LGBTQ+ Small-Business Grants and Loans

LGBTQ-owned businesses are more likely to apply for financing than non-LGBTQ-owned businesses but less likely to receive full approval, according to Federal Reserve data from 2024^[0]

However, numerous organizations across the United States offer small-business grants and resources for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to help bridge the funding gap.

Grants for LGBTQ+ businesses

Small-business grants provide access to free financing — money that doesn’t need to be repaid. Grants are available from various sources, and although applications can be time-consuming and competitive, the effort will be worth it if you can secure this funding for your business.

Queer Business Alliance Microgrant

• Amount: $2,500 to $5,000.

• Deadline: Rolling applications.

• Eligibility: New LGBTQ+ businesses in their first year of operation.

• Apply: Via the Queer Business Alliance website.

The Queer Business Alliance (QBA) is a nonprofit that helps LGBTQ+ businesses succeed. Recipients of the QBA grant also get access to QBA’s network of expert advisors. In 2026, QBA plans to expand its grant program and offer five awards of $50,000 each.

Breva Thrive Grant

• Amount: $5,000.

• Deadline: October 31, 2025 (for fourth quarter applications).

• Eligibility: Open to all small-business owners; preference for those serving underrepresented communities.

• Apply: Via the Breva website.

To qualify, for a quarterly Breva Thrive Grant (formerly the Cadence Cash Thrive Grant), your business must already be generating revenue. Breva also prefers applicants who have at least one year in business.

Freed Fellowship Grant

• Amount: $500 monthly microgrant; $2,500 annual grant opportunity.

• Deadline: Rolling applications.

• Eligibility: Underrepresented and overlooked small-business owners.

• Apply: Via the Freed Fellowship website. $19 application fee is required.

In addition to the grant funding, winners receive a personalized strategy session, a one year membership in the Freed Studio.

» MORE: Small-business grants for minorities

Hey Helen Grant

• Amount: $10,000.

• Deadline: Dec. 30, 2025 (last round for this year). 

• Eligibility: Open to all businesses; preference for women and nonbinary entrepreneurs.

• Apply: Via the Visionaries website. $15 application fee is required.

The Hey Helen Grant program issues a grant award three times per year. To qualify, your business must be actively operating and generate less than $1 million in annual revenue.

National Pride Grant for LGBTQIA+ Small Businesses

• Amount: $1,000.

• Deadline: Applications open in April 2026 (pre-registration is available now).

• Eligibility: LGBTQIA+ business owners with 1+ year in business, two to 100 employees and less than $5 million in annual revenue.

• Apply: Via the Founders First website. Must include a short pitch video.

The National Pride Grant offers eligible businesses the opportunity to receive one of 25 grant packages totaling $25,000. The grant program is distributed by Founders First, a nonprofit organization that supports and accelerates the growth of small businesses led by individuals from diverse backgrounds.

The Transform Business Grant

• Amount: $1,000.

• Deadline: Closed September 2025. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: LGBTQIA+ business owners, people of color and formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Apply: Via the Transform website.

In addition to receiving the microgrant, grantees get a customized, year-long business strategy and development program — making it a good option for new businesses. To qualify, you should be located in the U.S., be able to show a financial need and have a social impact-driven business or business ideas.

» MORE: Business grants for people previously convicted of felonies

Illuminations Grant

• Amount: $10,000.

• Deadline: Closed in July 2025. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: Black transgender women in the visual arts field.

• Apply: Via the Queer-Art website (when applications open).

The Illuminations Grant is an annual program for U.S.-based visual artists. As part of your application, you’ll need to submit examples of your visual art.

Barbara Hammer Grant

• Amount: $5,000.

• Deadline: Closed in July 2025. 2026 dates have not yet been announced.

• Eligibility: U.S.-based lesbians creating moving-image art.

• Apply: Via the Queer-Art website (when applications open).

Like the Illuminations Grant, the Barbara Hammer Grant is an annual grant program administered through the Queer|Art organization. Work can be experimental animation, experimental documentary, experimental narrative, cross-genre or solely experimental.

You also must submit two work samples, as well as a proposal for the project you plan to complete using the grant funds.

The Spark Grant

• Amount: $3,000.

• Deadline: Closed in July 2025. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: Open to all small-business owners; preference for underrepresented communities.

• Apply: Via the Honeycomb Credit website.

The Spark Grant offers a total of $5,000 to small-businesses through a partnership between Honeycomb Credit and Sengo, a funding support platform. Business owners who subscribe to Sengo can receive $3,000 and two additional business owners (who don’t have to be Sengo subscribers) will receive $1,000 each.

