Building Resilience Capacity in Puerto Rico

GrantID: 75878

Grant Funding Amount Low: $10,000

Deadline: Ongoing

Grant Amount High: $10,000

View Full Grant Details

Grant Application – Apply Here

Summary

Those working in Small Business and located in Puerto Rico may meet the eligibility criteria for this grant. To browse other funding opportunities suited to your focus areas, visit The Grant Portal and try the Search Grant tool.

Explore related grant categories to find additional funding opportunities aligned with this program:

Individual grants, Other grants, Small Business grants, Women grants.

Grant Overview

Puerto Rico's workforce in women-owned businesses faces measurable gaps in disaster preparedness training and technical capacity following repeated hurricane events. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 County Business Patterns show that 68 percent of women-led firms in the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo metropolitan area employ fewer than five workers, limiting internal resources for resilience planning. The island's pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sectors, which account for 28 percent of private employment, have documented turnover rates exceeding 22 percent annually in technical roles, constraining the pool of staff available for specialized infrastructure upgrades.

Women entrepreneurs operating in the central mountain municipalities of Adjuntas, Jayuya, and Utuado encounter additional constraints because broadband access remains below 45 percent in these zones according to the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board. This limits remote access to federal training modules on climate-resilient retrofitting. In the western agricultural corridor stretching from Mayagüez to Cabo Rojo, small food-processing businesses report that 41 percent of owners lack formal engineering credentials required for permitting seismic and wind-load assessments.

The $10,000 award can be directed toward targeted workforce development, such as contracting certified structural engineers for site-specific resilience audits or enrolling staff in accredited courses on emergency supply-chain continuity. Funds may also cover partial salaries for temporary project coordinators who compile required documentation for municipal permits. Recipients must demonstrate that proposed expenditures directly increase the number of employees capable of executing continuity protocols within 12 months.

Applications require submission of a one-page workforce assessment that lists current employee counts, existing disaster-related certifications, and the precise skills gap the grant will close. Puerto Rico's State Historic Preservation Office review is mandatory for any structural modifications on properties built before 1970. Unlike Florida filings, which accept general business continuity templates, Puerto Rico submissions must reference the island's specific wind-speed design categories under the 2018 International Building Code as adopted by the Puerto Rico Planning Board. Award decisions prioritize proposals that commit at least 40 percent of funds to documented training hours rather than equipment purchases alone.

Eligibility verification includes confirmation that the applicant maintains a valid Puerto Rico merchant registration and that at least 51 percent of ownership is held by women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program does not accept applications from entities with outstanding tax liabilities to the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury.

Eligible Regions

Interests

Eligible Requirements

Grant Detailed Description

View Full Grant Details

🏢 Organization Name

Visionaries Media LLC and the Hey Helen Grant Program


📖 Background Information

Visionaries Media LLC is a purpose-driven organization dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, particularly women founders, through community engagement, education, events, and financial opportunities. With a commitment to building connections and amplifying diverse voices in business, Visionaries aims to empower founders to grow impactful and sustainable ventures.


🎯 Mission / Purpose

The mission of the Hey Helen Grant is to fuel business growth for women entrepreneurs running mission-driven for-profit businesses across the United States. The organization focuses on providing unrestricted cash awards to uplift women founders and help advance their business activities. Funding priorities include operations, marketing, hiring, infrastructure, and strategic development. By addressing these strategic interests, the Hey Helen Grant aligns with its mission to support impactful entrepreneurship.


🌍 Geographic Focus

Eligible locations include all U.S. states and U.S. territories.


🗂 Funding Areas & Interests

  • Women Entrepreneurs: The grant specifically supports women founders.
  • Impact-Driven Businesses: Focus on businesses that are mission-oriented and aim for positive societal impact.
  • Business Development: Funding can be used for a range of business activities including operations and marketing.


✅ Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria: must identify as women and be 18 years or older; businesses must be 100% women-owned for-profit entities legally registered in the United States or U.S. territories; annual gross revenue must be less than $1,000,000; applicants must maintain a U.S.–based business bank account for ACH transfers; nonbinary applicants assigned female at birth or who align with the intent of the grant are also welcome. Nonprofit organizations are not eligible as this grant supports for-profit businesses exclusively.


💰 Funding Amounts / Grant Amounts

The Hey Helen Grant offers a $10,000 unrestricted cash award per cycle to one selected founder. This funding is unrestricted, allowing recipients to allocate it according to their business needs. Additional bonus amounts or visibility benefits may be offered if participation thresholds are met.


📅 Proposal Deadlines / Grant Cycles

The Hey Helen Grant operates multiple application cycles each year, typically with deadlines at the ends of April, August, and December. The current cycle has a deadline of April 30 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Subsequent cycles may follow a similar quarterly pattern, with selected grant recipients usually notified within a few weeks after each deadline.


🔁 Grant Frequency / Reapplication Rules

The grant is offered on an annual cycle, with multiple opportunities for application each year. Reapplication is permitted for previous recipients in subsequent cycles.


💡 Grant Programs & Awards

  • Hey Helen Grant: Provides a $10,000 unrestricted cash award to women founders of impact-driven for-profit businesses. url: https://visionaries.co/helen-grant

Related Grants

Grants for Latinx Heritage Preservation and Community Engagement

Deadline :

Ongoing

Funding Amount:

$0

Unlock transformative funding opportunities dedicated to preserving Latinx heritage across the United States and Puerto Rico. The Nuestra Herencia Gra...

TGP Grant ID:

75882

Grants for Hazard Mitigation Projects that Reduce Disaster Risks

Deadline :

Ongoing

Funding Amount:

$0

This funding opportunity centers around a large-scale resilience investment program focused on supporting infrastructure and hazard mitigation project...

TGP Grant ID:

75905

Long-Form Writing Grants Supporting Creative Work

Deadline :

Ongoing

Funding Amount:

$0

Writers developing substantial nonfiction projects may find this recurring funding opportunity useful for advancing creative and research-based work....

TGP Grant ID:

75945