Eileen Fisher names recipients of Business Grant Program

The Eileen Fisher Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs was launched in 2004 to support wholly women-owned businesses that strive to create a positive social impact and embody the business philosophy of Eileen Fisher.

This year's six recipients include two social enterprises, greenGoat and Southwest Creations. Based out of Somerville, Massachusetts, greenGoat was founded by Amy Bauman to keep architectural salvage out of the landfill by redistributing materials to people and companies and to teach building professionals how to boost building efficiency through conserving resources and managing waste streams.

Southwest Creations Collaborative is a manufacturing facility created to empower women by providing them with financially stable jobs and helping them become leaders in their families and communities.

Other grantees include Alabama Chanin, a clothing company that creates intricately sewn, one-of-a-kind cotton garments through a network of homeworkers; Good Nature Brewing, a female-run brewery and taproom in Hamilton, New York that focuses on using local suppliers; Melissa Joy Manning, a NYC-based fine jewelry designer committed to using ethically sourced and recycled materials; and Merrily Made, a Connecticut design studio run by Merrie Buchsbaum, a polymer artist who creates unique products such as a line of pens made with materials straight from her own garden.

First launched on the twentieth anniversary of Eileen Fisher—a company started by the namesake designer with only $350 in savings—the Eileen Fisher Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs celebrates innovative and passionate women leading companies that foster environmental and economic health in their communities.

Eileen Fisher