$1,000 Sweepstakes January Kickoff Grant 2026: Win Free Business Funding in 7 Days (No Purchase Required)
- Deadline : January 7, 2026
- Businesses, Startups

Apply for the Sephora Grant and compete for $100,000 unrestricted funding plus recognition at the LA gala. Underrepresented beauty founders, this is your moment.
The Sephora Grant offers a life-changing $100,000 grant to one beauty business owner from an underrepresented background. This isn’t just another application in your stack. The 15 Percent Pledge, in partnership with Sephora, is launching this grant to unlock the next level of growth and potential for one brand.
You’ve built something real. Your beauty business hit that critical $100K revenue mark, survived the first year, and now you’re ready to scale. But let’s be honest – the beauty industry isn’t exactly known for opening doors easily to founders who don’t fit the traditional mold. According to TechCrunch, founders barely receive 1% of all VC funds and are denied a bank loan to prepare their business. That’s where this Sephora grant changes everything.
Title: The Sephora Beauty Grant
Donor: Fifteen Percent Pledge, Sephora
Focus: Beauty businesses, Haircare brands, Makeup entrepreneurs, Skincare innovation, Fragrance development, Bath and body products, Underrepresented founders, BIPOC entrepreneurs, Women-owned beauty brands, LGBTQIA+ business owners, First-generation immigrants, CPG products, Retail-ready beauty
Region: United States
Eligibility:
— Business sells a CPG (consumer packaged goods) product
– Annual revenue of at least $100,000
– Located in the United States
– 51% or more ownership by an underrepresented founder or founding team
— Eligible backgrounds: Black/African/African American, AAPI, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, parents with earned income below the poverty level, first-generation immigrants, women, or any group traditionally overlooked in venture capital funding
– In business for at least 1 year
– Sells products in at least one of these categories: Beauty, Haircare, Makeup/Makeup tools, Skincare, Fragrance, Bath & Body
Benefits:
– Financial Award: $100,000 unrestricted grant funding
– Pro-bono consulting support
– Recognition on stage at the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala in Los Angeles on February 7, 2026
Deadline: Ongoing

Sephora Grant is a targeted beauty CPG award that gives one qualifying brand $100,000 in unrestricted funding plus consulting and gala-level visibility to help clear the biggest growth hurdles – inventory, retail readiness, and the marketing lift that drives reorder behavior. The program is intentionally retail-focused and meant for brands that already sell products and are ready to scale.
In 2020, Sephora became the first retailer to sign on to the Fifteen Percent Pledge, launched by Aurora James, and promised to dedicate at least 15 percent of its shelf space to Black-owned brands. That wasn’t just corporate speak. Sephora has since doubled its assortment of Black-owned brands, reaching the 15 percent benchmark in prestige haircare in 2023.
“We’re excited to see the beauty industry experiencing massive growth in expanding opportunities and client exposure to Black-owned brands. We hope that this grant will help to further propel the next generation of Black beauty owners,” says Priya Venkatesh, Sephora’s Global Chief Merchandising Officer. But here’s what makes it different. LaToya Williams-Belfort, Executive Director at the Fifteen Percent Pledge, explains: “Not only will the Sephora Beauty Grant provide an innovative small business with critical capital, but it will also drive a direct integration within Sephora’s ecosystem, furthering our goal of creating equitable and sustainable business partnerships for Black entrepreneurs”.
Think about that for a second. This isn’t just money. It’s access to Sephora’s ecosystem. For those of you running beauty businesses, you know what that means.
Q: Can I apply if my business makes less than $100K in revenue?
A: No. The $100K revenue threshold is firm.
Q: What if I’m a white woman founder?
A: You can apply. The 2026 grant expanded eligibility to include women and other traditionally underrepresented groups in venture capital.
Q: Do I need to be a Sephora vendor already?
A: No. You don’t need an existing relationship with Sephora.
First things first. Brands MUST sign up and submit full business details to enter the award application portal. Applicants must first create, update, or complete their business profile in our Business Equity Community in order to access award application questions.
The application will be open for four weeks. That’s your window. No extensions, no exceptions. Mark your calendar for October 28 when applications open.
The Business Equity Community profile isn’t just bureaucracy. It’s how they understand your business beyond the numbers. Product photos, your founding story, your vision for growth – all of it matters.
Q: How long does the profile take to complete?
A: Plan for 2-3 hours if you have all your information ready.
Q: Can I save and return to my application?
A: Yes, the system saves your progress.
Q: Do I need professional product photography?
A: Clear, well-lit photos work – they don’t need to be magazine-quality.
– Create, update, or complete your business profile in the Business Equity Community.
– Access the application questions once your profile is ready.
– Prepare an elevator pitch video, pitch deck, and P&L statement.
– Submit your application during the four-week window (October 28 – November 28, 2025).
– Finalists are notified in early January.
– The winner is announced at the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala in Los Angeles on February 7, 2026.
