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

Just Rock Enterprises

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

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.

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.

Kimberley Jutze

Founder and Chief Change Architect

Shifting Patterns Consulting

Shifting Patterns is a Certified B Corporation that helps intra- and inter-organizational teams solve problems that get in the way of increased revenue, productivity, and healthy workplaces. We specialize in working with nonprofits, social enterprises, and socially responsible businesses that are dedicated to civic engagement and the transition to a local sustainable economy.

Erin Horne McKinney

Co-founder & CEO

KissIntel is the first mobile application to function as a "CRM for dating" by creating a platform where users can aggregate, track their dates, compare and rate dates, get instant feedback from their family and friends in real time, and manage their dating interactions with virtual touches.

Events

For Women, By Women, We All Belong Here

Step It Up! -- A Business Accelerator

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Step It Up! is a 4-month business coaching program for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their revenue and clients. Participants will work with two coaches to design a customized action plan. This program is a perfect mix of both personalized one-to-one coaching, and group coaching. Only a few spots left!

Practical Content Modeling: The Foundation of Omni-Channel Publishing

With digital content published across more channels than ever before, how can you make yours easy to find, use, and share? Is your content ready for the next wave of platforms and devices?
* Ship and iterate products faster
* Make content management more efficient
* Allow for future growth
* Maximize content investment
* End the expensive website redesign cycle

SASS 1: Fundamentals of Women's Self Defense

Empowerment begins here! Get into the heart of SASS Defense with our foundational course designed to train women of all ages for some of the most common assault scenarios. Uncover the power that resides in you. Harness the strengths of your body, voice and mind while targeting the weaknesses of your assailant. No prior training is required.

For more info, email sassdefenserachel@gmail.com

Community