The Equity Fund Grant for Queer Entrepreneurs of Color | $5,000-$30,000

Who: Must identify as a LGBTQ+ small business owner based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, or Midwest

Deadline: TBD - Summer 2024

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The Equity Fund (originally known as the Twin Cities Queer BIPOC Business Capacity Fund) was created in 2020 in direct response to the dire economic circumstances created by COVID-19 and the civil unrest and burning of Lake Street following the murder of George Floyd by the police. PFund distributed $90,000 in microgrants in 2020-21 to help Minneapolis queer small business owners of color with flexible cash assistance and remote business capacity training resources.

Fast forward to today - The PFund Foundation, in partnership with Quorum, is proud to announce the 2023-24 round of Equity Fund grant. This program invests in queer entrepreneurs and small businesses from across the Upper Midwest, with a particular focus on providing grants for queer entrepreneurs of color and queer-owned businesses in rural areas.

Evaluation Criteria | EFG Queer Entrepreneurs of Color Grant

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You identify as LGBTQ+

• Your business is located within the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, Minnesota, or within North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, or the First Nations therein

• Your business has been in operation for at least one year

• The annual gross revenue of your business for your most recently completed fiscal year was $250,000 or less. Your business has 20 or fewer employees

*There are three (3) Equity Fund grant categories. For 2 out of 3, you must identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color to apply.

Grantee Obligations

If awarded you must agree to the following conditions:

• You agree to only use grant funds for the business purposes outlined in your proposal

• You agree to provide PFund Foundation with the paperwork necessary to process grant payments

• You agree to attend 80% of the cohort meetings over the course of the program

• You agree to complete an online survey and produce a report

Benefits

Each grant recipient receives:

• Grants ranging from $5,000 up to $30,000 to be used to support building small business capacity and developing queer entrepreneurship across the region

• Access to five training sessions customized to the needs of small business owners

• A one-year membership to Quorum, Minnesota's LGBT chamber of commerce

Are you ready to grow your business? Check out The Creator Parlor® for on-demand educational videos, free digital resources, and so much that will help you reach your business goals!

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