Cartier Women’s Initiative Regional Awards

Donor: Cartier Women’s Initiative

About: The Cartier Women’s Initiative Regional Awards support women-owned and women-led impact-driven businesses across various regions. The program offers financial, human, and social capital support to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses and create a positive impact. The awards are designed to foster innovation, creativity, and social change, with a focus on empowering women entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential.

The application process for the Regional Awards opens from April 18 to June 25, 2025. The program provides comprehensive support, including financial grants, access to loans, training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. The fellows, representing the top three businesses from each region, receive significant financial and non-financial benefits to help them grow and succeed.

Focus: Women Entrepreneurship, Impact-Driven Businesses, Social and Environmental Impact, Leadership Development, Community Engagement

Region: Global, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, Anglophone and Lusophone Africa, Middle East and North Africa, East Asia, South Asia and Central Asia, Oceania

Eligibility:
-Women-owned and women-led businesses
-For-profit businesses
-Early-stage businesses (1 to 6 years of operation)
-Businesses generating revenue for at least 1 year
-Businesses that have raised no more than US$2 million in dilutive funding
-Businesses demonstrating positive social or environmental impact
-Businesses aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-Applicants must be at least 18 years old
-Applicants must be proficient in English
-Applicants must commit to the fellowship program and reporting requirements

Benefits:
-US$ 100,000 grant for each first-place awardee
-US$ 60,000 grant for each second-place awardee
-US$ 30,000 grant for each third-place awardee
-Access to CWI Loan Fund with preferential interest rates
-1:1 training and advice sessions
-Community peer learning and networking sessions
-Leadership communications and media training workshops
-INSEAD Women Impact Entrepreneurship Program
-Leadership capacity executive coaching
-International exposure and media visibility
-Access to an online and offline community of experts and peers
-Ongoing support for business development

Terms:
-Cartier Women’s Initiative: An organization supporting women entrepreneurs through financial, human, and social capital.
-Impact-driven businesses: Businesses that seek to create positive social and environmental impact.
-Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations to promote prosperity and protect the environment.
-Dilutive funding is funding that requires giving away a portion of the company, including future profits and control.
-Fellowship program: A program offering training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to support entrepreneurs.