Sienna Naturals became the second recipient of the Sephora Beauty Grant in 2025. “The Sephora beauty grant that we received just a couple weeks ago has been incredible,” Hannah Diop expressed. On Feb. 10, 2025, Sienna Naturals made its retail debut in 178 Sephora stores nationwide, with plans for further expansion. Owned by Hannah Diop and Issa Rae, Sienna Naturals is a foundational health regimen for textured hair that treats hair-care like skin care.
Before Sienna Naturals, Brown Girl Jane was announced as the winner on Feb. 3 in a ceremony at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, and was awarded a $100,000 grant. Brown Girl Jane is a previous graduate of Sephora’s Accelerate brand incubation programme and beat out more than 275 entrants to receive the grant.
Let’s cut through the confusion. Your business needs real traction – we’re talking at least $100K in annual revenue. No exceptions. You must be operating for at least one year. But revenue isn’t everything here.
Q: Can a solo founder apply if they have 100% ownership?
A: Yes, as long as you’re from an underrepresented background.
Q: Does my product need to be in stores already?
A: No, but you need actual sales happening.
Q: What if I make both skincare and candles?
A: You qualify if your CPG beauty products (skincare) generate the revenue.
The categories are specific: Beauty, Haircare, Makeup/Makeup tools, Skincare, Fragrance, Bath & Body. If you’re making wellness supplements or essential oils for aromatherapy? That’s not going to work here. But if you’re creating a fragrance line or bath products? You’re in the right place.
Unlike quarterly grants that accept beginners, this Sephora grant wants proven businesses. They’re investing in your next chapter, not your first page.
Founders from any background traditionally overlooked in venture capital funding may apply regardless of race. This includes:
– Black/African/African American founders
– AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) entrepreneurs
– Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx business owners
– Indigenous founders
– LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs
– First-generation immigrants
– Women founders
– Founders whose parents had earned income below the poverty level
The key word here? Traditionally overlooked. If venture capital doors have been harder for you to open because of who you are rather than what you’re building, this grant recognizes that disadvantage.
Beyond the $100,000, you get pro-bono consulting support. This isn’t generic business advice from people who’ve never touched a beauty product. These are industry-specific consultants who understand inventory turnover rates for skincare versus color cosmetics. They know the difference between launching in Sephora versus Ulta.
Similar to other creative business grants, the consulting component transforms good businesses into great ones. Past winners have used this support for supply chain optimization, reformulation for scale, packaging redesign for retail readiness, and margin improvement strategies.
With hundreds of applications coming in, yours needs to demonstrate three things clearly.
First, show proven demand. Your $100K+ revenue tells part of the story, but customer retention rates, repeat purchase behavior, and organic social proof tell the rest. Include real metrics, not vanity numbers.
Second, articulate your growth bottleneck. What specific challenge is preventing you from scaling? Manufacturing minimums? Marketing budget? Retail readiness? The clearer you are about the problem, the stronger your case for why $100K solves it.
Third, demonstrate ecosystem fit. The retailer currently stocks Black beauty labels like Danessa Myricks, Ami Colé and Bread Beauty Supply. Research these brands. Understand their price points, their positioning, their customer base. Show how your brand complements, not competes, with Sephora’s current portfolio.
The beauty industry has multiple grant opportunities, each with different focuses. The Maesa Magic Incubator, the world’s #1 beauty incubator in mass, designed to empower early-stage, underrepresented entrepreneurs in the beauty and wellness sectors. The program provides $35K funding per winner, mentorship, and hands-on education.
The LIFT Beauty Accelerator is designed to accelerate early-stage beauty entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. LIFT Beauty Accelerator helps emerging beauty brands grow with $10K grants, mentorship, and support from Rare Beauty Brands, Coast to Coast Fulfillment, and JCPenney.
The Dream Makers Founder Grant has partnered with Sephora Accelerate as a 2025 grant-giving partner. Sephora Accelerate is a brand incubation program dedicated to building a community of innovative, inspirational brand founders in beauty, with a focus on founders who are people of color.
But the Sephora grant stands alone with its $100,000 award. It’s the largest single grant specifically for beauty businesses from underrepresented backgrounds.
Q: Should I apply to multiple beauty grants?
A: Absolutely – they don’t conflict with each other.
Q: If I won another grant, am I still eligible?
A: Yes, unless you previously won this specific Sephora grant.
The biggest mistake? Treating this like a lottery ticket instead of a business case. Your application should read like an investment memo, not a sob story. Yes, share your challenges as an underrepresented founder, but focus on your business fundamentals.
Don’t inflate your revenue. They will verify. If you’re at $95K, wait until next year. If you’re combining revenue from multiple businesses to hit $100K, that won’t work either.
Avoid generic growth plans. “We’ll use the money for marketing” isn’t a strategy. “We’ll invest $30K in TikTok creator partnerships targeting Gen Z consumers in the textured hair space, based on our current 4.2x ROAS from micro-influencer campaigns” – now that’s specific.
Q: What if my product isn’t in stores yet?
A: You can still apply. Direct-to-consumer brands are eligible.
Q: Can I apply if I’m still developing my first product?
A: No. You must be in business for at least one year with products already on the market.
Q: What categories qualify under “beauty”?
A: Beauty, Haircare, Makeup, Makeup tools, Skincare, Fragrance, Bath & Body.
