Women's Entrepreneurship

Backing women entrepreneurs and the organizations that help them connect, gain skills, access capital, build businesses, and create economic opportunity.

Women entrepreneurs are powerful drivers of economic growth, community resilience, and innovation, yet they remain significantly underfunded. CLF invests in women-led businesses and entrepreneurial ecosystems that create lasting economic opportunity. When women have access to capital, networks, and business support, the benefits extend beyond individual businesses to families, communities, and local economies.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

GATHER

Led by a team of African women, CLF’s Gather Initiative backs climate-smart companies that increase the income and assets for African girls and women – focusing on agriculture, construction, education, and technology.

At Giraffe Bioenergy, women plant and transform cassava into ethanol cooking fuel—a clean alternative replacing toxic fuels while improving health and creating income. With Gather's investment, Giraffe established a 31-hectare farm, trained 200 women, and secured $1.1M in follow-on capital. Positioned for $28M biorefinery raise with projected revenue starting late 2025.

GRANTEE HIGHLIGHTS

Helen's Daughters

Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

From Farms to Markets: Building Regional Networks

What began as advocacy training is now a regional network strengthening women farmers with teaching, markets, and self-financing tools. Programs include Ag-cademy (agriculture training), Life Academy (business skills), and FarmHers markets—linking food security with health outcomes and economic stability.

Helen's Daughters has trained over 2,000 women in sustainable farming, financial literacy, and agribusiness. When hurricanes strike, they respond immediately with direct cash assistance and emergency relief. This partnership demonstrates how agriculture becomes a pathway to generational change, improving health, expanding education, and creating lasting economic power in rural communities.

GRANTEE HIGHLIGHTS

Bluffton, South Carolina

What began as a vision to expand Black entrepreneurship is now a growing ecosystem that equips emerging business owners with the education, connections, and resources needed to build thriving enterprises. Through Black Equity University (BEU), BlacQuity provides hands-on training in business development, finance, marketing, and growth strategy while creating pathways to long-term economic mobility.

Since its founding in 2020, BlacQuity has supported more than 60 entrepreneurs, with over 80% of participants being women—many the first in their families to own and operate a business. Through its partnership with CLF, BlacQuity seeks to expand BEU and establish the BlacQuity Empowerment Center, a year-round community hub offering mentorship, technology access, business support, and resource connections. Together, these initiatives strengthen entrepreneurs, create sustainable businesses, generate jobs, and build lasting economic wealth across South Carolina's Lowcountry.

Beaufort, South Carolina

At the center of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) Center for Culture and Commerce serves as a driving force for economic empowerment, connecting entrepreneurs, professionals, and families with the resources needed to thrive. Through business support, community programming, and culturally grounded initiatives, the Chamber works to remove barriers to opportunity while advancing economic mobility, land retention, and generational wealth.

Through comprehensive business training, financial education, affordable lending, home repair assistance, and the GRACE initiative, the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce addresses immediate community needs while building pathways to long-term economic resilience. With decades of experience administering grants and loans, the Chamber expands access to capital, helps families preserve homes and ancestral land, equips entrepreneurs with the tools to grow sustainable businesses, and strengthens financial stability for future generations.

BCBCC’s work demonstrates how investing in entrepreneurship, homeownership, and cultural preservation creates lasting economic opportunity, protects community legacy, and builds generational wealth across South Carolina's Lowcountry.