Fairfax City offers $25,000 in grants to women entrepreneurs

FAIRFAX CITY, Va. ( DC News Now ) — Women entrepreneurs in Fairfax City may have the chance to receive a grant for their businesses.

The City of Fairfax is offering five local women-owned businesses $5,000 grants, totaling $25,000, through the Women’s Entrepreneur Grant Opportunity .

According to Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED), the grants’ purpose is to “provide women-owned businesses in Fairfax City with consultation and capacity-building services which facilitate their growth, expansion, and development.”

To be eligible for the grant, businesses applying must be women-owned (must be at least 51% owned and controlled by women), must be licensed within Fairfax City, must have one or more locations in the area and must be for profit.

Start-ups and home-based businesses are also eligible.

Upon applying, businesses will identify the consulting or services needed to help their business grow and select an intended consultant to be used if awarded the grant.

Grants will be awarded based on scoring criteria, and applications will be accepted until all five grants are awarded. However, recipients should be notified no later than Sept. 20.

The criteria considered when applications are reviewed include the business’s impact and need, services selected, project timeline and feasibility and budget cost-effectiveness.

Recipients will be recognized at this year’s FCED Women’s Entrepreneur Empowerment Luncheon on Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m.

To download the application, click here . Once completed, businesses should email their application to tara.borwey@fairfaxcityecondev.org.

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