In celebration of its 25th anniversary supporting women in the Mohawk Valley, The Women’s Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc., in cooperation with the Griffiss Institute, is sponsoring five $5,000 grants to women in business in Herkimer and Oneida counties.

The businesses must be at least 51 percent women-owned and have been in existence for one year or more. The deadline for applying is Friday, Sept. 30. The application is available at womensfundhoc.org.   

“This initiative is a first for us and we are incredibly excited to provide this opportunity to women in our area,” said Diane Wolfe, president of the Board of Directors for the Women’s Fund. “For more than 25 years we have been able, through the generosity of our donors, to provide economic, educational and growth opportunities for women and girls. Now, during our 25th anniversary, we want to support the women-owned businesses in our communities that are making a difference for women and families in our area and in our region’s economy.”

The grant initiative was an outcome of several members of The Women’s Fund Board of Directors who recognized that supporting women entrepreneurs also lifts up and moves forward other women and girls, and changes the face of business and growth in the area. 

“This is a big step for our organization as we have never done anything quite like this in the past,” noted Ellen Rainey, secretary of the Board of Directors and one of the committee chairs who developed the concept and criteria for the grants. “Many of us work with area businesses or are business owners and we see the need for additional funding that will help support growing the businesses and helping them to be successful. This initiative which we call, ‘Women Investing in Women,’ needed support beyond our group and so we reached out to the Griffiss Institute to see how we could work together to promote the grants.”

The grant application is open to women-owned businesses in Herkimer and Oneida counties and can be found on The Women’s Fund website at womensfundhoc.org.

“Griffiss Institute is proud to partner with the Women’s Fund to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Heather Hage, president and CEO. “These grants can help elevate women-owned businesses to the next level, while continuing to attract, develop and support startup businesses here in the Mohawk Valley.”

There are five $5,000 grants available which will be awarded in November. Funds may be used for equipment, hardware/software, consulting services, training, education and marketing. More details are available on the site.