EMPOWERING VISIONARY ENTREPRENEURS
Year 2 Grant Details
Sephora Accelerate is a brand incubation program dedicated to building a community of innovative, inspirational brand founders in beauty. With a focus on founders who are people of color, their goal is to ensure there are brands in the beauty industry representative of the colors, races, and ethnicities that make up the Americas.
The Dream Makers Founder Grant has partnered with Sephora Accelerate as a 2025 grant-giving partner given the program’s commitment to supporting underrepresented founders in the beauty & wellness space.
All brands within the 2025 Sephora Accelerate Cohort will be awarded support from the Dream Makers Founder Grant.
The 2025 Sephora Accelerate cohort has already been selected. If you are a beauty brand founder and are interested in applying for the 2026 Sephora Accelerate Cohort program, learn more by accessing the button below.
The Fifteen Percent Pledge is a racial equity and economic justice non-profit organization working towards a more equitable economic future. In recognition that Black people in the U.S. make up nearly 15% of the population, Fifteen Percent Pledge is calling on major retailers and corporations to commit a minimum of 15% of their annual purchasing power to Black-owned businesses, in addition to other internal and external efforts to support closing the racial wealth gap and supporting Black entrepreneurs.
The Dream Makers Founder Grant has partnered with Fifteen Percent Pledge as a 2025 grant-giving partner given the program’s commitment to supporting underrepresented founders in the consumer space.
Show Your Support
Your tax-deductible support may allow the Dream Makers Founder Grant to extend beyond the 4-year period and reach new partners and businesses to make a significant difference in the journey of aspiring entrepreneurs.
My Why
“In 2014, I launched Briogeo at Sephora as the then-youngest Black female founder, marking a significant milestone in a world often resistant to change. Despite early funding challenges, Sephora believed in my vision and served as a beacon of hope.
In 2021, I joined Sephora’s Accelerate program, mentoring BIPOC and underrepresented beauty brand founders. Sharing my experiences helped them avoid common pitfalls and confidently scale their businesses. This experience strengthened my commitment to empowering underrepresented founders.
Early-stage funding can be challenging, particularly for founders without access to friends & family capital or institutional investors. Drawing from my own journey, I established the Dream Makers Founder Grant, to provide crucial, no-strings-attached funding to underrepresented founders.
I am grateful to those who supported me and am thrilled to pay it forward. I hope the Dream Makers Founder Grant, combined with mentorship, will inspire and empower underrepresented founders to relentlessly pursue their dreams. Together, we can shape the future of business and create a world where all founders have an opportunity to thrive.”
— Nancy Twine