03.01.24
To kick-start Women's History Month, entrepreneur Nancy Twine has announced the Dream Makers Founder Grant, an initiative designed to empower and support female entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on Black and BIPOC founders in the consumer goods industry.
Dream Makers Founder Grant
This $1 million grant aims to bridge the resource gap and help emerging businesses flourish, reach new audiences, and achieve their full potential. The grant, spanning four years from 2024 to 2027, will distribute $250,000 annually to selected grant recipients.
"Navigating early-stage business funding can be incredibly challenging. Much of my decade-long trajectory growing Briogeo was spent as a heads-down entrepreneur, focused on building the business,” said Twine. “As I eventually scaled the business, I was able to be more 'heads-up' and through that, have been able to mentor and invest in other entrepreneurs. Inspired by my journey, I created the Dream Makers Founder Grant to provide critical, early-stage funding to underrepresented female founders. This support is uniquely structured—it doesn't involve surrendering rights, equity, or entail payback obligations. It's designed to let these founders concentrate on their vision while securing essential initial funding to bridge pivotal startup needs.”
Sephora 2024 Accelerate Program Collab
In its inaugural year, the Dream Makers Founder Grant will collaborate with Sephora's 2024 Accelerate program and Fifteen Percent Pledge, renowned for its support of diverse entrepreneurship.
"At Sephora, we believe in pushing for more diverse voices and perspectives within the beauty industry,” said Priya Venkatesh, global chief merchandising officer at Sephora. “Partnering with the Dream Makers Founder Grant aligns with our commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting underrepresented beauty entrepreneurs. By collaborating with Nancy Twine and this initiative to further support Sephora Accelerate founders, we aim to empower the next generation of beauty leaders and contribute to a more equitable and vibrant industry,"
For information on eligibility go here NancyTwine.com/TheGrant and 15PercentPledge.org/Award.