Restaurant Business Development Program

• Amount: Varies.

• Deadline: Closed in April 2025. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: Businesses at least 51% owned by someone in one of the following groups: LGBTQ+; Black, indigenous or Latinx; military combat veteran; formerly incarcerated individuals or senior citizens.

• Apply: Via the Feed the Soul Foundation website.

Food businesses may be eligible for this program that is administered by the Feed the Soul Foundation. In addition to a financial stipend, recipients will receive six months of educational training services.

» MORE: Small-business grants for people with disabilities

NGLCC Community Impact Grant Program

• Amount: $5,000 to $25,000.

• Deadline: 2025 cycle expected to launch later this year.

• Eligibility: LGBTQ-owned or LGBTQ+ ally-owned restaurants.

• Apply: Via the NGLCC website.

Applications for the Community Impact Grant Program are accepted in batches based on location — East, Central, and West Regions. You can sign up for the NGLCC newsletter to receive program details when they become available. To qualify, you must provide proof that you are an LGBTQ-owned or allied establishment.

StartOut Demo Days

• Amount: $5,000 for first place; $3,000 for second place; $2,000 for third place.

• Deadline: The 2025 Demo Days will take place in November. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: LGBTQ+ businesses with at least $25,000 in annual recurring revenue. 

• Apply: Via the StartOut website.

The LGBTQ+ business organization, StartOut, hosts annual Demo Days, where entrepreneurs can pitch their businesses and receive grant funding. Each business also receives a non-monetary prize.

Equity Fund Program

• Amount: $5,000.

• Deadline: Closed in September 2025. Dates for 2026 haven’t been announced.

• Eligibility: LGBTQ+ and BIPOC business owners in the Twin Cities Metro Area; must be in operation for at least one year.

• Apply: Via the PFund Foundation website.

Through a partnership between the PFund Foundation and Quorum, the Equity Fund Program also offers six in-person training sessions and a year of membership to Quorum, Minnesota's LGBT chamber of commerce.

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

• Amount: Varies.

• Deadline: Currently paused due to federal grant-related funding freeze.

• Eligibility: Nonprofits working for social change.

• Apply: Via the Astraea Foundation website.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice typically offers several grant options to U.S. and international businesses, focusing on nonprofits working toward social change. In 2025, however, the freeze on payments related to certain federal grants has limited the organization’s ability to administer its own grant programs.

You can check the Astraea website or sign up for their newsletter to find out when grants will become available.

David Bohnett Foundation

• Amount: Varies.

• Deadline: By invitation only.

• Eligibility: Nonprofits advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.

• Apply: By invitation only.

The David Bohnett Foundation does not accept grant applications; proposals are by invitation only. To get your organization noticed for these types of nonprofit grants, you can hold community events to showcase your latest projects, invite grant funders to your events and encourage community members to talk and write reviews about how your organization has impacted them.

State and local grants

Many states, cities and local municipalities have dedicated grant programs for LGBTQ+ business owners. Some programs may be administered by your state or city’s chamber of commerce, whereas others may be distributed through a local LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

For example, San Diego and New York City both offer local grants through their Pride organizations. These grants provide funding to nonprofit and community organizations who serve the LGBTQ+ community.

To find these types of grants near you, you can do an online search for “[Your City] LGBTQ+ business grants.”

Loans for LGBTQ+ businesses

If you don’t qualify for certain grants or want to look for other ways to fund your LGBTQ-owned business, you might consider a traditional small-business loan. Although there aren’t many business loans designed specifically for LGBTQ+ businesses, there are still different loan options you can explore:

• Bank loans. Banks usually offer loans with the most competitive rates and terms, but it can be difficult to qualify. You’ll typically need multiple years in business and strong credit to get a business bank loan. Some banks, like BMO and Eastern Bank, have specific LGBTQ+ initiatives. At BMO, for example, LGTBTQ+ business owners may be able to access interest rate discounts on loan products^[0]

  BMO. BMO for LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses. Accessed Oct 29, 2025.

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• SBA loans. If you can’t qualify for a bank loan, an SBA loan may be a worthy alternative. SBA loans offer competitive rates and terms and are slightly easier to access than bank loans. In most cases, you’ll still need good credit and at least two years in business, however. SBA microloans are a particularly good option for LGBTQ+ businesses. This program is designed to fund traditionally underserved businesses, such as startups, people with limited credit histories and those located in low-income areas.

