Women in Business | Adam Demos Foundation

Her idea. Her income.
Her next chapter.

Our Women in Business programme helps survivors of gender-based violence build economic independence through practical training, seed funding, mentorship, and childcare support.

From safe night to founded business.

Twelve months. Five stages. One mission: economic independence on her terms.

Stabilise

Safe-housing, therapy, and basic needs covered first. No business plan happens before safety.

Discover

1-on-1 sessions to identify her existing skills, ideas, and the work she wants to build.

Train

12 weeks of evening business school: bookkeeping, marketing, pricing, taxes — designed around childcare schedules.

Fund

Up to £8,000 in seed grant — not a loan, never repayable. She owns her business outright from day one.

Sustain

24 months of mentorship, peer-circle access, and emergency backstop funding so a bad month doesn't end everything.

The whole stack — not just a cheque.

A grant alone won't outlast a controlling ex, an empty fridge, or a fractured network. So we built the whole stack around it.

Seed Grant up to £8,000

A non-repayable grant sized to the business — covering equipment, deposit on premises, initial inventory, registration, and runway.

12-Week Business School

Bookkeeping, marketing, pricing, supplier negotiation, taxes, and digital tools — taught by working entrepreneurs, in evening sessions with childcare.

Personal Mentor for 24 Months

Each woman is matched with an experienced founder in her sector. Monthly 1-on-1 sessions, on-call advice, plus a peer circle of 6–8 fellow founders.

Trauma-Informed Therapy

Continued access to therapy throughout the programme — at no cost — because building a business while healing is the actual job.

Legal & Admin Support

Free legal aid for ongoing protection orders, custody, divorce, and immigration. Plus full support registering the business and opening accounts.

On-Site Childcare

Free childcare during all training sessions, mentorship meetings, and the first six months of trading. No woman has to choose between her business and her kids.

More than business support.

A seamstress and small-business owner sketching a pattern in her studio, with Women in Business programme branding and support icons visible behind her.

A business can become more than income. It can create choice, stability, confidence, and a future shaped on her own terms.

The Women in Business programme

Safety, skills and long-term support working together

LearnPractical skills

LaunchSeed funding

GrowTrusted mentors

Different ideas. Shared independence.

The programme supports viable ideas shaped by each woman’s skills, experience, community, and ambitions.

A tailor sewing patterned fabric on a machine in her studio, surrounded by fabric rolls and design sketches.

Creative trades

Bespoke Tailoring

Tailoring, craft, design and other skills can become sustainable businesses with the right tools and guidance.

A childcare worker helping young children with an educational puzzle activity in a bright classroom.

Care services

Childcare Cooperative

Childcare and community care ideas can grow around trust, local knowledge, and flexible delivery.

A businesswoman smiling while reviewing strategy notes at her laptop in an office.

Professional services

Translation Agency

Language, administration, consulting and digital experience can serve clients locally and online.

A hairstylist styling a smiling client's hair in a salon.

Personal services

Mobile Hair & Beauty

Mobile beauty, wellness and home services offer flexible paths to build a loyal customer base.

Ready to back yourself?

If you’re a survivor of gender-based violence with an idea, an existing skill, or the desire to explore what is possible, apply or ask someone you trust to refer you. No CV or finished business plan is required.

Start an application

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.