CBD-based product line, BROWN GIRL Jane, has partnered with SheaMoisture for the second year for its annual #BrownGirlSwap Grant Competition. The brand, which is projected to generate $2 million in sales this year, first launched the #BrownGirlSwap initiative as a social media pledge in June 2020 asking consumers to commit to replacing at least five of their go-to brands with products owned by Black women. Following its success, the program was elevated further through a collaboration with SheaMoisture, which will be reprised this year.
“We are so excited to partner again with SheaMoisture as this initiative will help diversify the beauty and wellness industry by shining the light on deserving Black women entrepreneurs who are far too often overlooked,” said Nia Jones, who co-founded the brand alongside Malaika Jones and Tai Beauchamp.
“SheaMoisture’s commitment to advancing participation for Black and Brown women in this space is in lockstep with our ethos and it has been very rewarding to hear from previous winners how the grant and mentorship has benefited them and their work. We remain excited and honored to help provide women with meaningful business resources and look forward to again being a part of their entrepreneurial journey.”
This year, the #BrownGirlSwap Grant Competition will award $150,000 to 12 Black women businesses in the beauty and wellness space. In addition to the funding, #BrownGirlSwap will offer the brand founders a platform to amplify their brands and receive entrepreneurial mentorship from executives from the two sponsoring brands.
Winners will be selected by BROWN GIRL Jane, SheaMoisture, and their communities. The reveal will be made during the inaugural Black Beauty and Wellness Summit, taking place October 14 to October 16, which will also offer networking and business workshops. The free virtual event will be headlined by Halle Berry, who launched her own wellness community, Re-Spin, last year.
“Our company was founded with the purpose to support women of color and their overall well-being. This mission naturally extends to making sure our fellow entrepreneurs get access to capital and more importantly high-quality mentorship which will ultimately help create a more level playing field,” said Nia. “We know that Black women receive less than 1 percent of venture capital funding despite creating businesses at the fastest rate than any other demographic. Our goal is to therefore provide more and more women of color with true solutions and help advance the next future leaders in this space.”
To learn more about the grant program, please click here.