• CDFI and nonprofit loans. These lenders serve their local communities and work specifically to fund underserved business owners. Nonprofit and CDFI loans usually offer competitive rates and terms, but have more flexible requirements than banks or credit unions. CDFIs and nonprofit organizations also typically provide business support services, including training, coaching and mentorship.

• Online loans. If you’re looking for the fastest option, you’ll want to consider online business loans. These lenders tend to have flexible qualification requirements and can fund applications in as little as 24 hours. As a result of this speed and flexibility, however, online loans often have higher interest rates.

Additional resources for LGBTQ+ businesses

LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs can also use various resources to help them start and grow their businesses. These tools can provide additional financing opportunities, business training and community support, among other forms of assistance.

Gaingels

Gaingels is an investment organization that strives to help fund companies run by diverse and underrepresented individuals (including businesses owned by LGBTQ+ people). Gaingels has developed an ecosystem of private investors dedicated to diversity and inclusion — and these investors, along with the Gaingels company itself — work to offer capital to startups.

Pipeline Angels

Pipeline Angels is an angel investor firm that provides capital for transgender women, cisgender women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender and gender-nonconforming founders. This firm provides finance through a pitch summit, in which entrepreneurs present a business idea in the hopes of receiving funding from one of the investors.

IFundWomen

IFundWomen is a marketplace that specializes in small-business grants for women. The company also offers business coaching, networking, training and crowdfunding. Within the crowdfunding platform, IFundWomen spotlights queer-owned businesses and their funding campaigns.

If you’d like to raise money through crowdfunding, you have to sign up for an account, add information about your business, set your funding goal and specify the rewards donors will receive for contributing. When you select that you’re a business owned by someone that is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you’ll be added to the spotlight section on the site.

StartOut

StartOut is an organization that works to promote the growth of businesses run by LGBTQ+ people and ensure that LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs have equal opportunities for success. Through StartOut, business owners can access various resources, including a community network and forum, in-person and digital events, product discounts and expert office hours.

The organization also offers a mentorship program, an investor portal to help entrepreneurs looking for capital, and a startup accelerator. The StartOut Growth Lab is a five-month intensive program providing business owners mentorship, education and networking opportunities.

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

The NGLCC is the largest advocacy organization committed to expanding economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and the only certifying body for businesses owned by LGBTQ+ people.

The LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) certification gives you access to the entire NGLCC network, which includes hundreds of corporate and government partners. After one year, certified LGBTBE businesses are also eligible for scholarship programs, mentorship and leadership training and other business development tools.

In addition to the LGBTBE certification, the NGLCC administers mentorship programs, in-person and virtual events, webinars and educational courses, among other initiatives. The organization also has a network of affiliate chambers, which can assist at a state or local level.

» Click here for more information on getting an LGBTBE certification

Backstage Capital

This venture capital fund invests in companies led by underrepresented founders, including women, people of color and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. You should be a highly scalable startup business that can generate a 10x return on investment.

Backstage Capital isn’t currently accepting new applications to its portfolio, but you can check its website for updates and utilize any additional resources they offer.

Small Business Development Centers

Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and hosted by local colleges, universities, state economic development agencies and other private organizations. These centers are designed to provide a wide range of support for small-business owners, including training, mentorship, coaching and networking.

Many SBDCs can connect you with experts to help you get funding, manage your finances, and grow your business. Although these centers are not explicitly dedicated to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, all business owners are welcome and can take advantage of their services.

»MORE: How to get certified as a minority-owned business

How to get certified as an LGBTQ+ business

You can certify your LGBTQ+ business through the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. To get the organization’s exclusive LGBTBE Certification, follow these steps:

1. Create an NGLCC online account.

If you don’t have an account with the NGLCC, you’ll need to provide your email to create one. Once you’ve created your account, you can login to the NGLCC system and start the certification process.

2. Fill out your business profile.

You’ll complete a “business profile,” which includes basic information about yourself and your business, the products or services you provide and three references.

3. Provide certification requirements.

Next, you’ll upload business documents, including a brief history of your business, your formation documents, most recent tax documents, proof of U.S. residency and a resume. You’ll also need to sign an affidavit confirming all the information you’ve provided is accurate.

4. Pay the certification fee.

Once you submit your completed application, you’ll need to pay the $899 fee for a three-year certification. If you’re affiliated with a local Chamber of Commerce or LGBT partner organization, you can waive this fee.

5. Complete a site visit.

After you’ve submitted your application, the organization will schedule a site visit for your business. During this visit, an NGLCC representative will confirm the information in your application and learn more about your operations.

6. Wait for approval.