The BROWN GIRLSwap Grant Initiative
GRANTEES Vol. I | October 21, 2022
BROWN GIRL Jane is a wellness-first beauty and supplement brand that creates clean, targeted solutions designed to boost mood and reduce the appearance and feeling of stress.
Named Refinery29s Beauty Innovator of the Year, WWD's Top Wellness Player, and winner of a multitude of industry “Best in Beauty” Awards, BROWN GIRL Jane is the first collection of its kind, rooted in community and anchored in inclusivity, quality, and transparency. Owned and founded by sisters and business leaders, Malaika and Nia Jones, along with media and beauty industry veteran Tai Beauchamp, BROWN GIRL Jane centers the needs of Women of Color globally.
ABOUT
ABOUT
SheaMoisture is committed to serving those who have been underserved. Shea butter is one of the brand’s core ingredients, praised for its hydrating and nourishing properties. As part of their Community Commerce business model, SheaMoisture partners with women-led co-ops in West Africa to source their namesake shea butter. With the core belief that commerce can bring true economic independence and empower women to break cycles of poverty, the brand further reinvests into both the co-ops and the communities it serves throughout the U.S. SheaMoisture continues to create economic opportunities for women and other minority entrepreneurs in its ecosystem with engaging events, investment funds and educational programs. SheaMoisture is a global beauty leader in the hair care, bath, body, skin care, baby, and men’s categories, and is distributed in retailers throughout the world. SheaMoisture is a subsidiary of Unilever.
ABOUT Brown Girl Swap Grant Initiative
The BROWN GIRL Jane #BrownGirlSwap Grant Initiative launched in August 2020 and was created by the founders of BROWN GIRL Jane with the goal to empower and financially support Black women entrepreneurs in the beauty and wellness space.
Funded by Unilever’s SheaMoisture, 37 dynamic Black women-owned businesses have been awarded grants totaling more than $500,000 since the program’s inception. In addition to fostering community among entrepreneurs, this unique initiative puts tangible resources in the hands of disruptive Black women entrepreneurs helping to propel their businesses forward.
Each business owner also receives mentorship and business guidance from the BROWN GIRL Jane founding team and SheaMoisture executives. Many of our innovative grantees have subsequently achieved national distribution, coveted industry awards, and millions of dollars in sales revenue.
Grand
Necole Kane
Prize Winner $25,000 and Tuck Business School Course Seat
My Happy Flo is a feminine wellness brand that is taking the pain out of periods through plant based products that improve hormonal balance, and alleviate heavy flows, cramping, bloating, and mood swings for a happier, healthier time of the month. GRANTEES First Runner Up $20,000 Lavida Webbe-Jenkins and Yah-Oadah Jenkins TameTheStorm, where bodies come to heal using skin loving & organic solutions.
Confidence is a girls hair care solutions brand that removes stress from the styling process so moms, dads and girls can bond over beauty.
FinesseYourClaws provides a luxury nail art experience in the comfort of your own home.
Slowe,and Naana Boakye
Karité is a non-toxic and sustainably sourced shea butter based skincare brand founded by three sisters from Ghana, one of whom is a board-certified dermatologist, that provides moisturization for all ages and all skin types.
Karim
Flora & Noor is a vegan, halal-certified, clean skincare brand pushing the boundaries of high performance skincare and environmental and social consciousness with the power of plants, inclusivity, and innovation.board-certified dermatologist, that provides moisturization for all ages and all skin types.
GRANTEES Finalist $10,000 Jordan
LipLoveLine is a lip care beauty brand born to enhance your natural beauty and celebrate you with our ingredient-conscious lip products made for clean beauty lovers. Finalist $10,000 Michelle Ballard Miche Beauty is a premium, handcrafted hair care brand that makes clean, simple and effective products for all textured hair types.
Toria EdmondsHowell
24th Home is a brand of safe, nontoxic household cleaning essentials on a mission to help families care for their homes, care for their well being, and care for one another.
North
GRANTEES Finalist $10,000 Nadiyah Spencer As the first socially responsible, eco-friendly, and inclusive baby diaper brand, representation is at the heart of TinkyPoo's origin story.
Acknowledgements
The BROWN GIRL Jane team would like to thank the Unilever and SheaMoisture teams for their consistent dedication and support of this Grant Initiative. To Esi Eggleston Bracy, Cara Sabin, Taydra Mitchell, Simone Jordan, Moussa Bathily, Tendo Sekiwala, Carly Tineo, Greg Jones, Liz John and all of our partners for your hard work, “thank you” for bringing this effort to fruition.
