Amber Grant gives three $15,000 grants a month, and HerRise, The Hustle and YippityDoo each give $1,000 a month to women founders.
- Amber Grant for Women — three $15,000 grants every month from WomensNet, judged on two written answers about your business and how you would use the money.
- HerRise MicroGrant — $1,000 a month for women of color founders. The form is two answers of up to 250 characters each, a fraction of the Breakthrough Grant’s writing.
- The Hustle Grant — $1,000 every month for U.S. women-owned businesses, with no revenue minimum and a $15 entry fee.
- YippityDoo Big Idea Grant — $1,000 a month for U.S. women-owned businesses with a $15 fee. Unlike the Breakthrough Grant, idea-stage businesses can apply.
For the full list, see grants for women-owned businesses.
The questions people type about the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant
Is the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant legit?
Yes. The Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant is run by Her Agenda, a media company for ambitious women, under its own name. It publishes terms for each volume, names its judges, and has named the winners of Volumes I and II: Ugenia Stokes of FWIN Productions and Emily Mack of Offline Wine. The $25 entry fee is the only payment, and it is not refundable.
How much is the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant, and how many people win?
$5,000, paid once to one entrepreneur per volume. Her Agenda has said donations could let it award more than one, but Volumes I and II each had a single winner.
Who can apply for the Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant?
Anyone 18 or older who subscribes to the free Her Agenda newsletter and runs a U.S. for-profit business that has operated for at least a year. Sole proprietors and LLCs qualify; idea-stage businesses and nonprofits don’t. Past winners can’t apply again.
How much does it cost to apply?
$25, or $12.50 for Her Agenda INSIDER members. The fee is paid on the last screen of the application and is non-refundable, even if your application turns out to be incomplete or ineligible.
When is the Volume IV deadline, and when is the winner announced?
Her Agenda’s Volume IV terms set the deadline at January 19, 2027, 11:59pm EST, and say the winner will be announced in March 2027. Volume II’s winner was planned for March 2026 and named on May 4.
How many people apply for the Breakthrough Grant?
Her Agenda reported 203 applications for Volume I and about 1,000 for Volume II, with one award each time. That is roughly 1 in 200 and 1 in 1,000, by our division of its own counts; it publishes no acceptance rate.
How this review was made
Sources, read as of November 2026. Her Agenda’s grant site (including its past-winner and timeline sections), the Volume IV application form and its terms and FAQ, and Her Agenda’s own posts: the launch, the supporters, the Volume I winner, Volume II, Volume III, the Volume II winner and Volume IV.
History. The Volume III grant-site text, and the link to its terms, come from an Internet Archive capture of February 5, 2026. The Volume I and III application forms are still online, and we compared their questions and fee settings with Volume IV’s.
Our own work. The timeline, the ratios and the time estimate are GrantCompass’s, from the sources above. GrantCompass did not apply, and is not affiliated with Her Agenda or any winner.