Making sure women run the business world
Here's how collective change looks when put into action!
Last week, Cassandra Le posted about the Waves of Change grant on LinkedIn. I reached out and asked if she’d hop on Zoom to tell me (and you) about it.
I want to spread the word to anyone who qualifies and is interested.
BUT ALSO…
I want to highlight this example of what’s possible when we function as a collective.
I hope you’ll listen to this 12-minute conversation (or read the transcript below) and get inspired!
[Psst…Cassandra Le was an AMAZING guest on Season 1 of Feminist Founders if you want hear what she said about messaging.]
Becky Mollenkamp: Hi, how are you?
Cassandra Le: Good, so excited to be here. Thanks, Becky.
Becky Mollenkamp: When I saw a post about what you were doing, I said we have to talk. I want people to know about this because I think it's amazing. So, tell people about what you're doing.
Cassandra Le: First, hi everyone, I'm Cassandra.
Becky Mollenkamp: I’ll link to the podcast episode that you did with Feminist Founders so people can go back and listen to that if they haven't because it was really good.
Cassandra Le: So I am part of the review board for a grant called Waves of Change. It is actually based in the United States and is run by Nicole Yang, Latasha Doyle, Megan Dowd, Nicole Boucher, and Myrna Daramy.
It is a service-based grant. It's not monetary—you don't win a cash grant. The service-based grant gives you quite a few things actually. I think you get a full website build out, SEO optimization, copywriting for your website, social media support, business coaching, and I think a full year's coverage of certain business expenses.
It's really for business owners or service-based business owners who need support getting their businesses online and digitizing their businesses.
Becky Mollenkamp: It sounds amazing and I think anyone listening would be thinking it sounds great. Obviously this isn’t just for anybody trying to get free stuff. There's a reason for this. So what are the requirements and what is the point of the grant?
Cassandra Le: You have to identify as a woman of color in an early-stage business, be at least 18 years old and a US resident, and have a product or service that you're actively trying to sell and grow. Your business must make less than $50,000 annually. This is for you if you need a website to get your business off the ground. You must also positively impact your community, and your goals have been impacted by systemic injustices.
Becky Mollenkamp: I love it. You aren’t one of the people who's providing resources, but are one of the people who's helping determine who gets selected. So how did that whole thing come together? How did you get involved?
Cassandra Le: There's actually a couple of us on the review board who look at applications and give an unbiased point of view.
Becky Mollenkamp: It's so smart. I want people to hear about this in case they fit the bill for the kind of person who can apply because obviously getting the word out is amazing. If you fit the bill, apply. Applications are due on Sept. 30th, so we have a few days left.
Also, I just the structure of this is really cool for people who read this newsletter. Maybe you don't have the funds to give someone a $10,000 grant, but you could give of your services. And if you partner with others, look what can happen.
Instead of just me offering some coaching, I could partner with others to also build out a website, make sure it's SEO optimized, that your writing is on point, maybe even do email marketing for you. With enough people, you have an amazing resource for someone that makes a real meaningful difference in their business.
I also love this idea of having outside people be the people to say, here's who we think is the best person. That outside perspective is probably helpful. You said you did this last year. Can you tell me a little bit about the experience of just being involved in it from this outsider's perspective?
Cassandra Le: Last year was my first year as part of the review board. The main team receives up to 1,200 applications that they narrow down to maybe 200. They sent those over to the review board, and each of us has a select amount of people or applications to review. We look through everybody's social media and websites and say whether the person also understands what the grant is about.
We send those back to the main group. We can also join a call to discuss the semifinalists and then the finalist, and advocate for anybody who we feel like really deserves the grant, like somebody that did a great job on the application or who can really benefit from the grant. The main team gets on calls with the finalists and decides the winner.
Becky Mollenkamp: It's such a wonderful thing that all of us can think about. I can see a Feminist Founders grant. If you're watching this and you love this idea, and you feel like it would be aligned, let’s talk!
I wanted to spread the word because I think it's valuable to specifically target this group of folks for whom systemic injustices really affect their ability to have a successful business. The numbers bear it out in how many businesses succeed. Being a woman is very challenging, especially because we often have more caretaking roles in our lives, and then when you add on other barriers, like receiving funding or the visibility tax, that are out there for women of color. I love that this is targeting a group of people who are up against a lot of barriers to success.
If you're listening and you want to apply, you have until the 30th. Anything else you want people to know about this?
Cassandra Le: The people who made the grant do all of these services in their separate businesses, and then combined forces to offer this and it's gotten bigger each year. They've had 3 winners, so this is the 4th year. Last year, the winner does laundry baskets. The grant has helped her expand her business not only within the Washington DC area, but other areas within the United States. So the power of this grant is pretty amazing.
Becky Mollenkamp: It showcases what's possible when we think collectively for change. I saw you post about it and I wanted to help spread the word so folks can apply, but also to get people's brains clicking about other ways to give that don't aren’t just writing check. When we work together, the change we can create is amazing.
I know you're on the selection committee, not one of the founders of this grant, but I love that you're actively promoting it. Thank you for doing that, and for talking to me.
Cassandra Le: Thanks for spreading the word. This grant is amazing, so if you qualify, I definitely recommend applying. It closes September 30th. If you make it to semi-finalists, then I’ll be reading your application and I’m excited to learn about everybody’s businesses.
Becky Mollenkamp: The fact that so many people are applying says a lot about how we need more of this to exist. I’d love this to spur more people to apply, but also hope that it helps to create more of these opportunities. There are a lot of people who need help from those of us who have the ability to help. On both sides of the equation, I hope this inspires people. Thank you, Cassandra.