PBZ’s target audience is entrepreneurs who have informal businesses. These businesses could be run from your home, considered a side hustle, are done in conjunction with a full-time job etc. Generally, these entrepreneurs have not been involved in a formal training program or received grants or funding in the past. They probably do not have an attorney or CPA. These entrepreneurs need a small ‘break’ to go ‘formal’ or ‘legit’, possibly quitting their full-time job, a deposit on an office space, an attorney to incorporate, a consultant to help with a business plan etc. The businesses are generally not start-ups. The entrepreneurs are BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) with a focus on women of color. These entrepreneurs currently reside in underserved areas such as lower wealth urban and rural areas. Their lives could be affected by incarceration, violence, or other types of strife. The final decisions will be at the discretion of PBZ’s board and/or Chair-Founder.

We review grants throughout the year. We will award grants 1-3 times a year as decided by our Board of Directors. Applicants should receive notification that your grant has been received within 5 days of submission. We make every attempt at this notification to provide details on the timing of the review process. If you have additional questions regarding timing please send an email to info@poweredbyzerret.org

Our resources are limited, the grants will be either $2,500 or $5,000 based on each application. We suggest you be as specific as possible about each element of your request. In each grant cycle we anticipate we will award between 1-10 grants. In some cycles we may not award grants. The final decisions will be at the discretion of PBZ’s board and/or Chair-Founder.

No. These decisions are separate, and you should apply for each if you desire. In some cases, we might offer mentoring or referrals to applicants who are not awarded a grant. We may also offer mentoring to awardees who have not requested. The final decisions will be at the discretion of PBZ’s board and/or Chair-Founder.

Within a year (12 months) of receiving grant your business is required to support another entrepreneur as described in original application and to report the financial or other results resulting from the grant. This could include increased revenue/sales, decreased expenses, staff hired, process improvements etc. If both of these requirements are not met within 60 days of request, the recipient is required to refund 50% of the grant to Powered By Zerret.

Yes

Yes, but it is highly unlikely you will receive another grant as PBZ’s resources are limited and the expectation is the funding and or other support providing will lead you to a ‘formal’ business model. The final decisions will be at the discretion of PBZ’s board and/or Chair-Founder.

In rare cases we will provide grants to nonprofits with compatible visions, PBZ’s preference is to give directly to entrepreneurs. The final decisions will be at the discretion of PBZ’s board and/or Chair-Founder.