TRW Grant Guidelines

Grant is closed
Winners will be announced 7/15/2025

2025 Texas Rural Woman Grant

Purpose

Foster greater economic development activity in Rural Texas by encouraging and enabling rural woman-owned, small businesses to undertake new and innovative projects. A total of ten grants for $10,000, totaling $100,000, will be given.

Who can apply?

Eligible businesses must satisfy all of the following conditions:

Existing rural, woman-owned companies (at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens).
The business owner must reside in Texas.
The business must be in one of the eligible rural counties in Texas.
The business must have existed as woman-owned in Texas for at least three years and been formed before 5/20/22.
The business must be a for-profit corporation, partnership, LLP or LLC, or sole proprietorship. Not-for-profit corporations or similar nonprofit entities are not eligible.
All property taxes must be current if the business or business owner owns the premises where the company operates.
All sales, payroll, and other taxes must be current.
The business must be located and operated within an eligible Texas County.
The business, business owner and the applicant must not be involved in any pending or current litigation.
The business owner must not have any felonies or convictions for a crime of dishonesty or breach of trust.
The business, business owner, and applicant operate with all required permits and licenses and conform to all required laws. Please check the Texas Taxable Entity Search page to verify your business is in good standing with the state: https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/

Ineligible applicants

Any business that is not on our rural county list.
Rural businesses registered from 5/21/2022–present
TWU faculty/staff (or any immediate family member of the applicant’s family, including spouse, child, parent), trustee, and advisory committee member.
TWU Students are not eligible to apply.
Prior grant winners.
Applicants who participated in any CWE program in the last year including AccelerateHER, NTEETC/Foundations EDC, or FastTrac awardees.

What can the funds be used for?

A project that will be completed in the next 6 months.
Purchase of machinery, equipment, or technology.
Farm implements or machinery.
Addition or acquisition of new inventory or raw materials.
Purchase and installation of fixtures or display units.
Property improvements that will result in increased sales and revenue.
Marketing or advertising campaigns.
Any other business-related activity that CWE deems is aligned with the stated purpose of this program.

Funds can’t be used for:

Wages, salaries, bonuses or compensation are explicitly ineligible under this program and will not be funded.
Real Property – Buildings, Land, etc. cannot be purchased with this grant.
Paying your regular monthly bills.
Sales tax.

What are the grant requirements?

The successful applicant will receive one installment of the award up to 30 days after all required paperwork has been submitted and approved by TWU.

Awardees will receive $10,000 after signing a grant agreement and submitting all required documentation.
All receipts must be totaled and submitted for review before Jan. 15, 2026, and cannot include sales tax.

Application requirements

Applications only will be accepted electronically via our online application site by 5:00:00 p.m., June 20, 2025. Revisions are not permitted following submission. Applications received after 5:00:00 p.m. will be automatically rejected. Winners will be notified July 15, 2025.
Send formation documents showing your business is 51% or more woman-owned and controlled. The following are acceptable:
- Any woman-owned certification
- Sole proprietor/assumed name filings
- LLC or LLP documentation showing other name(s)
- Certification of organization, articles of incorporation, or a partnership agreement showing the members. The percentage owned must be included if a male is listed. These documents must be sent with the entity formation document.
  
  Disqualifying documents include an LLC or other entity document with only a business name (must show owners & percentages), EIN, sales & use tax permit, income taxes, driver’s license, credit card, or passport. If you are unsure of your documentation send an email to cwegrants@twu.edu to see if your paperwork will count. Most apps are rejected because proof of ownership isn’t shown.
Company Background & description of the grant project the grant would be used for (must use the template below).
All required information and documentation must be uploaded (for example: proposals from a vendor, quotes or estimates, preliminary invoices, etc.). Incomplete applications will be automatically rejected.

Company background & Project information

Copy & Paste this information in a PDF that you will upload to your online grant application — each question must be answered, put N/A if not applicable. This information is mandatory and must be easily found. Do not send a business plan or application that doesn’t include each of these bullets.

Company Background & Project Narrative

Description of the company’s current operations including products, markets, etc.
Description of the company’s current operating facilities – both owned and leased
Summary of the company’s current full and part-time employment
Description of the company’s need to undertake the proposed project
Budget for the project, including project costs and sources of funds (see FAQ)
Physical description of the proposed project, including any business or residential relocation that may result from the undertaking of the project
Projected new employment for each of the three years following project completion, including job title
Explanation of how your project will contribute to the economy of Texas

Learn more about the Company’s Background and Project Information

After you’ve been awarded

After submitting all required paperwork, the successful applicant will receive the grant funds. Applicants will be required to:

Complete 3 business training courses hosted by the Center for Women Entrepreneurs.
Create a 3-year cash flow showing how the grant will help the business.
Send in itemized paid receipts or proof of purchases made with grant funds (costs must have been incurred after receiving grant funding.)
Spend 3 hours with a Small Business Advisor.
Use the spreadsheet that the CWE provides for documentation.

Awardees will need to sign a grant agreement and photo release BEFORE they can access grant funds. The University will send winners a 1099 for the grant funds received.

Texas Rural Woman Grant checklist

See if your county is eligible

Frequently asked questions

Questions?

Email us at cwegrants@twu.edu

Page last updated 10:56 AM, July 1, 2025