Boundless Futures Foundation awards $150,000 in grants to female founders committed to addressing social good and nonprofits helping female entrepreneurs

Grants coincide with National Women's Small Business Month

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boundless Futures Foundation, a private family foundation founded by Soon and McKeel Hagerty, is awarding $100,000 in its fourth round of EmpowHer grants to female founders of five companies who are investing part of their business in doing social good. The companies are headquartered in five states (California, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska and New York). The Foundation is also awarding $50,000 in Her Village grants to two nonprofits supporting female entrepreneurs. The grants coincide with National Women's Small Business Month this October. 

This round of EmpowHer grantees includes founders of a coffee company that employs and trains people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; a company making snack bars for people with metabolic disorders, which donates 1% of its sales to health-related causes; and a company that creates hair ties out of pineapple fibers and donates 5% of its profits to ocean and coastline protection. 

The grantees are female entrepreneurs in the early stages of starting a business that addresses a social issue or has a purpose-driven concept embedded in her business model.  

"We are so pleased to be able to provide this incredible round of female founders with grants, but also excited to further support their entrepreneurial journey with mentorship advice through our Advisory Circle," said Soon Hagerty, co- founder and president, Boundless Futures Foundation. "In addition, we have just launched the FoundHer Success Kit that provides female founders with easy-to-use templates that are vital tools to build a strong foundation to run their businesses." 

The grant recipients are carefully selected business owners who align with Boundless Futures Foundation's goal to create a larger impact in society through business.    

EmpowHer Grant Recipients 

• Piña Designs (Coronado, Cal.) makes hair ties from pineapple fibers and donates 5% of its profits to ocean and coastline protection. The company will receive a $15,000 grant. The company was founded by Sydney Kobak, Kelley Levaggi, Sage Dobby and Erika Gossett. 
  
  
• Resist Nutrition (New York, NY) was co-founded by Drew Lederman and Emily Cohen. It produces snack bars for people with diabetes and other blood sugar instabilities and 1% of profits goes to health-related causes. The company will receive a $20,000 grant.   
  
  
• Rose Cat Coffee Company (Lincoln, Neb.), founded Brenda Kasaty, is a coffee shop that hires and trains people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The company will receive a $25,000 grant. 
  
  
• Spacers Inc. (Midland, Tx.) produces non-alcoholic beverages that are marketed to bars and consumers to help pace alcohol consumption. The company, founded by Kristen Fechtel, donates a portion of its proceeds to mental health organizations. The company will receive a $20,000 grant.
  
  
• VertiGreens (St. Louis, Mo.) was founded by Tova Feinberg. The company uses shipping containers and hydroponic technology to grow hard-to-find ingredients for restaurants, caterers and grocery stores. The company uses sustainable practices and focuses on providing access to healthy, locally farmed food in urban areas. The company will receive a $20,000 grant. 

Her Village Grant Recipients: 

• Venture North (Traverse City, Mich.) provides low-cost loans and no-cost consulting to small business owners in Northwest Michigan who may not qualify for traditional loans. The organization will receive a $25,000 grant to support female founders. 

• Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) (Chicago, Il.) has helped more than 111,000 women entrepreneurs gain economic self-sufficiency through business ownership and expansion and has worked to change public policy nationally. WBDC will receive a $25,000 grant to support bilingual programming that prepares female founders to launch new small businesses. 

Each of the EmpowHer grantees is embraced by an Advisory Circle of seasoned female entrepreneurs who provide optional resources including leadership development, skills-building assistance, mentorship and networking opportunities. Since 2023, Boundless Futures Foundation has provided $525,000 to 19 female-founded businesses and five nonprofits in 13 states. 

Learn more about past grantees and Boundless Futures Foundation, apply for funding, or obtain other resources by visiting boundlessfutures.org. The foundation is currently accepting applications for its next round of EmpowHer Grant funding. The deadline is November 1, 2024. 

About Boundless Futures Foundation 

Founded in September 2023, by Soon and McKeel Hagerty, Boundless Futures Foundation provides financial support and leadership resources to aspiring female entrepreneurs 22 years of age or older so they can have a boundless impact on society. The Foundation empowers women entrepreneurs in the United States by providing grant funding to individuals in the early stages of starting a business that solves a social issue and to mission-aligned nonprofits. The Foundation also provides access for individual grantees to an Advisory Circle, a supportive network during their entrepreneurial journey. For more information, visit boundlessfutures.org and follow Boundless Futures on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. 

SOURCE Boundless Futures Foundation