TWU StartUP Grant $5,000 for Texas woman-owned startups, funded by the state legislature. You do not need any affiliation with Texas Woman’s University to apply. The money goes toward one specific project you name in the application, so have quotes ready. This one closes Wednesday, so move now. Closes September 23 at 5:00 PM CT - APPLY

Character Labs $200,000 for 5%, wired the day you are accepted with no milestones attached. Five weeks run by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, the Design Sprint guys, and the whole program points at one thing: product-market fit. Software startups incorporating in the US, cohort starts October 26 in San Francisco. Closes September 23 at 11:59 PM PT - APPLY

NASE Growth Grants Up to $4,000 for self-employed business owners, aimed at a specific growth push: hiring, marketing, equipment, a website, training. It cannot go toward existing debt or rent. You do need a NASE membership in good standing, so factor that in. Applications are reviewed quarterly and the current window closes September 30 - APPLY

Skip’s $10,000 Grant The fall round just reopened. One $10,000 grant, open to any US entrepreneur or small business owner over 18. No revenue floor, no industry filter, and the application is genuinely short. Skip has paid out to more than 2,000 businesses so far. Closes October 2 at 11:59 PM ET - APPLY

Equalize A pitch competition and symposium for women academic entrepreneurs working in therapeutics, medtech, research tools and the physical sciences. You get educational sessions, mentorship, and a culmination pitch event. Applications for the 2027 cohort are open now, with an info session October 5. Closes November 13 - APPLY

Techstars Spring 2027 $220,000 to join one of the Spring 2027 accelerators, plus mentorship and lifetime access to 11,000+ founders and investors. This one takes equity, unlike most of the list, but it is the most established name here. Closes November 18 - APPLY

Entreprenista Evolve Grant $5,000 to one woman founder, from Entreprenista and IT Cosmetics. You need a US business, woman-owned or woman-led, at least a year old and doing $100,000 or more a year. Closes November 30 - APPLY

Warrior Rising Up to $20,000 in non-dilutive funding for veteran and military-spouse founders. The path is free: start with Warrior Academy, move up to Warrior University, and the founders showing real traction get invited to pitch at a Business Shower. Enrollment is rolling, so there is no deadline to miss - APPLY

The Amber Grant Three $10,000 grants every month for women-owned businesses, plus three $50,000 grants at year end drawn from the monthly winners. One application covers all of them, including the startup track if you are still pre-revenue. There is a $15 fee - APPLY

The Awesome Foundation $1,000 every month for an idea that deserves to exist. No pitch deck, no revenue requirement, no equity, and the application takes about ten minutes. Chapters all over the world fund independently, so apply to the one nearest you. Rolling - APPLY

America’s Seed Fund (NSF) Up to $2 million in non-dilutive funding, and the NSF takes zero equity and zero IP. Deep tech across AI, energy, medical devices, robotics and semiconductors. They fund about 400 companies a year and accept project pitches year round, so there is no deadline to miss - APPLY

Claude for Startups Up to $100,000 in Claude API credits, no equity taken. You need to be founded in the last four years with institutional funding, and Claude has to be central to what you are building. Name your investor when you apply. The form takes two minutes and it is rolling - APPLY