If you are an LGBTQ+ small business owner who is looking to sustain and grow your business, the Equity Fund may be perfect for you! PFund Foundation is seeking LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who have owned and operated a business for a year or more and are seeking to grow through grant funding and business education sessions.
Donor Name: PFund Foundation
State: Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/22/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This program invests in queer entrepreneurs and small businesses from across the Upper Midwest, with a particular focus on queer entrepreneurs of color and queer-owned businesses in rural areas. PFund and Quorum are offering more than $400,000 in grant fundings across three distinct cohorts this year. Each grant recipient receives:

Grants ranging from $5,000 up to $30,000 to be used to support building small business capacity and developing queer entrepreneurship across the region.
Access to five training sessions customized to the needs of small business owners. Training for grantees from greater Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin will meet virtually.
A one-year membership to Quorum, Minnesota’s LGBT chamber of commerce. Grantees from outside Minnesota will be given modest stipends to purchase an annual membership from a local queer chamber of commerce (for example, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce).

Eligibility Requirements 
Eligibility Guidelines Grantseekers must meet all of the following  criteria to apply:

You identify as LGBTQ+
If your business is located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa or Wisconsin you must also identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.
Your business has been in operation for at least one year.
The annual gross revenue of your business for your most recently completed fiscal year was $250,000 or less.
Your business has 20 or fewer employees.

Grantee Obligations If awarded a grant, you must agree to the following conditions:

You agree to only use grant funds for the business purposes outlined in your proposal. Personal uses of funds are not allowed.
You agree to provide PFund Foundation with the paperwork necessary to process grant payments (signed grant agreement, IRS W9 form, and your business’s logo).
You agree to complete an online survey and produce a report on how you used grant funds at the conclusion of the grant period (due in spring 2025).
You agree to attend 80% of the cohort meetings over the course of the program. You will be assigned to a cohort based on your location and the demographic information in the application. Meeting dates will differ by cohort:
Twin Cities Queer Entrepreneurs of Color cohort will meet on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:30-8:00 pm in person, at the Quorum offices in St. Paul. Meeting dates are: October 8, November 12, January 14, February 11, March 11
Midwestern Queer Entrepreneurs of Color cohort and the Minnesotan Queer Entrepreneurs cohort will meet on the second Wednesday of the month from 6:00-8:30 virtually. Meeting dates are: October 9, November 13, January 15, February 12, March 12.

For more information, visit PFund Foundation.