2018 Grant Program

BEACON is a community-led
campaign to make Washington, DC
the most influential and supportive
city for women entrepreneurs in the
United States.

Donate to support our business directory and flagship programs

Resource Providers, see what you can do to support DC's women founders:
Building Inclusive Ecosystems with Intentionality: A Strategy to Enhance Support for DC's Women Founders

What is BEACON?

BEACON is a community-led initiative to make D.C. the most influential and supportive city in the nation for women entrepreneurs. With partners across the public and private sectors, BEACON amplifies opportunities and connects women entrepreneurs to each other, and to the resources they need.

Entrepreneurs can:

Sign-up for the BEACON Newsletter.

Register for the BEACON Directory as a woman-identifying business owner (it's free!).

Submit an event that supports women entrepreneurs.

Find a resource to support your needs

Identify and connect with women entrepreneurs

Ecosystem Builders can:

Sign-up for the BEACON Newsletter.

Add a resource to the BEACON Resource Index.

Submit an event that supports women entrepreneurs.

Help Us Build DC's Most Complete Directory of

Women-Owned Businesses

Krystin Hargrove

Empowomant is a for-profit social impact organization, empowering women to live with intention. We explore 3 core areas: self, family, and career applying our 3 step method of vision, work, and follow through to support women seeking personal and professional alignment. Through collaboration, we work to empower women around the world.

Just Rock Enterprises

Just Rock offers music, dance and pe instruction via private, group and workshop experiences throughout the DMV.

Founder, Owner, Designer

Meaning “smile/laughter” in Swahili, Kicheko Goods is a socially conscious company that designs distinctive pieces which invest in education. Founded in 2014, Kicheko is an emerging brand made in DC. Concepts for the brand’s small batch collections are inspired by geometry, nature, and travel. Kicheko's aesthetic shares an unrefined boldness, sophisticated earthiness and playful simplicity..

Vanessa Ferragut

Greenease is a mobile app that connects consumers with restaurants, cafes and grocers that buy from local and/or sustainable farms.

Find the support for your women-owned business

Resources

Advancement Strategist

Halcyon is a creativity incubator for both social entrepreneurs and socially-conscious artists. Halcyon Incubator, our flagship program, is a competitive, 13-month fellowship program, which includes a 5-month residency, to support the most promising early-stage social entrepreneurs in the world. Incubator accepts 2 cohorts of 8 social enterprises each year and has worked more than 60 ventures.

Young African Professionals Network (YAP)

The Young African Professionals (YAP DC) Network is the premier conveners of events and opportunities for young African diaspora professionals ages 21-40. We provide timely and relevant resources, we facilitate innovative professional development experiences, we foster inspirational networking, and we encourage impactful community building.

Bariatric Center for Success

Bariatric Center for Success gives bariatric surgery patients the tools to achieve long-term weight-loss success and pursue a life of wellness, health, joy and self-fulfillment, before and after surgery.

Bariatric Center for Success will help you make the connection between weight-loss surgery and long term success!

Director, Be Green Hub

Bethesda Green's Be Green Hub

Be Green Hub identifies and nurtures green, social impact for-profit start-ups. We look for businesses aligned with our vision for a sustainable, impactful, and purposeful economy to join our 12 month curriculum, which begins with a 6 month accelerator program.

The deadline for applications for the 2019 Cohort is November 15, 2018.

Events

For Women, By Women, We All Belong Here

Startup Social: Funding Your Startup Panel & Pitch

Office Evolution Tysons

Join us January 29 6-9pm for "Funding Your Startup" for insights from several successful startup Founders, angel investors and incubator founders on how to raise capital for your business. Startup Social is a community based platform for entrepreneurs in the DC area who are seeking to learn how to thrive in a startup ecosystem by learning from the experiences of successful founders.

How to Sell a Business (or even start thinking about it!)

Carr Workplaces

While you may not be ready to sell, you should always be ready to know what it would take, how to best position yourself, and to learn more about others that have already gone through the process! Workshop is capped at 35 people.

Building Relationships that Matter

Women in business: When you hear the phrase "networking event," do you instinctively shudder? Does the idea of spending two hours in a room full of strangers make you want to run away?

Join Shanna Kabatznick of FabWomen and Eva Reid in Washington DC, for an amazing workshop, where you will learn how to build relationships that matter and connect in an authentic way!

Community