• Grants are available to assist women in Minnesota reach their business goals.businesswoman image by Elena kouptsova-vasic from Fotolia.com
  
  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just under 30 percent of businesses in the state of Minnesota are owned by women, a figure that is consistent with the national average. Because so many more men own businesses in Minnesota as compared with their female counterparts, there are a number of grant programs that support the entrepreneurial efforts of female Minnesotans. If you or someone you know is a female business owner in Minnesota, the grant programs listed below can be of great assistance.
  
  

AAUW's Career Development Grants

• The American Association of University Women (AAUW) sponsors the AAUW Career Development Grants. These grants aim to provide women with money to pursue higher education in fields that will benefit their future career plans and business aspirations. These grants, which can total as much as $12,000, are awarded only to women, with minorities and women in professions not traditionally populated by women given priority consideration for these awards.
  
  AAUW
  Dept. 60
  301 ACT Drive
  Iowa City, IA 52243-4030
  319-337-1716, ext. 60
  aauw@act.org
  
  

Northwest Minnesota Foundation Grants

• The Northwest Minnesota Foundation offers a number of grants to public agencies or private nonprofits with a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status that offer programs that can help fund activities that will benefit the 12 counties (Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau) served by the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. Grants could potentially be used to support the activities of certain businesses, as well as outreach for women looking to start their own businesses. Grants programs include funds for natural-resource-driven projects, community planning, and the community connections program, which aims to "foster coalition building and promote collaborations between human service providers, other organizations, and/or public agencies." These programs offer up to $25,000 in funding, with applicants required to match the grant in some cases.
  
  Grants for women only include the foundation's Northwest Minnesota Women's Fund, which offers grants in the amount of $2,500 to support the growth of women's leadership skills, especially in the areas of health care and education.
  
  Northwest Minnesota Foundation
  4225 Technology Drive NW
  Bemidji, MN 56601
  
  

Women's Foundation of Minnesota

• The Women's Foundation of Minnesota offers a number of grants for women only. The grants tend to have a social or progressive component, with grant applicants who are committed to social issues, community development, or the role of women in society given priority. Hopeful grantees who promise to reform the policies of businesses or other institutions, or who are passionate about helping women break through the glass ceiling, are more likely to be successful in their applications.
  
  Women's Foundation of Minnesota
  155 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 500
  Minneapolis, MN 55401-2549