EILEEN FISHER, Inc. Wants Women Entrepreneurs To Apply for Its 12th Annual Business Grant Program

Designer Eileen Fisher started her business with $350 in savings. Today, her eponymous company is giving back by inviting women-owned businesses to apply for its annual Women-Owned Business Grant Program. Now in its twelfth year, the program celebrates women at the helm of innovative companies that foster environmental and economic health in their communities. Up to ten grants totaling $100,000 will be awarded to prospective applicants. Recipients will also attend a three-day gathering in New York City, meeting with past beneficiaries and EILEEN FISHER teams in early 2016. Women entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply for the program by filling out the online application, which will be available beginning on April 15 th and continuing through May 31 st.

A longtime advocate of supporting businesses working to create a positive social and environmental impact, Fisher created the Women-Owned Business Grant Program in 2004. "I am constantly inspired by the big impacts small businesses can have on their communities," she says. "These companies deserve recognition as role models for the way that they create inventive approaches to working harmoniously with the planet and one other. We at EILEEN FISHER are honored to support them in their journeys."

The EILEEN FISHER Women-Owned Business Grant Program was launched with an individual grant of $20,000 to commemorate the company's twentieth anniversary. Since its inception, approximately five grants have been awarded each year, totaling nearly $700,000 in funding. In 2015, majority women-owned and women-led businesses that are beyond the start-up phase and ready to expand their business and their potential for positive social and environmental impact are invited to apply. Applications for the 2015 Women-Owned Business Grant Program will be accepted until 11:59 PM EST on May 31, 2015.For more information about the program or to submit an application, please visit eileenfisher.com/businessgrant.

About EILEEN FISHER:
EILEEN FISHER has been creating effortlessly chic clothesforthe past 30 years. Designed with pure shapes and fine fabrics,thecollections offer sophistication, comfort and style that lasts. As a socially conscious company, EILEEN FISHER is a pioneer in eco-friendly fashion and in supporting global initiatives that empower women and girls. The clothing is sold at more than 60 EILEEN FISHER retail stores in the US, Canada and the UK, as well as at major department stores and eileenfisher.com.