Texas Grants and Funding for Women-Owned Businesses
Last verified: 3 November 2026. Written by the BusinessHer.com editorial team from Texas Woman’s University pages, a Treasury fund document and public reporting. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
Quick answer: Texas does not have a big state-run grant program just for women-owned businesses, but one university runs the best-known grants. The Center for Women Entrepreneurs (CWE) at Texas Woman’s University (TWU) gave away more than $2.6 million in grants since 2018. In 2026 it ran three programs: the StartUP Grant ($5,000 each, 10 awards), the Texas Rural Grant ($10,000 each, 10 awards) and the Veteran Grant ($5,000 each, 5 awards). The surprise is that TWU now says its funding is open to any Texas resident, regardless of sex, so these are no longer women-only grants, even though many websites still describe them that way. All three 2026 application windows are closed, so the practical job now is to prepare for the next round.
What changed at TWU in 2026?
For years these grants were written up everywhere as “grants for women in Texas,” and the biggest one was called StartHER. This year the same grant appears as the StartUP Grant. TWU’s August 12, 2026 announcement says it will award $50,000 to “Texas startups,” and it does not mention women’s ownership as a requirement. The Texas Rural Grant page, updated on October 9, 2026, also lists its requirements without women’s ownership and adds a notice that all programs and funding opportunities of TWU’s Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership are open to any resident of Texas regardless of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability or other protected characteristic.
What does that mean for you? If you own a Texas business that meets the other rules, you can apply whether or not you are a woman, and that means more competition than the old lists suggested. A woman-owned business is still welcome. It just no longer gets a special category. We could not read every eligibility page line by line, so check the exact rules on TWU’s site before you apply.
Which TWU grants exist, and how did the 2026 rounds work?
| Grant | Size | Who it was for in 2026 | 2026 timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| StartUP Grant (formerly StartHER) | 10 grants of $5,000 | For-profit Texas businesses with no more than 10 full-time-equivalent employees, not counting the owner. | Applications opened Sept. 1 and closed at 5 p.m. Sept. 23. |
| Texas Rural Grant | 10 grants of $10,000 ($100,000 in total) | For-profit businesses in an eligible rural county that were formed before June 19, 2023 and had operated in Texas for at least three years. The owner must live in Texas. | Open May 5 to 5 p.m. June 5; winners notified June 23; receipts due Aug. 1. |
| Veteran Grant | 5 grants of $5,000 | Existing veteran-owned businesses; the application needs a Texas Veterans Commission document showing the veteran owns at least 51%. | Winners were announced March 20, 2026. |
Because TWU has not posted 2027 dates as far as we could find, treat any date you read elsewhere as unconfirmed. If the program keeps its 2026 rhythm, the Veteran Grant would run in late winter, the Rural Grant in spring and the StartUP Grant in September, but that is only a pattern, not a promise. Check TWU’s grant pages again in January.
What can the money pay for, and what do winners have to do?
TWU’s pages say the grants can pay for equipment, technology, inventory, marketing and property improvements. For the Rural Grant the project must be completed within six months. They cannot pay wages, salaries or bonuses, sales tax, regular monthly bills, or the purchase of land or buildings.
The grants are not free money without strings. Winners have to complete a business plan, advising sessions and training courses, and for the Rural Grant that means three training courses, three hours with a small-business advisor and a three-year cash flow that shows how the money will help the business. The Rural Grant also requires itemized, paid receipts, and the receipts must show costs you paid after receiving the grant. TWU sends winners a tax form called a 1099 for the money, which means the grant is reported as income and you may owe tax on it.
How can you prepare an application that gets read?
- Get your formation documents in order. TWU’s Rural Grant page says most applications are rejected because proof of ownership is missing. Documents must show every owner and manager and each person’s percentage of ownership. An EIN letter, a tax permit, a driver’s license or a business name alone do not count.
- Collect quotes before you apply. The page asks for a budget that matches exactly the amount of the grant, with a vendor quote, estimate or screenshot with prices for each expense. If a single item costs more than the grant, you can list part of it as your own investment.
- Write the company background and project narrative on TWU’s template, without removing the headings.
- Check that your taxes and permits are current, and that your business is in good standing with the state.
- Email questions to cwegrants@twu.edu. TWU says it does not take grant questions by phone.
What other funding and free help exist in Texas?
- PeopleFund. A nonprofit lender based in Austin that is certified as a community development financial institution (CDFI), which is a lender the U.S. Treasury recognizes for serving people banks often turn down. A U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund document describes it as providing business loans of up to $350,000 to Texas businesses that do not qualify for bank loans. That document dates from 2020, so ask PeopleFund for its current limits.
- Women’s Business Centers. These are SBA-supported centers that offer free or low-cost counseling and training. Local government resource lists name LiftFund’s centers in Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio and the WBEA center in Houston, and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce also runs one. An Austin center has been announced. Confirm current locations at sba.gov before you plan a visit.
- Small Business Development Centers. The statewide SBDC network gives free advising to business owners of any gender.
- National grants and loans. Many national programs accept Texas applicants. See our guides to grants for women entrepreneurs and SBA loans for female-owned businesses.
What about certification and state contracts?
Grants and certification are different things. A grant is money for a project, while certification is a status that helps you win contracts. Texas no longer certifies women-owned businesses for its state HUB program, which we explain in our guide to Texas HUB certification for women-owned businesses. Federal certification is still available, and you can read how it works in our EDWOSB certification guide.
Why do online lists disagree, and how can you check a grant yourself?
Many lists copy each other, and grants change from year to year. That is why you will see the Rural Grant listed at $5,000 on some sites and at $10,000 on TWU’s page, or the same grant under two names. The safest check takes five minutes: open the grant organization’s own page, look at the “page last updated” date, read the eligibility list and the deadline, and email the contact address if anything is unclear. If a list does not link to the organization’s own page, treat it as a lead, not a fact.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be a woman to apply for TWU’s grants?
TWU says its funding opportunities are open to all eligible Texas residents regardless of sex. Check the grant’s own eligibility list, because each one has other rules, such as location, business age and number of employees.
Is the StartHER grant still available?
The StartHER Grant appears as the StartUP Grant in 2026, with the same $5,000 amount and 10 awards. The 2026 window closed on September 23.
How much is the Texas Rural Grant?
TWU’s page says ten grants of $10,000, a total of $100,000. Some other sites list a different amount, so use TWU’s page as your source.
Do I have to pay tax on a grant?
TWU sends winners a 1099 for the grant, which means the money is reported as income. Ask your tax preparer how it applies to your business.
Where do I find 2027 dates?
TWU had not posted them when we checked. Watch the grant pages and the Center’s announcements early in the year.
Sources and how we checked
- TWU, StartUP Grant announcement, August 12, 2026.
- TWU, Texas Rural Grant guidelines (updated October 9, 2026).
- TWU, Veteran Grant guidelines.
- U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund, PeopleFund profile (2020).
- NerdWallet’s Texas grants page, used only to cross-check the Veteran Grant window.
We read TWU’s own pages and used them wherever other sites disagreed. Programs change often, so confirm details with TWU before you apply. See a mistake? Email contact@businessher.com and we will correct it.
