BMO Announces 2024 Celebrating Women Grant Program Recipients to Support Canadian Women-Owned Businesses

• A total of ten $10,000 grants awarded to help women-owned businesses make real financial progress. 

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2024 /CNW/ - BMO, in collaboration with Deloitte Canada, today announced the 2024 recipients of its Celebrating Women Grant Program. For the fourth consecutive year, BMO awarded $100,000 in grants to ten Canadian women-owned businesses – empowering them to make real financial progress.

"Women-owned businesses continue to drive change in their industries and BMO is committed to helping power their progress," said Sharon Haward-Laird, General Counsel, BMO, and Executive Sponsor of BMO for Women. "By supporting women-owned businesses, we advance economic growth, innovation and sustainable initiatives. Each of these impressive recipients demonstrated a commitment to driving economic impact and contributing to their communities."

"The BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program provides critical funding to female entrepreneurs throughout Canada and the U.S. and helps incredible women-owned businesses bravely take risks, fuel thriving businesses and drive innovation and productivity," said Emmy Babalola, Partner, Deloitte Canada. "I am truly humbled by the grit and determination of these women, who are raising the bar to new heights. Congratulations to all of the participants and finalists of this amazing program!"

The 2024 BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program recipients are:

• Liz Cripps, WACADS Group Inc., Ontario
• Andreanne Dandeneau, Anne Mulaire, Manitoba
• Katie Gamble, Nature Bee, British Columbia
• Bilqees Grant, Helius Originals, Ontario
• Raquel Hughes, Sparkle & Sheen, Alberta
• Dr. Jean Kim & Lilit Simonyan, LYP Program Inc., Ontario
• Thao Nguyen, Bonbon Collections, Québec
• Seema Sanghavi, Cooks Who Feed, Ontario
• Aashima Verma, AV Marketing Inc., Ontario
• Mishel Wong, Bo | Reusable Packaging, Québec

Each grant recipient will be awarded $10,000, receive support from a BMO business advisor, and receive an invitation to attend a summit in Toronto. The summit will give recipients an opportunity to meet BMO leaders and partners and gain access to additional tailored resources to support their business' financial progress. 

Inspired by BMO's Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, and the bank's commitment to double support for women-owned businesses, the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program was created in 2020. So far, it has supported 56 women-owned businesses across North America, providing more than $500,000 to the program's grant recipients and connecting them to business advisors and a vibrant professional network.

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. Notable initiatives include:

• A commitment to increase the number of women-owned businesses supported across the bank's Canadian footprint. As of 2023, BMO supported more than 146,000 women-owned businesses in Canada, with more than $10 billion in loans.
• Established customer programs including BMO for Women, 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 financial futures.
• A partnership with 1871, which has led to the development of the WMNfintech program. As North America's largest nonprofit fintech accelerator focused on women-founded and women-led startups, WMNfintech is a catalyst for change, helping women entrepreneurs drive innovation and make a tangible impact in financial services.
• Proudly supporting The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, the largest English-language literary award in the world for women and non-binary writers. The award celebrates creativity and excellence in fiction in Canada and the United States, while aiming to help address inequalities in literary reviewing, reading and prize culture.

To learn more about the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program, visit bmoforwomen.com and join the social conversation using #BMOforWomen.

About BMO for Women
Officially launched in 2016, the BMO for Women program is dedicated to empowering women in business through tailored resources, community building and improved access to capital. In addition to the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program, this program oversees a nationwide group of Advocates – Commercial and Business Banking Relationship Managers trained and committed to working with women business owners and entrepreneurs. This team is augmented further through partnerships with key organizations such as the Women Presidents Organization, GroYourBiz, Women Business Enterprises, and Women Get On Board.

About BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.4 trillion as of July 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 Canada
At Deloitte, our Purpose is to make an impact that matters. We exist to inspire and help our people, organizations, communities, and countries to thrive by building a better future. Our work underpins a prosperous society where people can find meaning and opportunity. It builds consumer and business confidence, empowers organizations to find imaginative ways of deploying capital, enables fair, trusted, and functioning social and economic institutions, and allows our friends, families, and communities to enjoy the quality of life that comes with a sustainable future.

Deloitte provides industry-leading consulting, tax and legal, financial advisory, audit and assurance, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. We bring together world-class capabilities, insights, and services to address clients' most complex business challenges.

Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

To learn more about Deloitte Canada, please connect with us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or Facebook.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

Media contact: Anke Suwanda, Toronto, [email protected], [phone]