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Friends & Family Fund

Each month, we award a startup grant of up to $2,500 to an entrepreneur (up to £2,000 for UK grants). So far, we’ve provided over $200,000 in funding to help young underrepresented entrepreneurs get closer to their business dreams.

Thanks to the generous support of our partners, we also offer additional funding opportunities to registered members.

Get support for your business

Many entrepreneurs get their start by borrowing money from those around them. This kind of “friends and family” support works well for some, but at Sky’s the Limit, we know that plan doesn’t work for everyone. So, if your business needs more of a kickstart than your current circle can offer, we’re here to help broaden your friends and family network by connecting you with our community of donors who are looking to support young entrepreneurs like you!

How it works:
STEP 1: BECOME ELIGIBLE

Eligibility is relatively simple, in order to be eligible you must:

  1. Be based in the U.S or U.K.

  2. Be a full member with a completed profile on Sky’s the Limit.

STEP 2: COMPLETE YOUR FUNDING PITCH

  1. To create your Funding Pitch, sign in to your profile and scroll to the section that says “My Funding Pitch”.

  2. You must fill out all sections of your Funding Pitch, including:

    • A description of how you will use the funds

    • A line-by-line budget not to exceed $2,500, or £2,000 for UK grants

    • A 1-2 minute pitch video which should include the following: 

      •  An Introduction: Tell us your name, where you are from, and your business name. 

      • Your Elevator Pitch: Give us a short description of your business, who it services, why you started it, and anything compelling or unique about your project. 

      • How Funding will Help: Explain how funding will further your business goals and take your business to the next step. 

      • Keep it Short and Friendly: Your videos should be between 1-2 minutes long and conversational in nature.

      • Upload the Video to YouTube. If you don’t want other people to find it, mark it as unlisted. (Please don’t mark it as private or disallow embedding, or we won’t be able to see it.)

      • Reminder: If you include music or photos in your video, you will need to obtain the rights to include it. 

    • A pitch cover photo that represents your business or business idea.

STEP 3: GET VOTES!

Whoever has the most votes at the end of each month will win a grant of up to $2,500/£2,000 . There are three ways to get votes: 

  • From your points: Trade in your points for votes. One point equals one vote. You can earn points by being an active member on our platform and meeting with volunteers, completing Milestones, or posting a Project, among other actions. 

  • From other Sky’s the Limit members: Members can earn points they can use to vote for you. We encourage you to meet other members and ask them if they’d like to support your campaign. 

  • From your network: You may also ask your existing network to donate $1 or more to vote for you and help support your campaign. 

NOTE: Any votes you receive in a round you don’t win will roll over to the next round. You are only eligible to win this type of funding campaign once (BUT you are eligible for other funding rounds). One winner is chosen every month, typically on the last weekday of the month by 5pm PST / 8pm EST.

For more information about the Friends and Family grant opportunities, you can visit our Funding FAQ page.