The information you provide will be available to the Fifteen Percent Pledge team and members of the review committee only. The review committee includes representatives from both organizations who understand both business fundamentals and the specific challenges facing underrepresented founders.
They’re looking for businesses that can handle rapid growth. Unlike infrastructure-focused grants, this funding often accelerates everything – production, marketing, distribution. Your application needs to show you’re ready for that acceleration.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Some corporations have been rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives following political pressure and legal challenges. Target, McDonald’s, and others have scaled back or eliminated DEI programs. But Sephora and the Fifteen Percent Pledge haven’t budged. They’ve doubled down.
At the February 2025 gala where Sienna Naturals was announced as the winner, Aurora James was explicit: “Black people have been through so much. This administration is not what’s going to stop us from celebrating our culture and our community.” That’s not corporate speak. That’s a declaration of intent.
The Sephora Grant continues because the business case remains ironclad. Diverse brands perform. Period. Danessa Myricks Beauty, a Black-owned brand stocked at Sephora, “crushes it on shelves” according to James, and it’s not because of the founder’s race—it’s because the products are exceptional. But Myricks needed access to Sephora’s buyers to prove that, and systemic barriers made that access difficult.
Programs like this grant are survival mechanisms. They’re creating alternate pathways around the gatekeepers who’ve historically excluded underrepresented founders.
Q: Is this grant affected by the anti-DEI political climate?
A: No. The program continues as planned.
Q: Could the grant be discontinued in future years?
A: Anything’s possible, but Sephora and the Fifteen Percent Pledge have shown consistent commitment since 2020.
This grant exists within Sephora’s larger diversity ecosystem. Beginning in 2021, Sephora revamped its accelerator program to focus on BIPOC founders. Sephora announced the names of eight BIPOC brands selected for its 2025 Accelerate program, with monetary opportunities like the Sephora Beauty Grant, which awards $100,000 to a Black beauty business owner to propel brand growth.
Understanding this context matters for your application. You’re not just asking for money. You’re potentially joining a community of founders that Sephora is actively investing in and promoting. Eligible applicants were required to be at least 18 years old, have a North American-incorporated company, and be in the early stages of development for the Accelerate program, but this grant targets more established businesses ready to scale.
Q: Does winning guarantee Sephora will carry my products?
A: No guarantees, but you’ll have their attention and ecosystem access.
Q: Can Canadian businesses apply?
A: The business must be located in the United States.
Q: What about product samples?
A: We do not accept product samples during the call for applications.
Q: How many finalists are selected?
A: They pick a handful of finalists in early January, but only one gets the $100,000. The others get recognition but no cash.
Q: Will they give me feedback if I don’t win?
A: Unfortunately no. They get way too many applications to provide individual feedback.
Q: Do I need to give up equity in my company?
A: No. This is a grant, not an investment. They don’t take any equity in your business.
Q: Can I apply if my business is based outside the United States?
A: No. Your business must be located and operating in the United States to be eligible.
Q: What counts as proof of revenue?
A: You’ll need to provide financial statements, tax returns, or other documentation that shows your business has generated at least $100,000 in annual revenue.
Q: Is the grant money taxable?
A: Yes, it may be subject to local taxation. Payment of all and any taxes in relation to the cash award is the sole responsibility of the award winner.
Q: Can I submit product samples with my application?
A: No. They do not accept product samples during the call for applications.
Stop second-guessing whether you qualify. Our eligibility tool walks through each requirement, helping you understand not just if you qualify, but how competitive your application might be. Takes less than 2 minutes.
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Finding beauty business grants requires persistence and strategy. The Grantaura platform tracks hundreds of opportunities beyond just this Sephora grant. Create your profile once, and match with grants that fit your business stage, location, and founder demographics. Because while $100,000 from Sephora would transform your business, it shouldn’t be your only funding strategy.
The beauty industry’s funding landscape frustrates me because talent exists everywhere, but capital doesn’t flow equally. Working with beauty entrepreneurs at Grantaura, I see brilliant founders with proven products struggle to scale simply because traditional investors don’t understand their markets or customers. This Sephora grant represents something different – recognition that the future of beauty comes from founders who’ve been historically locked out of the industry’s upper echelons. My role is helping these founders position their authentic stories and solid business metrics in ways that resonate with grant reviewers who genuinely want to fund innovation. The beauty entrepreneurs I work with aren’t looking for handouts; they’re seeking the same growth capital their counterparts access through family offices and venture networks they’ll never enter. If you’re serious about this opportunity, remember that great applications merge compelling founder narratives with undeniable business fundamentals. Need guidance crafting your grant strategy? That’s exactly why I built Grantaura.
Honestly, preparing a retail-grade application is a technical task. If you want help tightening your P&L, building a 90-day retail plan, or producing a crisp pitch video, Grantaura’s experts provide hands-on review and editing that improves your chances.
We are your trusted grant application partners. You can navigate the entire grant application process with our expert guidance through this simple 5-step process.
Fill out the “Apply for this grant” form with your information and grant requirements.
Our grant experts will assess your eligibility and notify you via email.
A dedicated grant expert will be assigned to discuss next steps for your application.
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