Black Beauty Brands, This Is Your Last Week to Apply for a Glossier Grant

Last month, beauty company Glossier committed $500,000 in grants to Black beauty brands. Entrepreneurs have just a few more days to get their applications in, before the deadline on July 3rd.

“At Glossier, we want to change how the world sees beauty—and changing how the world sees beauty starts with changing the beauty industry itself,” Founder and CEO Emily Weiss wrote on the company’s blog.

Weiss went on to note that when the company launched six years ago, it was one of the few founded by women to successfully raise venture capital and that she is “keenly aware that a Black woman with the very same vision likely would not have received the same support.”

To “address this inequity and support the next generation of game-changing companies,” the company is providing half a million dollars in grants to black beauty brands in various stages of growth.

Applicants for Glossier’s Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Businesses must be at least 18, identify as Black or African American, and run a business incorporated in the U.S. that sells a physical product (cosmetics, products, or tools for face, body, or hair). The eligible business types and size of the grants are:

$10,000 for pre-launch businesses—those with a finalized business plan that are planning to launch within the next 12 months
$30,000 for early stage businesses—those that launched in the past 12 months and are working to grow a customer base
$50,000 for growth-stage businesses—those that launched more than 12 months ago and are working to scale operations

In addition to the cash, those businesses that are selected will get access to “connect with relevant team members at Glossier for 1:1 advisory support and monthly calls with domain experts (think supply chain, packaging, content strategy, etc).” Glossier will also use its platform to “introduce these founders, their stories, and their businesses to our community.”

The company expects that about 15 businesses will be awarded grants and that notifications will be made in August. Applications will be judged by an internal team at Glossier, lead by Community Manager Kim Johnson, based on the following criteria:

Brand (The What): How your business shows up in the beauty space and what sets it apart from others
Message (The Why): How your business aspires to broaden the conversation about beauty and lead with purpose
Plan (The How): Your business’s plan for growth and how this grant will help it get there

Interested Black beauty brands can apply here.