Business Resources for Women Entrepreneurs.
programs and agencies. non-profit organizations. global initiatives.
think tanks and research organizations. business and country-focused funding sources.
I am a passionate advocate for women’s advancement and empowerment - providing opportunities for women around the world to build professional success, personal growth, and financial independence.
With my book, She Did and I Will, my goal is to tell the stories of real women entrepreneurs from the USA to Austria, Singapore to South Africa, and beyond, who can help inspire and empower other women in each of their countries.
In preparing to write the book, I have gathered information on, joined, followed, or researched many different organizations which, in some way support, report on, write about, encourage, enable, and invest in women in leadership roles across business and public policy. This page is just the start of what I hope will become a hub of resources for women across the globe. I hope you find it useful.
For Women Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
resources by state - government agencies, nonprofit organizations, funding, training, tools, publications, and more
Do you know of a program or organization in the U.S. or around the world that supports women business owners or helps drive national or international policy change toward gender equality?
Share it with me and I’ll add it to this growing list of resources.
Global Agencies, Programs, and Non-Profit Organizations
A non-profit organization, GC4W’s mission is to create a path to success for women and girls in underserved communities around the world who seek it, regardless of their background, nationality, or societal status.
GEN operates a platform of projects and programs in 180 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth.
The Female Lead strives to share the evidence of today’s life and work by gathering facts and listening to thousands of women, across the whole spectrum of school and working life, which can shape more helpful policies and interventions. The organization helps girls to see that there are exciting and inspiring women alive today who are not celebrities in the traditional sense but who are 3-dimensional, real-life characters who are successful, high achievers in a field that a girl might find appealing.
WEConnect International is a global network that connects women-owned businesses to qualifies buyers around the world. The organization helps drive money into the hands of women business owners by enabling them to compete in the global marketplace, having the same opportunities as men to design and implement business solutions that create wealth and the sustainable prosperity of their communities.
An international platform for action highlighting women’s voices and vision and creating a more inclusive future for all. The organization has built an active community of more than 30,000 engaged ambassadors including business and political leaders. They are committed to accelerating the transformation of the world and gather leaders, both women and men, to amplify action. The organization envisions a world where women are equal leaders in business and policy decision-making, driving inclusive solutions not only for women disproportionately impacted by socio-economic and environmental issues, but also to build thriving economies and societies.
Business and Country-Focused Funding Sources
SheEO pushes the rest button on how to support women on their own terms. The model brings together women from all different backgrounds and ages, called Activators, who contribute to a Perpetual Fund that is loaned out at zero percent interest to women-led ventures who are working on the world’s To-Do list.
The World Bank Group works in every major area of development. It provide a wide array of financial products and technical assistance, helping countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face. Since its inception, the World Bank has funded over 12,000 development projects, via traditional loans, interest-free credits, and grants. Three priorities guide the organization’s work: helping create sustainable economic growth, investing in people and building resilience to shocks and threats that can roll back decades of progress.
A global movement that invests in women leaders who are solving the world’s greatest challenges. The organization consists of “venture catalysts,” identifying those with a vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. The organization scales and accelerates impact through long term investments to expand skills, connections, capacity and visibility.
Global Initiatives
The United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences, and Culture. UNESCO’s message on gender equality states that women and men must enjoy equal opportunities, choices, capabilities, power, and knowledge as equal citizens. Equipping girls and boys, women and me with the knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills to tackle gender disparities is a precondition to building a sustainable future for all.
The World Economic Forum is a not-for-profit independent, impartial organization which strives to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. The institution carefully blends and balances the best of many kinds of organizations, from both the public and private sectors, international organizations and academic institutions. It believes that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
Think Tanks, Research Organizations, and Statistics
Babson College’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership closes the gender gap in business, one female leader at a time. CWEL educates and empowers women to create social and economic impact through industry and innovation and enlightens the global community about the importance of female leadership for prosperity and human progress. The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership is the first center ever focused on women entrepreneurial leaders at a business school.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
The Diana International Research Institute (DIRI) is a global research institute dedicated to being the source of all research, policy, practitioner, and educator information for women’s entrepreneurship. By supporting and connecting a worldwide community of stakeholders, the institute brings together the brightest minds conducting, translating, and disseminating rigorous research and data about women’s entrepreneurship that can directly impact teaching, policy, and practice.
GEM carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship ecosystems around the world. GEM is a networked consortium of national country teams primarily associated with top academic institutions. GEM is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs.
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. The organization conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research.
Statista.com consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources and makes it available on four platforms: German, English, French and Spanish. Statista Research & Analysis is a combined provider of market research as well as research and analysis services.
Additional Business Resources for Women Entrepreneurs
Burnout and Working Women. Could It Be the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Us? - Insights blog post
Confessions of a Female Entrepreneur. 7 Tips from a Successful Businesswoman. - Insights blog post
Female Leadership in the Workplace: 7 Challenges Women Face - Insights blog post
Starting a Business. Entrepreneurship . . . for Women Over 50. - Insights blog post