There is the idea, and then there is the money.
One is easy. It comes to you in the middle of the night, or in traffic, or at the edge of frustration when you realize no one has solved a problem you see clearly. The other is harder. You need it to build, to hire, to keep the lights on. But no one seems eager to give it to you.
They tell women to start small. They call it smart, safe, practical. But what they really mean is wait your turn.
This is where you stop waiting.
People like to say there’s “free money” for women in business, but they never tell you how hard it is to actually get it. The applications are long. The competition is brutal. The selection committees are mysterious. But the money exists. And for some women, it’s the only way to start.
Here are the grants you can apply for :
(Disclaimer: some of these grants have expired or are not yet open for application in 2025)
🔹 Flourish Africa Grant – Up to 2 million Naira for female entrepreneurs in Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt. They are betting on women because, statistically, we return the investment. (Learn More)
🔹 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) – $5,000 seed funding for African entrepreneurs. No collateral, no strings—just an opportunity. (Learn More)
🔹 Womenpreneur Pitch-a-Ton Africa – Access Bank’s initiative for female founders, offering up to $20,000 in grants and business training. The application process is competitive, but so is business. (Learn More)
🔹 KPMG Female Founders in Africa – A high-growth venture competition for women in tech, health, and agriculture. A room most women aren’t invited into—unless they push through. (Learn More)
🔹 Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa - empower African entrepreneurs with $4 million in equity-free funding, mentorship, and access to Google’s network and technologies. (Learn More)
🔹 Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition - It awards a share of $1.5 million to the top ten entrepreneurs annually. (Learn More)
This is not free money. It is money that expects something in return: proof that you are serious, proof that you can make it grow.
Here’s the thing: raising money takes time. And most businesses don’t die because the idea was bad—they die because the founder ran out of time.
So you have two options.
You build it yourself. You use personal savings, reinvest revenue, or beg family members to believe in something they don’t fully understand. It is slow, frustrating, but you own everything. No one tells you how to run your business.
🔹 Bootstrap if:
✔ You want full control.
✔ You can start small and grow gradually.
✔ You’re willing to suffer through tight months and delayed payments.
You find someone with capital who believes in you enough to bet on your success. They will give you money—but they will also want something back. Equity. Growth. A seat at the table.
🔹 Seek investors if:
✔ You need to scale fast.
✔ You are building something big enough to justify outside funding.
✔ You can handle people questioning your decisions.
Neither option is right or wrong. The mistake is not choosing.
They tell you to pitch confidently. To walk into the room as if you belong there.
The truth? The numbers don’t care about confidence.
💰 Less than 3% of venture capital funding goes to women.
💰 For Black women, the number is even smaller.
Investors will ask you different questions than they ask men. They will ask about risks instead of potential. They will doubt that you can handle the scale, even as they hand millions to men with half your expertise.
The women who get funding learn to answer the questions investors don’t ask:
✔ What is your traction? If you have customers, data, or pre-orders—lead with it.
✔ Why now? Investors love urgency. Make them believe this is the moment, not next year.
✔ How do you make money? It sounds obvious, but this is where most founders stumble. Be precise.
The game is rigged, but women win anyway.
You stop waiting.
📌 Apply for one grant this month.
📌 If you’re bootstrapping, start selling now. Not in six months, not when your website is perfect. Now.
📌 If you need investors, research 10 who fund businesses like yours.
💡 Your business deserves to be funded.