News Releases

• 15 grants of $10,000 each will be awarded to women-owned businesses.
• Applications open April 30 - May 14.

CHICAGO, May 2, 2024 /CNW/ - BMO, in collaboration with Deloitte*, has announced the 2024 launch of its annual BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program, an initiative dedicated to helping U.S. women-owned businesses make real financial progress.  

Inspired by its Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO invites women business owners to apply for one of its 15 grants by sharing their business growth plans that satisfy one of the following requirements: new products and services, expanding to new markets, or hiring plans. Each grant recipient will be awarded $10,000, receive support from a BMO business advisor, and have access to additional resources to support their business' financial progress. This includes BMO for Women workshops, seminars and events, and potential membership in select organizations and advisory boards.

Applicants must have a physical presence or a headquarters mailing address in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (businesses located in Michigan or Texas must be within 100 miles of a BMO full-service retail branch in an adjacent state).

Applications are open April 30 to May 14 and can be found here.

"Each year, the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program helps inspire women-led businesses to thrive in their communities and make progress," said Erminia (Ernie) Johannson, Group Head, North American Personal and Business Banking. "By breaking down traditional barriers to funding for women entrepreneurs, the grant program aligns to BMO's Zero Barriers to Inclusion strategy. Increasing access to capital through lending, investing, and giving in our local communities creates a more vibrant economy, a sustainable future, and a more inclusive society."

Since launching in 2020, the program has provided 56 women-led business owners across North America with over half a million dollars in grant funding with support from Deloitte.

"Deloitte is proud to continue our collaboration with BMO and further our support for women-led businesses," said Kathy Scherer, Vice Chair and Chicago Managing Partner, Deloitte LLP. "We hope these grants give women leaders from all backgrounds the support they need to help grow their businesses and give a boost to the communities where they operate. We look forward to seeing the progress the grant recipients achieve with this added support."

BMO has a longstanding commitment to breaking down barriers to advance women's empowerment, advocate for their growth and foster inclusivity by meeting their unique needs, including:

• Committing $200 million to expand BMO's small business programs that support women, Black, Latino and Native American-owned businesses.
• Dedicating $325 million for special purpose credit programs, specifically for mortgage and small business lending designed for women and borrowers of color.
• Creating the largest nonprofit fintech industry program for women with 1871, WMNfintech.
• Establishing customer programs, such as Women in Business, which focus on advancing gender parity for the bank's clients – supporting the growth of women-owned businesses and empowering women to feel confident about their finances and their financial futures.
• Recently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of BMO Alliance for Women, BMO's largest Employee Resource Group with over 10,000 members championing the inclusion, connection, development, advancement and support of women within BMO's workforce and culture.
• Partnering with the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL) Angel City Football Club. As part of ACFC's sponsorship model, the organizations reallocated 10 percent of the partnership into the community through a sponsorship of Girls Play Los Angeles, where BMO is supporting over 400 high school-aged girls and non-binary youth across Los Angeles with no-cost access to soccer.
• Setting new diversity goals for senior leader and executive roles, including maintaining its leadership in gender diversity with 40 percent of senior leadership roles filled by employees who identify as women.

To learn more about the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program, visit www.bmo.com/women. 

About BMO for Women

BMO is committed to supporting initiatives that empower women within its workforce and the communities the bank serves. BMO has partnered with organizations such as the Women Presidents Organization, GroYourBiz, Women Business Enterprises, and Women Get On Board to provide expertise, leadership, knowledge and opportunities for women to network and learn. Through the BMO-owned recognition program for women in North America – BMO Celebrating Women – BMO celebrates the accomplishments of women who have given back to their communities or achieved success in business. Since 2012, BMO Celebrating Women has honored more than 240 women in communities across Canada and the United States.

About BMO Financial Group 

BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.3 trillion as of Jan. 31, 2024. Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a diverse team of highly engaged employees providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management, global markets and investment banking products and services to 13 million customers across Canada, the United States, and in select markets globally. Driven by a single purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world, and making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future, and inclusive society. 

About Deloitte

*Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of its legal structure

SOURCE BMO Financial Group