Grants bring business opportunities for women

Grants bring business opportunities for women

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Minister Sue Ellery at yesterday's International Women's Day event

The state government has announced $150,000 in funding for two projects which aim to empower Western Australian women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to foster their entrepreneurial talents.

We Are Emersyn Foundation, a mentoring organisation for women in business, will deliver the Emerge Entrepreneur Program for 25 emerging female entrepreneurs seeking visibility, traction and a solid foundation to grow their businesses.

The second project to receive funding is the Edith Cowan University-led ‘Empowering Women in Western Australia to Achieve Economic Independence Through Entrepreneurship’, which will provide an opportunity for up to 100 women with small or micro-businesses to grow their business through training, upskilling and business skill improvement workshops.

The grants were announced yesterday at the International Women’s Day Summit to an audience of women working in tech, business and the non-for-profit sector, as well as student leaders.

A Department of Communities administered discretionary grant agreement will provide each project $75,000, to help women overcome the barriers to entrepreneurship.

“It is evident that increasing women’s participation in the workforce has a profound benefit to the economy,” Women’s Interests Minister Sue Ellery said.

“This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”, a theme the Cook Government has committed to by delivering grants to programs working to boost women in business.

“I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the participants of these two projects as Western Australian women embrace the opportunity to grow their businesses and create their own economic success stories.”