Veteran Woman Entrepreneur Grant

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to foster greater economic development activity in Texas by encouraging and enabling veteran woman-owned small businesses to undertake new and innovative projects. Five $5,000 grants for a total of $25,000 are available for this round of funding.

Grant amount

$5,000

Who can apply?

Eligible businesses must satisfy all of the following conditions:

•  Existing veteran woman-owned businesses (at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more veteran women who are U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents).  The business must be a for-profit corporation, partnership, LLP, LLC, or sole proprietorship. Not-for-profit corporations or similar nonprofit entities are not eligible.
• Honorably Discharged, General Discharge under honorable conditions, Active duty in a military transition assistance program (with approved discharge date), Reservist/National Guard.
• If the business or business owner owns the premises from which the business operates, all property taxes must be current.
• All sales, payroll, and other taxes must be current.
• Business must be located and operated within the state of Texas.
• Business owners/partners must not have any felonies or convictions for a crime of dishonesty or breach of trust.
• The business, business owners and the applicant must not be involved in any pending or current litigation.
• Businesses that have been woman-owned before 1/20/25.  Any business that has changed the business structure because a man is listed as woman-owned after the grant opening date of 1/21/2025 is ineligible.  
• The business, business owner, and applicant are operating with all required permits and licenses and are conforming to all required laws — check the Texas Taxable Entity Search page https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/

Ineligible applicants

• TWU faculty/staff (or any immediate family member of the applicant's family, including spouse, child, parent), trustee, and advisory committee member.
• TWU Students are not eligible to apply.
• Prior grant winners of any CWE grant.
• Applicants who have participated in any CWE program in the last year, including AccelerateHER, Kauffman Fastrac, or participants in the Women's Entrepreneur Leadership Forum awardees. 
• Current consultants contracted with the CWE.
• Anyone who has served as a judge for any CWE grant program
• Those who don't send in the exact woman-owned business documentation we ask for (over half disqualified because of this). 

Learn more about who can apply

What can the funds be used for?

• Purchase of machinery, equipment, or technology
• Addition or acquisition of new inventory or raw materials
• Purchase and installation of fixtures or display units
• Property improvements that will result in additional business
• Marketing or advertising campaigns
• Any other business-related activity that CWE deems is aligned with the stated purpose of this program — please send a request to cwegrants@twu.edu

Funds can't be used for:

• Wages, salaries, bonuses, or compensation are explicitly ineligible under this program and will not be funded (outside consultants are ok because they are not employees.)
• Sales tax cannot be included in quotes the grant will fund (this can be shown as owner investment.)
• This grant cannot purchase real Property Buildings, Land, etc.
• Paying your regular monthly bills (although you can pay for a yearly subscription)

What are the grant requirements?

• Submit a complete application with all questions answered (we don't need fluff, a ton of pages, or a business plan where we can't find answers to our questions.) Our judging committee needs to be able to find the answers quickly, or the grant is disqualified. It is best to copy and paste the Company Background and Project Information. 
• Send pictures, quotes, amazon items, or an ad for the items the grant will fund minus sales tax. We must see everything 5,000 is being used for. 
• Provide a budget showing the source (grant, personal, or business funds, or owner investment) and use (what the grant is funding). The grant is 5,000 even - not 4999.99 or 5,000.01 and must not include sales tax.  Taxes can go under owner investment.  Do not make clickable links to what you will purchase - we need a pdf. 
• Awardees will receive the first half of the payment after completing all required TWU paperwork and signing a grant agreement.  State agencies can take up to 30 days to pay after receiving all the paperwork and signatures that have been sent.   
• Each awardee must complete our virtual small business training course, submit an approved business plan, and receive 3 hours of small business advising to receive the second half of grant funding. 
• Funds must be matched by a minimum of 10% owner investment (cash or equipment). The owner's investment must not be associated with any debt. Owner Investment must be committed and available to the project at the time of the grant application. You can include this under source and use of funds.  It can be something you already purchased or will purchase during the grant timetable. 
• Receipts & requirements for all grant funds must be submitted on or before Sept. 11, 2025, or they will be forfeited. 

Application requirements

• Applications only will be accepted electronically via our online application site by 5:00:00 p.m., Feb. 21, 2025. Revisions are not permitted following submission. Applications received after 5:00:00 p.m. will be automatically rejected. All applicants will be notified on March 11, 2025.
• Include all pages of signed and dated formation documentation that your business is 51% or more woman-owned and controlled.  It must show managers - please review the grant website for further information. This is the only documentation we will accept — anything else will immediately disqualify you — you can send the documentation to cwegrants@twu.edu to check verification Do not send an LLC or other entity document with only a business name, EIN, driver's license, credit card, or passport you will immediately be disqualified. 
• DD214 shows Honorably Discharged, General Discharge under honorable conditions, or proof of active duty in a military transition assistance program (with approved discharge date), Reservist/National Guard.
• Provide a background on your company and describe the project the grant would be used for (you must use the template below). Do not send a business plan – we only need our questions answered and judges don’t have time to search for these questions among unnecessary information.
• All required information and documentation must be uploaded (for example: proposals from a vendor, quotes or estimates, preliminary invoices, etc.). Incomplete and duplicate applications will automatically be rejected.
• Download the Veteran Woman Grant Checklist

Company background & Project information

Copy & Paste this information in a PDF that you will upload to your online grant application — each question must be answered, put N/A if not applicable. This information is mandatory.

Company Background

• Description of the company’s current operations, including products, markets, etc.
• Description of the company’s current operating facilities – both owned and leased
• Summary of the company’s current full and part-time employment
• Description of the company’s need to undertake the proposed project

Project Narrative

• Budget for the project, including project costs and sources of funds (see faqs)
• Physical description of the proposed project, including any business or residential relocation that may result from the undertaking of the project
• Projected new employment with job title for each of the three years following project completion, including job title
• Explanation of how your project will contribute to the economy of Texas

Learn more about the Company's Background and Project Information

After you’ve been awarded

• The successful applicant will typically receive payment within 30 days of being awarded and all required paperwork submitted.  

Awardees are required to:                              

• Complete a virtual small business training course hosted by the Center for Women Entrepreneurs and taught by veterans
• Submit and receive approval for a full business plan with three years of financials.
• Send in itemized paid receipts or proof of purchases made with grant funds (costs must have been incurred after receiving grant funding.)
• Spend 3 hours with a Small Business Advisor
• Use the spreadsheet that the CWE provides for documentation   
   

Awardees will need to sign a grant agreement and photo release BEFORE they can access your grant funds. The University will send you a 1099 for grant funds received.

Please review the grant guidelines, FAQ & videos before submission to ensure the guidelines are met.

Veteran Woman Grant Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch the Basics of Grant Writing video