On January 25, Boss Mares, Inc. will open applications for the charitable organization’s 2025 business and education grant cycle. The grants will fund the dreams of cowgirl entrepreneurs and allow them to call in personalized support where they need it most, providing a targeted leg up in key areas that impact professional success.
In 2024, nine recipients were funded to a tune of $40,000 after the selection committee reviewed 49 applications from 24 states. At the 2025 Lead the Herd Workshop, held Saturday, January 18, at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and co-hosted by the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, the nearly 100 attendees received an education in finance and tax tips, marketing and business planning, which will all help with the application process.
Each speaker drove home the need for mentors, resources and funding for women-owned businesses in the Western and ag industries. Lead the Herd keynote speaker Terry Stuart Forst wrapped up the event with wise words.
“People say I was lucky, I say I was prepared when the door opened,” said Stuart Forst. “If you, as entrepreneurs and starting businesses, you must be ready. That door may not open again. If you’re not ready to go through it when it does open, you may have to take a different way around. That, and be willing to learn.”
Donor support of the mission was received early on, and especially when Boss Mares, Inc. was officially designated as a charitable non-profit in fall of 2023. While many seek to aid others in the Western industry, charitable status provides tax benefits for supporters of Boss Mares, Inc. Charitable donations will further the Boss Mares, Inc. goal of providing workshops and grants to female business owners and entrepreneurs in the Western industry.
Applications are open through end of March and then will be reviewed by a selection committee. Committee members will carefully evaluate each application in order to make funding recommendations to the Board of Directors. Applicants are encouraged to take their time and provide as much detail as possible when completing their application. Grants will be awarded beginning in June 2025.
“The second Lead the Herd Workshop built on our inaugural event and answered many of the questions needed for applicants in this process,” said Anna Morrison, co-founder. “The mission of Boss Mares is to provide cowgirl entrepreneurs with a leg up, and to motivate and empower them. Our supporters for this event included event partners Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, as well as donors Kelsey Delaplaine Fulmer and the Delaplaine Family Foundation and Mindy LeFevre and Mindy’s Hope Foundation. We cannot thank all of our donors and supporters enough and look forward to the 2025 business and education grant cycle.”
Applicants can begin the process at bossmaresinc.org/grantapplication. From there, they will answer questions related to their business plan, how they will utilize funds, and more. Guidance for applicants will be available through Lead the Herd speaker Melanie Scharton’s presentation, which took a deep dive into the practical business formation needs for a new company.
Co-founded by Anna Morrison, PhD, Patti Colbert and Kate Bradley Byars early in 2023, and supported by Board Member Ellen Bell, Boss Mares, Inc., a 501(c)(3), is offering cowgirl entrepreneur empowerment “Lead the Herd” workshops and awarding business and education grants again in 2025. For more information on Boss Mares, Inc., including how you can support or apply for a grant, visit bossmaresinc.org.
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