Sephora Beauty Grant Closes Nov. 6: $100K for Underrepresented Beauty Founders
2027 Sephora Beauty Grant closes Nov. 6: $100K, consulting and merchant access for underrepresented US beauty founders. Eligibility and how to apply.
If you run a beauty CPG brand in Los Angeles and have been waiting for a non-dilutive check with real retail access attached, the calendar just got short. The 2027 Sephora Beauty Grant, run with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, closes Nov. 6, 2026. The package is $100,000 in grant funding, pro-bono consulting and a chance to meet Sephora merchants — a rare combination for underrepresented founders who already have product traction but not a venture round.
What you get if you win
According to the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Sephora award page, the 2027 Sephora Beauty Grant includes:
- $100,000 in grant funding
- Pro-bono consulting
- An opportunity to meet Sephora merchants
That mix matters for LA beauty founders who need both cash and shelf conversations. A grant does not replace a Series A, but $100K plus merchant access can fund a production run, retail readiness work or a hiring gap that equity would price more expensively.
Timeline: apply this week
The application window runs Oct. 6 through Nov. 6, 2026. Finalists are expected in early January 2027; the winner is expected in early February 2027. If you are reading this on Nov. 5, you have roughly a day left to create or update your Business Equity Community profile and submit. That is not a soft deadline to “circle back next cycle” — next year’s window will not help a brand that needs capital this winter.
Who is eligible
The Pledge’s Sephora page sets clear gates. Applicants must be a U.S. CPG beauty business with annual revenue of $100K (the site states “$100K”), at least one year in business, and 51% or greater ownership by an underrepresented founder or team. Underrepresented categories listed include Black/African/African American, AAPI, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, women, first-generation immigrant, parents below poverty, or other groups historically overlooked in venture capital.
Product must sit in Beauty, Haircare, Makeup/tools, Skincare, Fragrance, or Bath & Body. If you are a wellness gadget company or a services-only studio, this is not your grant. If you are a skincare or makeup brand at or above the revenue floor with majority underrepresented ownership, it is worth the paperwork tonight.
How to apply
Applications run through the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Business Equity Community. Create or update your profile there to unlock the Sephora Beauty Grant application. The Pledge publishes a tips document on the award page; questions go to brands@15pp.org. Last year’s recipient was Denise Vasi of MAED — a useful benchmark for the kind of brand story and readiness the program has rewarded before.
Practical checklist for LA founders before you hit submit:
- Confirm revenue, ownership percentage and category fit against the published criteria — do not stretch definitions.
- Update the Business Equity Community profile with current product, retail and team facts.
- Prepare a clean narrative: problem, product proof, who you serve, and what $100K plus merchant access would unlock in the next 12 months.
- Read the tips doc and email brands@15pp.org only for process questions you cannot answer from the page.
- Submit before the Nov. 6 close; late profiles help no one.
Why this matters in Los Angeles right now
LA’s beauty scene mixes indie formulators, creator-founded lines and operator-backed CPG startups — many of them led by women and founders of color who still face a colder venture market. Non-dilutive capital with a Sephora conversation attached is scarce. The Los Angeles Business Journal’s November 2026 small-business grants roundup and the LAEDC small-business grant guide both keep pointing founders at time-bound windows like this one. Other November opportunities exist for different profiles, but none of them replace a $100K beauty grant that closes tomorrow.
One more practical note for LA applicants: gather your revenue support, ownership or formation docs, and product category proof before you open the form. Incomplete profiles slow finalists, and the Pledge's timeline — finalists in early January, winner in early February — leaves little room to fix gaps after the Nov. 6 close. If you are on the edge of the $100K revenue floor, document the figure clearly rather than estimating loosely.
Stay focused: eligibility first, profile second, application third. Full details and the application path live at 15percentpledge.org/award/sephora. For underrepresented LA beauty founders who already clear the revenue and category bars, the cost of missing Nov. 6 is a year of waiting — and a merchant meeting that will not be on this cycle’s calendar.